6 - Friday, September 30, 1988 - North Shore News INSIGHTS Vote method is loaded against third parti THE 18TH CENTURY ELECTION SYSTEM we inherited from Britain can play nasty tricks when a new — or revived — party challenges polarized, long entrenched opponents. What you get may not be what you see when marking your ballot. Close-to-home example is the long moribund B.C. Liberal Party, now showing signs of an energetic comeback at the next B.C. election — posssibly under a respected, high-profile business Jeader in the person of Jack Poole. Both former leader Gordon Gibson Jr. and the current leader, Cap College in- structor Gordon Wilson, reported- ly like that scenario. With the disarray into which ihe Socreds were plunged during their scan- dal-plagued spring and summer, its potential appeal is obvious. Such a new Liberal ‘‘package”’ would represent a moderate, socially sensitive free enterprise alternative, the thinking goes, toa tired, demoralized Social Credit for keeping the socialist hordes at bay. Or, at very least, they might win the balance of power and so dictate policy to a minority gov- ernment. A lot of B.C. voters to- day might well welcome either of those prospects. Alas, however, you need a lot more than ‘‘a lot’ under our win- ner-take-all system, In 1986 the Socreds won 48 seats with 49.6 per cent of the popular vote, which works out to just over one per cent per seat. But the Liberals’ 6.7 per cent did NOT bring them six MLAs. They didn’t elect even one. In B.C., Socreds and NDP now divide 92-95 per cent of the popu- lar vote pretty evenly between them, So you needn't be a math genius to figure out that a third party with even 30 per cent of the vote ~ if it were spread evenly over all ridings — could theoreti- cally still remain unrepresented in the Legislature. With the system loaded against them, all that third parties usually do in such situations is steal votes from the Big Guy they're closer to — thus helping the Big Guy they REALLY fear, while winning no seats of their own. Without some element of pro- portional representation, the moral for all well-meaning third parties is sad but simple: if you can’t rely on a minimal 33 per cent of the popu- lar vote, you'll likely do everyone except your Number One enemy a favor by staying home! nhe RICH GRAVY from West Van taxpayers for brothers George, Peier, Greg and Geoff Cragg, who’ve made a cool $265,000 prof- it in one year on 1734 Argyle, Artistic achievement UTUAL BACKSLAPPING among the three North Shore councils over the establishment of a North Shore Cultural Policy is ies where they’d planned a duplex. Because the property was ear- marked for the Seawalk extension, council expropriated it last month for $800,000 — having missed out a year ago by rejecting a $700,000 asking price from the earlier owner, Who then sold to the Cragys for $§35,000. With Ambleside-Dundarave waterfront heading now for the million mark, the Cragegs may yet thicken their gravy with an appeal to the B.C. Expropriation Board. Still nothing to beat the right real estate! tet WRAP-UP: Nice that you no longer have 1o go, tugging your forelock, to Britain (and wait three years) if you want a coat-of-arms. Recent appointment of North Van's Robert Watt as Canada’s first Chief Herald — and the first heraldic authority in the Americas — means you can now get it at the neighborhood store, so to speak! ... Incoming North Van Kiwanis president for 1988-1989 is Don McKay who delivers his ‘‘state of the club’’ to members next Tues- day, Oct. 4... Peace at last be- tween those Celts and Gaels. The Irish Heritage Society is holding its fall dance Friday, Oct. 7, in the Scottish Cultural Centre, 8886 Hudson overtown — call Margaret, 224-1996, or Maureen, 228-8635, for $11 tickets ... And see you tornorrow, Oct. | at Ambleside’s all-day party, starting at 10 a.m., to celebrate surviving (though some merchants barely did) its summer-iong ‘‘devitaliza- tion”’ by B.A. Blacktop. the WRIGHT OR WRONG: Con- sidering how much experience costs, there’s no wonder it's the best teacher @ ; i (uctan firs (ame W NOEL RIGHT * friday focus © gt Te wo = ak, Ney ¥ yeten, NEWS photo Mika Wakefield GETTING A JUMP on Thanksgiving...Christine Jerick with one of the special Food Bank boxes set up at National Trust, 1407 Lonsdale, to col- Ject donations in time for Thanksgiving weekend, WE INTERRUPT THESE COMMERCIALS TO BRING YOU AN OLYMPICS BREAK. understandable —- who in their right political mind would be against Art? — but the policy needs to be sold to the masses if it is to be more than a showy tribute to North Shore artistic sensitivities that closes after opening night. Arts and culture are extremely important threads in the overal! fabric of any society. The North Shore, with its relative prosperity and rich local talent, has always managed to seed and nur- ture isolated cultural oases. But the bright lights and big noise of Vancouver and its strong arts and cultural establishment have always drawn local concentration across Burrard Inlet. if the North Shore is to develop its own cultural identity, local residents must be distracted from the downtown glitter and be convinced that the North Shore indeed does have a cultural identity worth developing. The key to both is local involvement. A single cultural poiicy for tke entire North Shore is a vital foundation for fostering that involvement, but equally vita! is a commitment to developing local culture as more than just a pastime for those with the luxury of time and money. 980-0511 986-6222 985-2131 986-1337 986-1337 985-3227 ne Display Advertising rth:shore: Classitied Advertising 4 en em || Newsroom ° Distribution Subscriptions Publisher ..Peter Speck Managing Editor Barrett Fisher Associate Editor Noel Wright Advertising Director Linda Stewart North Shore News, founded in 1969 a: an independent suburban newspaper and qualilied under Schedule 114, Paragraph Hl of the Excise Tax. Act, is published each Wednesday, Friday and Sunday by North Shore Free Press Ltd and distributed fo every door on the North Shore Second Class Mail Registration Number 3885 Subscriptions North and West Vancouver, $25 per yeat 59,170 (average, Wednesday jailing tates avatlable on request. Submissions are i welcome bul we canfot accept responsibility for Friday & Sunday) unsobcited material including manuscripts ang pictures which stlould be accompanied by a stamped, addressed s envelope. BORO RY ENE DORY nemIDAY 1139 Lonsdale Avenue, North Vancouver, B.C. V7M 2H4 MEMBER a SOA DIVISION Entire contents © 1988 North Shore Free Press Ltd. All rights reserved.