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A government running scared |
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Written by Al Hollingsworth
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Friday, 06 February 2009 |
What was Angus MacIsaac thinking when he stood in front of a wall of anti NDP jargon and tried to frighten the voters of Nova Scotia? Better still, what idiot created the scare tactic? What really galls me is that person is being supported by our hard earned tax dollars.
Quite frankly, he looked silly in the front page picture of Friday’s Chronicle-Herald.
And oh yes, where was Rodney MacDonald? He is the Premier, isn’t he?
Officially the words came from a 65-page document entitled The NDP –A Risk You Can’t Afford. In truth it was a bunch of malarkey Angus spewed and is nothing short of an insult to every thinking Nova Scotian.
I say “thinking” because there are some (too many I fear) who blindly support their party come hell or high water. Sorry, didn’t mean to steal Paul Martin’s book title but the saying has been around longer than the both of us.
What we have here is two scenarios: the New Democratic Party, a government-in-waiting, and the Tories, a government running scared.
The latter chooses to dredge up old press releases, remarks made years ago and put a price tag on them, hoping the masses will take the bait and run for cover when encountering anything orange. All that was missing was a copy of the Communist Manifesto.
Ah yes, Democracy 250, we really learned from that exercise.
For those who missed it, the 65-pages refer to 26 items the New Democrats have talked or written about since the election of 2006. The sitting Tories claim, with a straight face, that the 26 line items cost out at $2.2 billion. An additional 43 items were not priced out, probably because they might prove to be beneficial if implemented. Don’t eat that, Elmer, that’s horse feathers.
It is also one of the oldest political games in the book.
I feel for Darrell Dexter, who has brought stability and civility to the leadership of his party. One day he is being compared to a communist and the next he is a spendthrift. What’s next, casting him as the mastermind of the invasion of Georgia? Not that Georgia, the one overseas!
Is the government saying that the majority of Halifax Regional Municipality voters who support the NDP are unthinking robots? Do they believe us to be stupid and unable to form an opinion without prompting?
Years ago, when people got their politics through genetics, you could spoon feed them pap like Angus served up and they would lap it up. Today’s voters, those who still haven’t been turned off by the process, for the most part carefully weigh the issues and make informed decisions.
“They want to attack other people instead of talking about their own program, and there’s a good reason for that – they’ve (had) what has been three very disappointing years, “ Dexter told the Chronicle –Herald.
Exactly!
(Al Hollingsworth is a retired journalist and broadcaster)
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