Editor:
Re: Minority already calling the shots and it will get worse, letter to the editor, July 12
It’s always of interest to me to see strongly stated opinions based on so little actual information or facts. Yes we all have belief systems and we carry those forth based on personal ideology. This generally carries on into our political beliefs and how we view the world. However, when we share those beliefs in public comments it behooves us to look at a reality that encompasses opposing views. If not, we’re really just carrying forth prejudice and biased information.
Curtis MacDonald states in his letter that it would be impossible for the Conservatives to win an election under a PR system. If we think about this statement it is really easy to see that this is just not true.
If the Conservative party had a platform that appealed to the public at large and candidates to match it should easily win an election. If the Conservatives can’t bring their party ideals to that broad based level of public support it doesn’t deserve to win an election. And if MacDonald thinks the Conservatives could not cooperate along left wing lines perhaps they don’t deserve to govern. The same should be true for left wing parties. Government should be about compromise and cooperation in order to achieve community goals that are neither steeped in left or right wing ideology. Anyone who questions this only needs to look at what is happening south of the border.
The ‘Liberal’ party only won 40 per cent of the vote and NDP and Green parties won 57 per cent of the vote in the past election. Both NDP and Green parties ran on a platform that included opposition to the Kinder Morgan pipeline. Knowing this, it is totally unreasonable to suggest that the majority of B.C. residents support the pipeline. One only has to look at the election results to realize that any poll stating otherwise is not necessarily accurate.
To suggest that an NDP coalition government would bankrupt Ontario is once again a one-sided viewpoint that does not carry any substance. One only needs to look at the very conservative ‘Liberal’ government legacy here in B.C. It shows us that any party can do irreparable damage to both the economy and community. As such the possibility of Proportional Representation looks really promising. It protects all voters from a single party ideal.
Peter van der Velden
