Jane Nees BOP Regional Councillor www.janenees.co.nz

I wonder how many of you are as fed up with the whole ‘Dirty Politics' saga as I am.

I'm resorting to turning off the radio or changing TV channels to escape the relentless negativity and muckraking.

It seems like it's all about political point-scoring by those involved with it, accompanied by sensationalist reporting by the media.

The timing of the claims and the reporting of them appears to be designed to inflict maximum collateral damage – and to divert attention from the real issues.

I don't condone what's been alleged to have been done. I don't know how much truth there is in the claims made.

But regardless of what actually happened, I believe we should be able to expect the highest standard of ethics and honesty from those who represent us in Parliament.

Instead of letting ourselves by diverted by the ‘Dirty Politics' sideshow, now is the time for us to focus on what various parties are promising to do – should they be given the mandate as result of the upcoming general election. I'm not alone in this. Just about everyone I speak to has had enough.

Let's demand more focus on the issues and proposed solutions, so we can all make well-informed choices on election day.

If you have views on this, or any other issue, you can email me at neesj@xtra.co.nz or ring me on 07 579 5150.