Who are you here to represent?

“He told me he was troubled by the newspaper reports emerging from my encounter with the residents the day before. I reiterated they were a gross exaggeration of the facts, they were sensationalised, this was a cut and paste of events and I was neither booed, jeered nor asked to leave by anyone. We both stood and shook hands and I knew that the decision had already been made.” Peter Taylor. …read the story here

This tells you that your political existence should be based on you representing those who elected you instead of the good grace of one man. Instead of going along with the party and blindly defend everything they do, you should listen to the concerns of the people and have them addressed. Yes, you may not be able to get everything done, there is the possibility of victimisation. But if the people know that you work on their behalf, rather than tow the party line, they will support you.

The people will remember that you looked out for them, that you championed their cause, you insisted on their development. You would not be at the mercy of one man bent on having his way.