He was generally one of the most principled of politicians, and a man even a Tory could admire, as in fact I did.

However, his leaving should mean a new candidate to vote for. What of him/her? Or is there NO replacement?


An excellent question, but the answer may well be no. While I have generally voted for one party I have voted for others where their candidate has seemed to me to be particularly principled and effective, or where the alternative seemed to believe his main duty was to follow the party line. For example, one MP we had had a 100% voting agreement in accordance the party view with a single exception on a highly local issue. That to me said I might as well have elected a rubber stamp, as it didn't demonstrate any critical thought at all.

In the case of the remarkable Bob Marshall-Andrews, he was one of that select group present in all parties, who are essentially independent but with a foundation aligned to a party. Putting a Rubber Stamp Party Member there instead is certainly not a replacement.