PM going to let you in on a little secret. Like other lines of work, politics has its own inner language made up of catch-phrases, the real meaning of which is usually known only to insiders. T know it can be embar- rassing, when someone who was once on the insid= reveals a trick of the trade, but I believe the public deserves to be warned of this . particular charade. The code word I’m about to reveal is often used by politicians, often quoted by the media, but very little understood. ‘I'm referring to the pathetic spectacle ‘of elected represen- tatives calling for “action.” Depend upon it, when politicians demand “action,” it’s invariably because they . haven’t the foggiest notion of - “ what to do.- ern and te ‘and lies & for i gue, non-specific f : What's important sn°t what sort of action is but thar the politi- calling for it are seen to mongering for : rakes a indus 0 nemy- t’s ely to go... y to do any * fers for. OE opposition politi hife their Flag set ultancously opinion What reminded me of all this was the sorry sight of three of the soar North Shore Liberal MLAs just prior to Christmas calling for “action” on the Lions Gate Bridge. Never mind that they’ve apparently given lirtle thought to precisely what “action” they're calling for. At the time of the provin- cial election last May, they said a new First Narrows Crossing was their top priori- ty.. Now, seven months later, after their party’s election defeat has finally hit home and their complete powerless- ness as partisan oppositionists has become readily apparent, they’ve been reduced to ' demanding “action.” There they were —- North Vancouver-Lonsdale MLA Katherine Whittred, West Vancouver-Capilano MLA Jeremy Dalton, and West - Vancouver-Garibaldi MLA Ted Nebbeling — trying to be noticed by shoppers in the — ) [kabs o & tes change Christmas rush at Park Roval shopping centre. And following more than half a year in virtual secli- sion, during which we’ve heard nary a peep fom them, they hatched their master plan for the Lions Gate Bridge: a petition demanding “action.” Thar’s right, a peti- don. Can you just imagine the fear and trembling around the NDP cabinet table? Surely, this will bring those godless socialists to their knees! The truth is that these desperate atrention-secking oppositionists are both inept and impotent. Sensing thar the government is finally, at long last, moving towards an announcement about a new First Narrows Crossing, these feeble Grits are scrambling to create an impression that they're actually part of the solution, when in fact their partisan actions can only hurt the interests of constituents on the North Shore. I have no doubt that early in this new year we're in store for a long delayed major announceinent about the needed upgrade of the Lions Gate Bridge as a test case for public-private part- nerships in our province (more about this in the weeks ahead). But the forthcoming announcement will in no way a 1362 Marine Drive 980-91 154 0am-6:00pm, Sun. 9:00am-S: 7:83 Pecsberton Av. TALKING 985-7195 (denne Georgia Interiors CLEARANCE CENTRE be connected to the pitiful calls fer “action” by our inef- fectual North Shore MLAs. On the contrary, their attempts to grandstand on this issue can only cause fur- ther delays. The reason the almost- compicted Westview Exchange on the Upper Levels Highway was approved had everything to do with the efforts of former MLA David Schreck. Loathe him or love him, Schreck was an effective rep- resentative for the North Shore and had much more influence thin all four of our current opposition MLAs combined, who are political cunuchs by comparison. Since the Liberals actively encourage and promote a negative and destructive win- ner-takes-all approach to pol- itics, they should simply accept the fact that they blew the provincial election and do their best to settle in for four years of powerlessness. Or is it too much to hope that even one of our North Shore MLAs might be able to find a way to combine tough criticism with an abili- ty, on occasion, to work with the government? Efther way, now that their cover’s been blown, hopefully we can be spared from any more of those lame cails for “action.” ~~ The North Shore News believes strongly in freedom of speech and the right of all sides ina debate to be heard. The columnists published in the News present differing points of view, but those views are not necessn rily those of the newspa- per itself. All roads lead to.great ~» Mexican food 3108 Edgemont Blvd. North Vancouver 990-4600 MEXICAN FOOD Cafe. Centro 2041-W. 4th Ave. . Vancouver _ 734-5422 . 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