The Written Word
for September 12, 1999

Listeners will know that I’ve been pretty hard on the Reform Party lately – even to the point where I’m considering voting Liberal in the next federal election, For that to happen, things have got to have come to a pretty sorry pass indeed!

I think all of us have a feeling about things. These feelings aren’t always accurate but on the other hand, they often are. We meet someone – he or she gives off bad vibes. How often these vibes are borne out by events.

I must admit I’m not likely to be a happy camper in any political party. I am too issue oriented and sooner or later my stand on an issue is going to come up against party policy.

I was, in the beginning, quite taken with the Reform Party because I saw them as a vehicle where constitutional notions I have might bear fruit. But from the beginning I had a very bad feeling about who was supporting the party. It was not just social pariahs like Doug Collins but thoroughly respectfable, decent people like Ted Byfield, publisher of BC Report, and a very fine man with a very fine family. Of course I couldn’t tolerate the Collins of the world in a party I supported but I found that Ted and many of his followers troubled me too.

This is not because they are wrong-headed – it’s just that I don’t agree with them. Perhaps it might be better not to be critical of others and rather I should lay out where I’m coming from.

I don’t like religion and politics mixed in any way. I’m not interested in debating Christian principles or any such thing. I consider myself a Christian but whatever my notion of Christ’s principles might be, I’m not about to impose them on others. I believe that ethics are universal and I have a lot of trouble with any one or any party that attracts to its bosom those who would impose their interpretation of morality.

I have the feeling – and here’s where feelings start to come into it – that the Reform Party is not just out to reform the system but reform me too.

My impression of the Reform Party is that it’s a "however" party. I am in favour of helping the poor, "however" … I’m in favour of social services "however". You get my drift. Fair enough except if I have "howevers", they’re not held with quite the same tenacity they’re held with by Reform. I suppose I’m too limp wristed for Reform or in Maggie Thatcher’s terms, I’m a "wet".

I don’t believe that Reform is a racist party but that’s the party racists prefer. The "Flag" debate is a good example. Reform lost the Port Moody by-election because the "cowboys" in the Reform caucus decided that they would have some ‘good ol’ boy’ fun and rub Quebec’s nose in it.

John Reynolds calling refugee claimants "criminals" and doing so with apparent glee sticks in my craw. I don’t say that Reynolds is a racist – I simply say that this sort of rhetoric plays to the racist crowd.

I do believe that Reform and I part company on the Justice question except I hasten to say that the work of Chuck Cadman in this area has been magnificent. But any party that would have as its justice critic Art Hanger, who thinks enough of corporal punishment to go to Singapore to see how thrashings with a cane work, loses my support every time.

Finally, I think that Reform, by seeking support in Ontario, is watering down its position on equality of the provinces. To make any sort of deal with the Tories it has to. And that bothers me.

I guess, going back to the start, I just don’t feel comfy with Reform – I never did but even less do I now.

And I think a lot of hitherto supporters of the Reform Party are similarly uncomfortable and that it will show in the next federal election.