i 6- Friday, September 3 1993 ~ North Shore News “"tr| Will Socreds sambie on the Amazing Grace? | THE PURGING by Social Credit of its Vander Zalm virus took a new turn this week with (he rumor (if not already confirmed) that Grace McCarthy may temporarily assume NEWS WIEWPOINT acing turnstiles ANKIND HAS always gravitated towards the fastest, and other related peaks on the fringes of hunian endeavor. Since the first internal combustion engine sputtered to life, the sport of matching cars and drivers against ong another has taken: on epic proportions. Witness last weekend’s Vancouver Indy. .. While the European Formula 1 circuit is ‘still regarded as the premier ride on the planet, the Indy car program — through . savvy marketing and TV -friendly races — ‘is threatening to shed ‘its -younger-brother ‘Status, -This is good news for Lower Mainland > yesidents. This year’s Indy — the fourth in ‘as' many years through the streets of downtown Vancouver — atiracted record . attendance on Saturday (50,805) and Sun- the strongest day (over 70,660). Factor in the brisk business at the souve- nir shops located in every open parking ot space at the Indy site {not to mention the weekend. booming underground economy on the pe- riphery) and the roar of the turbo-charged engines quickly gets drowned out by the ring of the till. Drivers may be the ones on the pedium, - but ihe economy was cleariy a winner last Naysayers to this capitaiist dream decry the event as an evil extension of society’s fascination with the automobile. Greenpzace threatened action. LETTER OF THE | ‘Dear Editor: All of a sudden, the leaders of the three major parties ‘are scrambling madly to show who is the biggest and best reformer of the gold-plated MPs’ pension plan! Recently, Prime Minister Kim Campbell announced that she will ‘change the plan so that MPs would. have to wait. until age 55 before they can collect benefits. At present there is no age re- quirement.’ .. She also pledged to end the ob- noxious practice: of ‘‘double- ’ dipping,”’: which allows MPs to ‘ collect pension payments even if they have another government jo Not to be outdone, opposition : Publisher . Managing Editor : Peter Speck Timothy Renshaw leaders Jean Chretien of the Lib- erals and Audrey McLaughlin of the NDP stated that.they not only support such reforms but want Parliament recalled ‘before an election to implement them. Before Canadians rusk to con- gratulate these politicians, how- ever, they should realize that the pension changes proposed by them are a very modest first, step indeed in the pension reform. * None of these leaders has p:o- posed amending what is the most outrageous feature of the pensioi plan, namely that MPs’ pensions; have unlimited protection against : inflation. | It’s this blank- cheque inflation protection feature which makes the pension plan so lavish. Display Advertising 980-0511 Real Estate Advertising 985-6982 Distribution. ‘But during the brief respite when the whine of the engines faded from earshot, another sound could be heard humming through the Pacific Place grounds. The spin of the turnstiles. | : —e ‘Proposed pension reform is only first step It places retired MPs into an elite category. Who in the private sector could afford such an infla- tion-proof plan? Despite what the politicians say, any proposed pension reform which fails to scrap the unlimited protection against inflation feature is little more than posturing. In the coming election, voters should demand that candidates pledge to reform the MPs’ ‘‘cash for life’’ pension plan. . When we voters see that they’re serious about putting their own affairs in order, we can have more confidence that they will do the “same for our country’s affairs. David Somervilie, president The National Citizens’ Coalition 996-1337 Fe Associate Editor ... Noel Wright Sales & Marketing Director Linda Stewart Comptrofier .Doug Foot North Shore News, founded in 1969 as an independent suburban newspaper and qualified under Schedule 111, Paragraph Itl of the Excise Tax Act, is published each Wednesday, Friday and Sunday by North Shore Free Press Ltd. and distributed to every door on the North Shore. Canada Post Canadian Publications Mail Sales Product Agreement No. 0087238. Mailing rates available on request. Submissions are welcome but ‘we Cannot accept responsibility for unsolicited material including manuscrip!s and pictures which should be accompanied by a stamped, self-self- addressed envelope. Subscriptions 986-1337 &} 2 This newspaper Fax 