The Silences of the NDP (Cy Gonick)
transcript of Radio ALERT broadcast (Jan. 12)
The NDP’s biggest challenge this election, say media pundits, is not to be sidelined by the war between the two major parties. But instead of offering a real alternative program, NDP leader has adopted the mantra: “look at me” — as if repeating it endlessly as he did in the leaders debate this week, will cause voters to take notice.
Jack Layton is NOT saying here’s the NDP solution to climate change, deep integration, poverty, street violence, the oppression and exploitation of Aboriginal peoples, or the shortage of day care. Rather he’s saying “vote for the NDP and we will force the Liberals to fulfill THEIR promises. Oh yea, and unlike them we’re clean.”
Electoral reform has all but disappeared from the NDP platform as a priority.
The NDP says it wants more refunding of our pharmaceutical expenses — but it must know that any steps to bring in pharmacare, even on a partial basis, can only deepen the health care crisis — since ever more of the health care budget will end up in the pockets of the pharmaeutical multinationals. The truth is that we cannot have pharmacare unless we nationalize Big Pharma.
The NDP says it opposes privitizing health care but the reality is that a big part of it is already privitized including the production of pharmaceuticals and the provision of lab tests — but also a wide range of services like dental care and physiotherapy. Contrary to all the hype about Canada’s publically funded health care system, the reality is that much of the system is in private hands, especially the profitable parts. More than anything else it is the rapidly rising costs imposed by the profit-taking parts of the health care system that is bankrupting medicare. WHY ISN’T THE NDP TALKING ABOUT NATIONALIZING BIG PHARMA?
WHY FOR THAT MATTER ISN’T THE NDP TALKING ABOUT how it would finance the massive restructuring of our cities and transportation systems and the conversion of our fossil fuel driven energy system to non fossil fuel alternatives — not only because of climate change, but because in a very few years the world will have run out of new supplies of fossil fuel and we wiil be facing astronomical prices. Half the Canadians polled recently say they would support nationalizing the oil and gas industry, bring it into public ownership where it belongs. The NDP is silent. But where else, but from the profits earned by oil and gas companies, can we find the revenues needed to meet this coming crisis?
It’s silent about Canada’s involvement in the overthrow of the elected president of Haiti, Jean Bertrand Aristede. Why is Canada supporting the gang of thugs that have replaced Aristede? And what is Canada doing in Afghanistan? The NDP is silent.
Even more incomprehensible, the NDP is silent about deep integration — all the plans afoot to further integrate our economy, foreign policy, immigration policyand national security policy to that of George Bush’s USA. NAFTA requires that we can NEVER reduce the proportion of our energy production that we send to the USA. That amounts to 60% of it and it is rising by the day. There is no way the US would agree to a revision of NAFTA that would release us from this obligation — even as our energy supplies dwindle. We could abrogate our participation in NAFTA within 6 months of announcing our intention to do so. The NDP is silent about THIS. In fact its position on Canadian sovereignty is as weak under Jack Layton as it was under Ed Broadbent during the fateful free trade election of 1988.
What is driving today’s NDP to avoid ANY policy commitments that challenge the corporate rulers of this country? Even David Lewis stood up against these corporate welfare bums and named them. Do the strategists who decide these things think the NDP will win more seats by appearing to be little more than honest Liberals?
Finally, when is the last time you heard an NDP spokesperson defend Quebec’s right to self-determination? Today’s NDP rejects the national aspirations of a majority of Quebecers. Jack Layton made that abundantly clear when he announced that he does not oppose the Clarity Act which lays the basis for Ottawa to defy the decision of a referendum of the Quebec people on sovereignty. His position on the clarity bill is embarassing for severals of NDP candidates in Québec, like Léopold Lauzon, who openly opposed it.
Too bad progressive minded voters dont have much of a choice this election. Some will follow Rick Salutin’s advice in last week’s Globe & Mail by holding their noses and voting Jack. Others will decline to vote at all or spoil their ballots. Still others will follow Buzz Hargrove — vote for the party with the best chance to beat the Tories.
What’ru going to do?
Comment by Jack Welsh, writing from Canada on January 14th, 2006 at 3:30 am:
Clothes pin it, Cy. Not painfully, just use one of those big wooden ones - weak spring. Wear it to the polling booth. Maybe we could make the clothes pin sort of a symbol of this, Canada’s last election. Maybe the coloured plastic ones would work better.
But no.
Everybody’d think we were voting for Harper and then he might win more support.
Who ARE those people in Ontario, anyway? The ones that must be having their answers counted two or three times over on each of the polls.
Comment by Charles Sampson, writing from Canada on January 14th, 2006 at 9:24 pm:
The NDP has failed to present a real alternative.
Thanks, Cy.
Sadly, I have to do exactly as Rick Salutin suggested. That advise was also given on a Cross Country Checkup program a few week ago by an extremely articulate and informed 12 year old young man who when asked how he would vote, if he could.
Stephen Lewis recently remarked that if this election goes badly, Canada would not be recognizable after 5 years.
Comment by briarpatch » The Silences of the NDP, writing from United States on January 15th, 2006 at 11:49 am:
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