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Have the Conservatives lost their moral compass? |
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Written by Al Hollingsworth
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Wednesday, 18 March 2009 |
I have always tried to look at the entire puzzle instead of the puzzle pieces. For a single puzzle piece, as anyone who has worked on jigsaw puzzles knows, can sometimes be very difficult to fit into the master plan.
The anti-NDP attack ad campaign, recently launched by the provincial Conservatives is puzzling indeed. I don’t think I can fit this piece into the big puzzle- the big puzzle here being the Conservatives’ yet-to-be-seen comprehensive strategy for winning the next election. In fact, my guess is these ads will turn more voters off than on.
You will notice I have dropped the word “Progressive” from the ruling provincial party’s title - this lot is acting more like Neanderthals, certainly not progressive thinkers.
What’s next, “Darrell Dexter’s mother wears army boots?” The campaign is nothing short of childish, to put it mildly.
Not only are Rodney and company attempting to emulate Stephen Harper and his right wing agenda, they are betraying the roots of their party. Nothing upsets me more than when I hear or read a media report that refers to the federal Conservatives as “Tories.” They are not Tories. Tories are a blend of those who embrace big business and the so-called Red Tories, the ones who tend to lean to the left. Besides Stanfield and his successor Ike Smith, Red Tories like Flora MacDonald come to mind, along with John Buchanan and Rollie Thornhill.
Thornhill was one of the most fair-minded politicians I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. But none of the individuals I have named would feel comfortable with the direction in which Rodney MacDonald and those who pull his strings, are taking a once proud party.
The current batch of ads remind voters about the Bob Rae government of the early 90s, suggesting that “the NDP will do what they did in Ontario, spend money we don’t have, raise taxes, and return to debt and deficit.” What a crock!
Had they stopped and thought about it, they would have realized there was no need to look to another province to develop scare tactics. They could simply have hearkened back to the party that held the reins of power in Nova Scotia from 1978-1993. Guess what that party’s name is?
Maybe Darrell and company could counter with snippets about the outstanding NDP governments that have held, and in some cases continue to hold, the responsibility of governing in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. For the uninitiated it would be a real eye-opener.
I suspect and I sincerely hope that, leading into the next provincial election, both the New Democrats and the Liberals will concentrate more on policy in an attempt to attract the intelligent thinking voters, leaving the loony fringe element for the big C conservatives.
Recently, the Conservatives suggested they had set aside $450,000 for an election, a political slush fund, so to speak. Well, let me remind Conservative party President Scott Armstrong, Premier Rodney MacDonald, the puppeteers and the blind followers, that a fool and his money are soon parted.
And to think I voted for that lot in the last election.
(Al Hollingsworth is a retired journalist and broadcaster)
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