Being in politics at any level isn’t easy whether it’s in your curling club, a council meeting or a cabinet. The hardest part is turning people down, especially if they’re your supporters.
I think that of the three levels of “government” I’ve served in my terms as president of a golf course (Quilchena in Richmond and the Kamloops GC in Kamloops) were in many ways the most difficult because you were so close to your constituents so often. Let me illustrate.

Back in the 60s at Quilchena the Board was alarmed – at least some of them were – to find that we had approved a man for membership whose name was Lee, only to find he was Chinese. The golf club had, since its inceptions back in the 20s, had an unwritten but enforced rule that white Christians were the only proper club mates to have. I didn’t share those views so called an extraordinary meeting of the membership to deal with this issue.

The evening before I had received a phone call from a lady who informed me if we allowed all those Japs and Chinks (she had a nifty turn of phrase) into the club she was quitting and taking 40 members with her. I’d hardly put the phone down when another lady called and said that if her Japanese friends in Steveston couldn’t join the club she was quitting and – yes, you guessed right – she would take 40 members with her!

When I took my place at the meeting, in the front row was a crusty old Scot, Bill Campbell, who had spent 5 years as a prisoner of war enduring the horrors of a Japanese prison camp. Oh, oh – I was in for it.

I gave my speech and called upon people to live and let live in the new cosmopolitan world we were in. I ended the speech and it seemed forever but Bill put up his hand. This, I thought, will be trouble, big time.

“Mr. Prrrresident” he said, in his Scottish brogue (which got more pronounced the longer he was away from Scotland) “Mr. President … when are you going to fill in that goddamned ditch across the 18th fairway where I always lose a ball?”

There was a moment of silence – then everybody began to laugh and the unwritten rule was consigned to the trash can without the need of anything more. No one resigned and the club prospered! It taught me this – in politics you never know what the hell you’re going to see next!

There are, however, some axioms about politics. Be cautious what you promise, especially about things that will be popular with a few but unpopular with most. Vague promises about cleaning out the deadwood, bringing fiscal management blah, blah, blah is one thing but specific promises can bite you in the ass when you least expect it. W.A.C. Bennett used to say “never spoil a good promise by keeping it”. To talk about the general philosophy you will bring to the job is one thing; to promise to do whatever pleases the group you’re now with bodes ill indeed.

In fact you should remember Mair's Axiom I and apply it to yourself - 'You make a serious mistake assuming that people in charge know what the hell they're going.'  (Axiom II is "you don't have to be a 10 in politics - you can be a 3 if everyone else is a 2, But, I digress).

Keep a finger on the pulse of electors – that is exactly opposite to listening to the noisy, persistent minority. Bill Bennett did this by periodically asking then Highways Minister, Alex Fraser what they were saying about us in downtown Quesnel, always a good bellwether . As often as not Fraser would say, “Mr. Premier, they think it’s a load of crap”. We, who until then thought we were beloved by all, had a rude awakening!

Lastly, beware the unintended consequences. One year our cabinet passed what we assumed were “Housekeeping” changes to the Insurance Act and in so doing wiped out an insurance company! This was at the end of a session and Bill Bennett had to recall all members to hold a special sitting to restore the company to life! We learned, the hard way, to spend as much time divining the possible consequences as we did on the merits of the law in the first place. (I think our present council has had some recent experiences in that regard but I’ll not go into that.)

Postscript – expect to take a lot of crap from a lot of people for that goes with the territory. Always remember that you got into politics by your own choice and nobody ever said it would be all fun and good money.