The National Party looks set to have its first openly gay MP in barrister Chris Finlayson. At number 27 on the party list, Finlayson is likely to have a seat on current vote numbers. Newstalk ZB political commentator Barry Soper says Finlayson is the sort of man who is likely to walk straight into the position of Attorney-General under a National-led government. Finlayson upset some in the glbt community with comments he made to the New Zealand Herald about the Civil Union Act, which he described as "flawed". He also described marriage as a heterosexual institution that he didn't want to see harmed. He subsequently told GayNZ.com that his comments had been truncated and hadn't given an accurate picture of where he stands on the issue of legal recognition for same-sex relationships, saying that he believes same-sex marriage to be the last great civil rights issue for the glbt community. GayNZ.com has been unable to contact Finlayson for comment this evening, as calls to his electorate chairperson in Mana have not been returned. Chris Banks - 17th September 2005