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Another reason not to vote Liberal |
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Written by Al Hollingsworth
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Sunday, 02 March 2008 |
If looking at some of the individuals who sit at the Liberal caucus table isn’t enough to make you run for the hills, then the latest by the Young Liberals and the party’s policy committee will probably scare away the handful of Nova Scotians who still support the once proud party.
In fairness, a serious vetting of all opposition members is a must. After all, they could very well be the next cabinet ministers, and determine our fate over the ensuing four years. All too often we get caught up in the hype of a leader, or want to punish a sitting government, and forget to look at the other potential decision makers.
Here’s a weekend exercise. Pretend you are “Premier” Darrell Dexter and list the members of his caucus. Now, pick your cabinet. Still want to pull on your orange shirt and rush into the booth to vote NDP?
Back to the party of Angus L.
Given what has happened to the Nova Scotia Liberal Party over the past nine years, I’m tempted to suggest to any remaining supporters that this is being written very slowly, because I know they are not fast learners. I won’t. Darn, I did.
In case you missed it, going into the Nova Scotia Liberal Association’s Annual Meeting, the Young Grits brought with them a resolution that would have the province ( read you and me) pay for sex change surgeries.
We’ve got residents travelling around the world, paying out thousands of dollars for joint replacement operations and other major surgeries, where the wait times stretch into years. And they want to add sex changes to the list!
How “young” are these Young Liberals? Five? Most six-year-olds I know have a better grasp on reality.
Oh yes, and let us not forget the other gem the Grits brought to the floor: “Be it resolved that the Nova Scotia Liberal Party urges members and all Nova Scotians to refrain from using the term “Come From Away” (CFA) to label newcomers, and instead adopt the new CFA and welcome citizens who “Come From Anywhere.” I’ve got a question: where do those who dreamed up this gem come from?
Who uses this term “CFA?” My wife comes from Ontario and, in the 40 years she has lived here, has yet to be called a CFA. Three of my four children were born in her home province and none have been branded with this “hurtful” term.
Finally, they have taken political correctness to its logical conclusion.
I do remember talking with my old friend Forbie Kennedy about a hockey matter I was handling. He mentioned that his uncle, a tough old Islander who was in the eye of that particular storm, thought I wasn’t too bad a guy for a “mainlander.”
I took that as a compliment, and who knew that all along, according to those pillars of knowledge in the Liberal Party, I should have been insulted.
There, my lovelies, you can sleep safely in your beds tonight, for we have a political party that wants to gain our trust and earn the right to govern our domain by pinpointing these two of our major shortcomings.
What’s next, advocating longer roads and shorter bridges? Or how about that dreadful term “Bluenoser?” Makes us sound like a bunch of rummies. There, I’ve set the table for next year’s gathering. At the rate the Liberal Party is going, by then they’ll be able to move it from a hotel to a phone booth.
(Al Hollingsworth is a retired journalist is also a CFA – Confused, Frustrated, Annoyed)
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