Vancouver Courier
for April 15, 1998

I've always loved letters to the editor. One of my favourite books is "The First Cuckoo", a compilation of letters to the London Times. The title comes from a letter on February 6, 1913 from one R. Lydekker who alleged that he'd heard a cuckoo - it being a month early for such things. Six days later he wrote a second letter announcing that he was wrong to have so alarmed people - he' been deceived by a bricklayer's labourer who imitated birds for a lark, so to speak.

Last week, N.A. Sterne wrote this paper about a cuckoo - but it was me. Except, like Mr Lydekker, he may have not been listening carefully.

The criticism is that I'm mean to the Reform Party and "unable to accept this 'upstart', youthful challenger to the old parties." This because of my March 22 article criticizing Reform Party over the "flag slag". I thought their MPs, mostly the Alberta ones, were puerile, over-reactive and unhelpful to the long term cause of national unity. N.A. Sterne welcomed their actions. Very well, we disagree on that.

But am I unable to accept the Reform Party?

In the mid 80s, I sensed that the quiescent Unity Debate was about to erupt once more. I dumped on the Premiers Conference of 1986 which agreed to postpone the claims of all provinces to those of Quebec which led to the "Quebec Round" and Meech Lake. I began to speak out for the need for a party to speak for "Outer Canada" it being obvious that Mulroney was going to try to "constitutionalize" the status quo, namely the "Two Founding Nation" theory, and thus formally confirm Central Canada's hegemony over the entire country.

When the 1988 election came around - Debora Grey was the only Reform MP - I had already interviewed Preston Manning several times. In fact in the campaign I moderated an all party panel for a large national convention and specifically requested that Preston Manning be a panelist though Reform wasn't even in the race. Since then I've made considerable air time available to Reform MPs especially Preston Manning.

I editorially endorsed the Reform Party in 1993 and 1996. I would do so again were an election now in progress.

Having said all that, N.A. Sterne is right to detect that I have serious concerns about the party. In my defence I must say that as an editorialist I make no pretense at impartiality. My words reflect my prejudices - as they are at that moment at any rate.

I believe in fiscal conservatism so as to make funds available from cash not debt to support the social needs of our community. I believe in "live and let live". I'm a heterosexual Christian who fights as best I can the intolerance of many Christians towards homosexuals. I despise racism and do not believe that this is a white man's country .. a European country .. a Christian country. I also believe in Canada as not based upon two founding nations but upon equality of all people and all provinces. Those are my prejudices.

The last principle is what irrevocably divides me from other parties. But that cannot force me to support a Reform Party which is dominated by Canada's "red necks" and tight-assed Christians.

I see a huge rift in the party along the Rocky Mountains. The "rednecks", the "good ol' boys" have a special place in Mr Manning's political heart. He will reject this "fringe" when it's safe to do so but when it came to breast beating, flag waving and public demonstrations of triumphalist patriotism by mostly Alberta Reform MPs making a play for the peanut gallery back home, Mr Manning joined in the fun.

I think it cost Reform the by-election in Port Moody-Coquitlam and so do those who knocked on doors during the campaign.

I can understand the MPs - under our system they're not supposed to be very bright - but the situation called for leadership. I would have expected Mr Manning to say - "Look here. We're all patriotic Canadians on this side of the House. We've nothing to prove. Don't rise to the bait by looking like a bunch of braying know-nothings angling for applause from the cheap seats. We've got to be above this sort of pettiness if we wish the public to see us as a government-in-waiting."

He didn't do that. He genuflected to the gun totin', hang 'em high, Marlboro Country cowboys.

It seems that every time the Reform Party gets within a whisker of shucking the extremist image in which they are painted by their enemies, they do something to reinforce it.

No, N.A. Sterne, I wish the Reform Party well. But it doesn't seem unreasonable to me that as a two time voter for Reform I demand higher standards from Mr Manning than we saw in the flag affair.