Partisan Politics and the cost to our Children

On a quick break from Cry me a River - I felt compelled to at least start a discussion on the cost of partisanship. There are many forms of partisanship relative to politics - at the "party member" level, at the politicians level, and at the former politician level.

Partisanship at some time in our history meant something a little purer a little more meaningful. That is to say that parties had ideologies relating to public policy and these policies were founded by the grassroots or the people.

Today partisanship means zealotry relative to getting and keeping power regardless of what it means to our future.

This regression into the unreasoned and ignorant following of political parties leaves us very vulnerable to repeat other events in history - which resulted in mayhem, slaughter, and kangaroo courts. Don't get me wrong the things that happened during those times and even now in uncivilized countries - will not play out literally here - but we will suffer negative consequences and more importantly we will rob our own children of their futures.

In Newfoundland and Labrador today - there are no real differences between the Liberals and the Tories. They both want power and both and - despite their patronizing consultation processes - do whatever suits unknown interests (corporate) and nothing for the long term benefit of the people. Ironically the only obvious differences in the past decade have been the Tories wanting to have equity in oil projects and the Liberals did not. What is ironic about this is that the Liberals are taking a Conservative ideology and the Conservatives are taking a more Liberal ideology. This was also true during the failed attempt to privatize Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro. On might think this is positive - but alas - they go back and forth on resource developments as well. Both giveaway resources - both slip into - do a deal regardless the price - or worse do things that benefit "friends" of government or even their own pockets.

When a government Liberal or Tory wishes to employ the "best minds in our province" they find themselves restricted to party faithful. Look at the Crown Corporations and government departments whether under Liberals or Tories and see who is appointed to head them. Then there are Boards of Directors and special commissions and studies - look at who heads or sits on them. There is no attempt to get the "best minds in our province" - in fact many of them just simply move away or give up as their skills are better utilized elsewhere.

Then we have the "party members" who have no real say in the formation of ideology - who are simply instructed to malign people on the other side be it as a letter to the Telegram or other community paper, calling the open line programs, or simply showing up at a political event to wave banners and yell and shout predetermined slogans for the cameras attending. They live and breathe for a laying on of hands of the leader of their party. One wink or shake of a hand or hug from a Brian Tobin or Danny Williams means they will defend them at all costs. If you ask them to really discuss the issues relating to their childrens' future and how their party's position may affect their future - the silence is deafening.


We all know good examples of this - we have all heard the Danny is the best thing, Brian is the best thing, Joey is the best thing - ever to happen to Newfoundland and Labrador. Regardless of the circumstance and issue and even in the face of something being obviously wrong - these followers will call open line and say there is nothing wrong with expropriating the entire community of Grand Falls - Windsor don't fault Kathy for that she is doing a great job. The absolute zealot Liberals who went as far as threatening me during the failed attempt to privatize Hydro - are still there within the party and determined to privatize this Crown jewel.

"Thank God for John Crosbie" is one of my favorite ones or Tony on a Danny Williams this Danny Williams that. Justifying Danny Williams private choice on his health is one thing but justifying on behalf of Danny that this was okay from a leader of people 95% of which have no such option is just plain wrong. If there is a problem with the health system that causes the Premier of our province to not only leave the province but in fact leave the country to get the "best" health care available then it would be at least incumbent on this leader to fix our system for the people he serves.

It gets so bad that when I blog something negative about a Tory policy I have Liberals smacking me on the back and saying go get em. Problem is when I then explain that the Liberals have done the same thing or worse - they write me notes saying I should go away. To me what is important is the future of my children and yours. They have no option or say on today's decisions and they are relying on us to make the right choices for them. If you are a parent you do not let your children go out and play in traffic - or walk alone at night - or engage in drug use or smoking - yet many allow the government of the day to do something directly detrimental to their future - in the name of being partisan.



Joey Smallwood allowed the loss of what will be tens of billions of dollars by the time the Churchill ends (if ever). You have Tory MHA's now that are selling away the future of their children with this atrocious Emera deal without ever understanding enough about it to make an informed choice. But what Danny said must be right. They are allowing the economic destruction of their home? They are thinking partisanship.

There are partisans that will not be able to get through this blog without closing the page - vowing to themselves never to return. What makes a born and bred Labradorian allow the continued plundering of Labrador resources for unknown entities or for general government coffers - knowing full well that this means their own communities will suffer the loss and that their own children will have to go to Alberta, Ontario, or the Island to work? That is called partisanship. What makes a Tory or Liberal MHA vote along party lines when their own community will be negatively affected - be that the fishery, the forestry, the hydro resource, or air ambulance? That is partisanship. For the extreme look at a Joan Burke and Susan Sullivan and ask how they suffered through the loss of their paper mills while Danny's is still up and running. Then there is the Stephenville airport and on and on it goes. This is partisanship.

Danny Williams gained 2 billion from Paul Martin - still waiting to see the net on that - then proceeded to lose 10 billion with the only punishment being the lowering of flags or the smacking on the arse of Fabian Manning. Boy that really hurt. Partisanship allows people to say - he was a fighter - he was a fighter. We lost people we now are absolutely losing the long-term benefits of our non-renewable oil resources. Danny Williams had the political support to really fight that destruction to our revenue base - he quit - made up with Stephen Harper, hastily announced a deal on the Lower Churchill and then slunk back into the private sector. What happened to the fishery, the forestry, equalization, and the health care system? What happened to his self-proclaimed passion. Through it all - Tory's who are not too pleased with Kathy still come back and preface their criticism with "I'm not saying anything bad about Danny - he was the best we ever had", sure he was the one that left Kathy in control. This is partisanship.

Then there is the audacity of Danny Williams and his crew and Clyde Wells and his crew to launch personal attacks - either on their own or through partisan minions - on ordinary citizens who dare utter a criticism or question the wisdom of the anointed one. We all know this has happened and some of us have been the recipients of it. Here's the problem - for some if the Liberals do it to somebody that's okay if you're a Liberal but unacceptable if it is a Tory that does it and vice versa. This type of personal and professional attack on a person who is raising a concern genuinely - is not acceptable by either party - lest it is partisanship.

Partisanship even goes to the absurd when you hear Tory partisans speak - one might say - cruelly to Brad Cabana and question his party lineage when they are supporting a government where the only thing Ross Wiseman had to do is cross the floor. Everybody knows this is wrong but partisanship tells them that they must defend the indefensible. To make the bad joke worse - it is Wiseman's assistant that goes to the Cabana home to "talk some sense" into this fellow who has the nerve to think there is one democratic bone within the private club of the provincial progressive conservatives.

Worse than all of this is the lack of concern by the political partys' brass that the majority of people do not want to cast a vote anymore. They could care less as long as the ones who they can coerce actually are a majority of those who vote. This is partisanship and the thirst for power. If we as people cannot force the political partys to develop policy from the grassroots - then  they simply should be rejected. We as a people then must absolutely demand that certain policies be put in place if they are to receive the sacred vote.

If this partisanship continues - this province will fail and there will be no future for yet another generation of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.