Betting on Ga

oug
Collins

ON THE OTHER HAND

THE NORTH Shore’s Ron
Gamble is The Quiet Man
of B.C. politics. Not that he
can’t talk, Give him a
chance and he will talk your
hind leg off. But he’s low
profile.

You can thank him — or other-
wise — for Grace McCarthy's
having gone down the drain in the
Matsqui byelection, and the
Socreds with her. He ran against
her and upset her applecart.

Goadbye Grace and Goodbye
Socreds.

According to a poll held in
May the Liberals had 38% popular
support, the Reform Party of B.C.
34, the NDP 22, and the Socreds
3.

Gamble is the party leader. But
often you wouldn’t think so. You
might think Jack Weisgerber was,
because he’s often descvibed that
way in the media.

That's not Weisgerber’s fault.
He's the Reform leader in the leg-
islature, which is not the same
thing.

Gamble has almost no public
presence outside of the party. But
more than anyone else he created
Reform in B.C.

And he has been influential. It
was because of the threat from
Reform that the Socreds went for
referendum and recall in the last
election. Eighty per cent of us

KEN BAXTER

LAWYER
24 Years
Experience

voted tor itand Mike Harcourt
was forced to accept the idea, toa,
But the NDP made it into a

joke. The last thing those dolties

want is People Power, The very
thouvht gives then the willies.

The prospect of Ron Gamble
becoming the premier of this
province also gives the NDP the
willies. He would be another
Ralph Klein. Only more so.

The Liberals under Goidon
Campbell would be unhappy, also.
because Reform is said ta be on a
roll and Gamble would be a real
threat once the public got to know
him.

And if his record is anything to
go by, everything would be up
front.

He believes that the constituen-
cies should have the final word in
the selection of candidates.

That was a big reason for his
having fallen out with Preston
Manning. whom be regards as
having betrayed party principles.

They are not. on speaking
terms. When the Matsqui byelec-
tion was on, Manning put ads into
the local press informing voters
that the Reform Party of B.C. and
the Reform Party of Canada were
not the same cheese.

It was a dirty trick, He also
tried to stop Gambie from using
the Reform name. But the B.C.
party had prier rights to it.

LONSDALE QUAY
NORTH VANCOUVER

ible to lead province

Another exsimple of Camble's
style was the introduction of the
secret universal baliot in leader-
ship contests.

Every member has a say. And
no tricks

Here's another example of his
honesty: in L988 | was nominated
to represent the federal party in
Capilano. Manning ran seared.

The ethnic groups had got to
him and he nixed the nomination,
He hadi’ teven consulted the
national executive about it.

‘That was the beginning of the
end as far as Gamble’s relations
with Manning were concerned.

I mention it not because | hold
any grudges but to make a point.

What does the provincial party
stand for? A lot that we don’t have
now, like REAL referendum and
recall, balanced budgets, fixed-

term elections, siguificant reduc:
tions inthe civil service and much
else.

But | have some concerns.
Weisgerber is a good man. He dis-
appointed me, though, when he
announced he will run for the
party leadership.

He was a Socred cabinet minis-
ter and could give the impressien
that the Reform Party of B.C. is
simply Social Credit, recycled.

New ideas and new faces are
called for, and it would be politic
if the top face is Gamble’s.

{t is true, of course, that
Gamble himself was a long-time
Socred. But he has never been in
office.

There are a couple of other
things, one of them important, the
other less so.

Weisgerber went along with the

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politically correct crowd in the
turban issue, fust like all the other
politicians.

More important is that there are

noises over in Victoria from pitrty
communications officer Martyn
Brown about “a new sereening
process at the local level" for can-
didates.

Sounds like Manning all over
again.

Don't constituency parties con-

sist of grown-ups who can do their

own screening? If they choose the

wrong person, that’s their lookout.

Some time ago E said that if the
Reform Party of B.C. wanted me,
[would run for it in North Van —
provided I'm still breathing.

Fam not a member ef the party

but come the next election I would

join, and run, if Gamble is still
leader and wants me.

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