A8 - Sunday News, February 7, 1982,

i mailbox

Only one way to build a democratic party

Dear Editor:

I wrote to you recently,
endorsing the Taxpayers and
Voters Party and asking your
readers to support it as well.

I now deeply regret having
done so.

On Saturday, January 16, I
attended a joint meeting
between the executives of
the Taxpayers and Voters
Party, and the Western
National Party. They had
come together to discuss the
possibility of amalgamating.

AS a result of that meeting
I realized that the power
held by the executives within
each of those two parties was
not about to be relinquished
to the general membership,
and that democracy within
either of these two groups
Was seen, not as an ideal, but
as a vote-getting gimmick.

As a result of that
meeting, I resigned both as
Research Director, and as
member of the Taxpayers
and Voters Party.

We ‘don’t care’
about Canada

Dear Editor:

So our federal govern-
ment, realizing that its new
constitution is not popular,
is calling on the Queen to
help put it over.

Many members of our
government are republicans
at heart. I wonder how they
like the idea of the Queen
helping them? A few years
down the road, when people
realize how they have been
railroaded into The Canada
Act, it will be the Queen
who will be blamed. Then,
those people who are
republican-minded will turn
on the Queen and will try to
have Canada made into a
republic (banana style).

I hope Her Majesty, when
she comes to Canada, will

remember the example set
by Pontius Pilate. He, when
faced with a similar situation
with which he didn’t fully
agree, made the symbolic
gesture of washing his hands.

On the day that The
Canada Act becomes law, I
will wear a black tic. I will
not be in mourning for the
Canada that was, nor
because we finally lost the
“British connection” over
which we fought six wars and
lost many thousands of lives.
The fact is, I will be in
mourning because the vast
majority of Canadians don't
care what happens to
Canada

James O'Donnell
North Vancouver

Fight further
phone rate hike

Dear Editor:

As you may or may not
know, British Columbia
Telephone Company is again
applying for another rate
increase for their telephone
“service”. This time they are
requesting approval from the
CRTC for a 28% boost for
residential service, 37% for
individual business lines plus
an increase for pay phones
from 10¢ to 25¢.

In this period of rising

Guns mean
sickness

Dear Editor:

Whittall, with his “Kecp
guns frecdom” and Stallonc.
with his movic, “Fint Blood”
requiring a van load of arms
to film, are member of a
fast growing sick socicty
JW. Booth
West Vancouver

inflation, when the public 1s
detrimentally affected by
sharply rising prices and
erosion of living standards,
this boost sought by B.C.
Telephone will impose
additional hardships on the
public. In view of the fact
that the last increase they
received was justified in
order to provide better
service — which has not
been received — it is my
view that this increase
should be turned down by
the CRTC.

Furthermore, | urge all
citizens to attend the public
hearings slated by the CRTC
in this matter on Feb. 10,
1982 at 7:00 p.m. in the
Sheraton Plaza 500 Hotel at
12th and Cambic, Van-
couver In addition, any
party wishing to address the
CRTC at this hearing may do
so by phoning (604) 666-2111
at least 24 hours in advance

Richard Black burn
North Vancouver

I still believe
wholeheartedly that a truly
democratic political party
must be created, and that it
must be run by the gencral
membership, — that the
general membership must
come together to create the
policies they want, and that
they must hold absolute
power over their executive.

For some reason I can't
fathom, people appointed to
the executives of political
parties tend to immediately
assume that they've
magically acquired the
Divine Right to Rule, and
will begin to make life and
death decisions for their
general membership, and for

Thanks to
two lady

appoint an office manager
for a few months, while the
ip has a

West Van

any member of their
executive at three-month
intervals, democracy could
be made to tick along nicely.

To expect any existing
political party to give the
people the power to rule
governments, when they've
all refused to give their
memberships real power
within their own parties, is
just plain foolish.

If Canadians are ever to
have a truly democratic
political party, they will have
to build it for themselves,
from scratch.

Andree Ross,
North Vancouver

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