CKNW Editorial
for February 22, 2000

Some parting thoughts about the NDP convention.

The NDP are great on tokenism … everyone, including Gordon Wilson, was starting their speech with Sisters and Brothers … not the other way around, of course – ever. And there was instant translation for the deaf for everything that went on. Now I suppose that I’ll hear that there were a number of deaf people there but if so, why not all resolutions and other bumph in Braille for the blind?

Looking back, with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, it is pretty easy to see why Wilson really didn’t have a prayer. This convention was, in the main, the old guard of the NDP. When I asked Mr Wilson about the issue of his newness, pointing out that he had never really hit the bricks with his NDP colleagues he laughingly reminded me that not only that, for most of his career he was on the other side of the brick wall. It was interesting, however, to listen to Mr Wilson trying to establish Social Democratic roots for himself where none, of course, existed. In fact the cloaks of sackcloth and ashes each candidate wore rather reminded me of that wonderful Monty Python sketch of them all sitting around saying "you were poor … why at my house etc etc. It was interesting also to see how quickly Corky started dropping his "g’s" again after he was beaten and we heard doin’, goin’ and such just like before the campaign began.

Notable by their absences were former Premiers Barrett and Clark. You will remember that a couple of months ago, Barrett, utterly disregarding his quasi judicial function as the leaky condos chairman, threw his considerable weight behind Gordon Wilson and persisted in his support even after being roundly criticized by those who thought this compromised his independence.

Well, Dave is a slow learner perhaps but when it became obvious that nominating Gordon Wilson was going to be mightily embarrassing and cause him to lose face, he decided that those who had criticized him were right after all and he stayed home. If Wilson ever had a chance, it was gone with Barrett weaseling out of his promise/ And Glen Clark was the invisible man as well. I thought he had more courage than that … there was no need for him to do anything more than appear on the stage when the NDP caucus was introduced. But the gutsy, feisty, street fighting Glen Clark evidently couldn’t even face his sisters and brothers even just by way of introduction from the Chair.

There was no doubt that former Premier Harcourt was delighted at events. He felt vindicated and in a sense he was. He still did a lousy job of handling the Nanaimo Commonwealth case but he saw his tormentors from days of yore – Sihota, Clark and co, thoroughly discredited.

Speaking of Sihota, he is a very bright and articulate man … but he completely misread the mood of that convention when he spoke on behalf of Gordon Wilson. His arm waving histrionics simply fell flat as a pancake and may have done little of importance except doom his own cabinet position.

I must say that I was impressed with Corky Evans whose answers to tough questions by the media were by and large openly answered. He is one of the more frank politicians I’ve met … which is refreshing. So is Joy McPhail and it will be interesting to see her back in cabinet where she’s sure to be.

Finally, what the public of this province ought to take from the convention is this – you had a very good look-see inside the NDP’s private family bun toss and what you heard is likely to be the party policy. There was very little about fiscal prudence, nothing of consequence about lowering taxes, and very little about reducing the bureaucratic morass business people in this province must go through. This party was devoted to buttering up the hard core NDP which must be wooed and won before any further steps are taken. The NDP will continue to be a high tax, high interference government because if it’s anything else, it will fail to complete the wooing of the old guard. Mr Dosanjh has a long tough road ahead – and so do the people of British Columbia who must endure this government for a year or more.