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NDP government off to a good start |
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Written by Al Hollingsworth
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Thursday, 30 July 2009 |
The steady hand and calm approach of Darrell Dexter is rubbing off on his cabinet, his caucus. Unlike the Liberal government headed by the late John Savage, who began their mandate like bulls in a china shop, upsetting just about every Nova Scotian within their first six months in office, the NDP approach is the complete opposite.
Savage, a decent man, was a victim of poor advice from a small cadre ( four or five ministers) within his cabinet, individuals who listened to no one, marching briskly to the beat of their own drum. A march that eventually took them from a landslide victory to third party status.
How bad was it? In 1993 Nova Scotians elected 43 Liberals and all but wiped out the Tories who had run up a horrendous debt, not to mention our collective disgust with the toilet seat covers affair. Yet six short years later the Progressive Conservatives were back on top, as even they looked better than the ruling Grits.
Back to the present and the NDP. Frankly, their performance in the first two months make the Tory scare ads, and those who wrote them, look like fools. As someone who has watched the political scene for more than half a century, I continue to be impressed with their day-to-day performance.
Take, for example, the debate on the keno gambling. When the Progressive Conservative government brought in the video lottery game, they did so despite protests from those worried it had the potential to increase problem gambling. Among those who criticized the keno game were the NDP, then the Official Opposition.
To play keno, customers in a bar or restaurant buy tickets then watch the television for the posting, a few minutes later, of the winning numbers.
Finance Minister Graham Steele said he has asked the gaming corporation to prepare briefing notes on the game, how it is being received and how much it would cost it the government to close down the keno terminals.
Previous governments would have jumped in and pulled the plug, with little or no thought of the consequences. Not our current government.
How refreshing is this comment from Steele: “It’s easier to exit from a game that’s not working. But I don’t want to form the judgment today already that it’s not working, but the revenues are quite considerably less than projected is one indication that it’s not a game that’s working (for players).”
He said he will wait until he is briefed before a decision is made. And then the Rhodes Scholar added this breath of fresh air: “I don’t want to walk into government and say I know all the answers.”
I’ve said it before, and it bears repeating, it’s a shame the catch phrase “common sense” was wasted on Mike Harris and company. Premier Darrell Dexter and his government members not only talk that talk, they walk it daily.
(Al Hollingsworth is a retired broadcaster and journalist)
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