985-3227 contains Administration 985-2131 recycled fibre North Shore managed MEMBER Classified Advertising 986-6222 Newsroom 985-2131 1139 Lonsdale Avenue, North Vancouver, B.C. V7M 2H4 SDA DIVISION 61,582 (average circulation, Wednesday, Friday & Sunday). Entre contents © 1993 North Shore Free Press Lid. All rights reserved. the party leadership. This scenario would reportedly see the Socred grande dame replace retiring leader Jack Weisgerber at the annual party convention this fall on an ‘‘in- terim’’ basis. Her task: to revitalize Social Credit both inside and outside the legislature, and prepare.it to take over again — under a new and younger leader — as the govern- ment of B.C. at the 1995-96 elec- tion. But wait a minute — isn ‘t recycling the veteran Mrs. Mc- Carthy a distinct gamble? What about her age? What about Socred , young Turks like Graham Bruce, presumably eager to try for the top spot right away? Above all, what about the Liber- als under THEIR new leader — official Opposition with over twice as many seats as the Socreds con- vinced of their destiny as suc- cessors to the socialist horde? Taking those questions in reverse, never forget the Liberals’ 17-member caucus was created out of nothing by a single inter- jection from Ssordon Wilson in the 199} TV election debate — a biting one-liner that won them the votes of many sorely disillusioned Socreds. But for 39 years the free enter- prise majority of B.C. voters hdd stuck faithfully to.their own homegrown party, suspicious of local Grits and Tories alike as puppets of Ottawa. It took the Vander Zaim scan- dals to momentarily shake’ — .‘ though not destroy —- that faith. The proof being that Social Credit :’ today still has over four times more paid-up members than the B.C. Liberal party. Since October 1991 Jack j Weisgerber, with his seven-man ; GRACE McCARTHY ... unsoited by Vander Zalm mud. caucus, has done a sterling job of restoring the party’s respectability and credibility. Far whatever good reasons of his own he has decided to step down, and in other circumstances his logical successor would be a capabie, vigorous young leader untainted by the Vander Zalm era. But for the Socreds, with the - next election still two to three years away, this is a tricky point in time. The present three-party legislature — dominated by a sav- agely dictatorial NDP and by . Liberals under a new leader fighting hard to dispel the image of their earlier follies — is a minefield for a minority party HITHER AND YON leader lacking parliamentary experience. Enter, therefore, the Amazing Grace, unsoiled by the mud of the Vander Zalm years and for the Socred grassroots the living sym- bol of everything gucd and suc- cessful about their party. me _ They remember how her drive and dedication rebuilt the party during the dismal 1972-75 NDP reign of Dave Barrett. Asa ; longtime MLA minister she’s held ’ with honor most key cabinet posts except that of premier. She. knows: probably better than any other provincial politician today what — _ brings it all togetiier politically. ‘Including — since there now © “appears no possibility of a Liber- . al-Socred merger — bringing back °-. : into the Socred fold over the next : two years all those temporary - deserters to the Grits: “That accomplished, goes the: : ue theory, it would then be time to pick from among the Graham t * Bruces, Mark Sagers et al. a new, charismatic young leader to carry the Socred torch to the voters. Unless, that is, the fit, -super- energetic, sexagenarian Mrs, Mc-.- Carthy enjoyed.so much her. work : . paving the way fora successor that she decided to run for the.” premier’s chair again herself! : . SIGN-OFF: Latest North Shore. election nomination is perennial “ Libertarian Party candidate Bill Tomlinson, 59, who will challenge incumbent Tory Mary Collins, Liberal Audrey Sojonky and Keformer Herb Grubel in Capilano-Howe Sound — call him at 986-7370...Low net winners in the sixth Gord Gibson Golf Galaxy at Gleneagles last week were Jessie Hunt and Fred Hester. (net GO). Ann Schmidt and Jack Elliot took the low gross, with - accolades for Best Joke Telling -and Best Sportsman going to An- nis Stukas. The annual event - commemorates the late North Shore MLA Gordon Gibson Sr. ...And learn how to market your non-fictional book, write queries and find publishers by taking Communications 200 Tuesday nights this fall at Cap College — details from 986-1911, local 2585. WRIGHT OR WRONG: * Remember, the best of fi riends will wear out if used too often.