§ — North Shore News - Friday, February 18, 2000 as Digs leadership hopeful Ujjal Dosanjh. It comes in the form of the 380 Crown prosecutors who toil in the province’s courtrooms in the employ of Dosanjh’s current ministry. Weil, they did not toil in those courtrooms Wednesday. Their unprecedented work . stoppage follows a growing frustration and desperation on the part of the Crown attorneys to have the attozncy general’s ministry address some critical workplace issues. ERE’S another Icadership question mark to affix beside ttorney General and NDP on Tuesday and — VIEW POINT. year to investigate the simmering dis- pute between Crown counsel and the province. It made a series of recom- mendations, including a mechanism for arbitrating such issues as wages and workload. But the same government that commissioned the report has rejected most of its recommendations, leaving what was a bad situation far worse. There is more than lawyers’ wages and working conditions at stake here. There is the delivery of basic jus- tice in B.C. Prosecutors who are over- worked, underpaid and unmotivated will not be up to the critical job of ensuring that criminals pay the price for their crimes. CALL AN ELECTION AND SELF -1MPLODE... LETS SEE.,. WE ELECTED A WACKO LiE To THE AS LEADER... MS PROVINCE ... HOLD A BITTERLY CONTESTED LEADERSHIP CONVENTION THAT TEARS "THE PARTY’ APABT.. — f if omen ON Ree FOL, aut. Ghats TABLA CLARO Com, HAVE WE MISSED ANYTHING? Key among those frustrations is the provincial government’s refusal to implement recommendations con- tained in a report authored by former B.C. ombudsman Stephen Owen. The report was commissioned last The issue needs resolution if public safety is to be maintained. That resolu- tion requires leadership and action. Thus far neither has been forthcom- ing from the attorney general. 6 mailbox ~ Calculating the | high cost of history ' Dear Editor: ~ Why should Israel and its client state the U.S. get so upset with lictle Austria giving 28% of its vote to a neo- 1) Nazi? (Noel Wright, Feb. 9 News). a Unlike Israel, Austria has never been condemned by “the United Nations for humen sights violations. And unlike Israe!*s religion want to ann co-fascists, Who in the name of even more: foreign territery, Austria's neo-fascists:are far moie modest. ’ Also, the inclusion of neo-fascists in a government -cGatition, while new in Austria, has béer part of Israel's internal political reality since its inception. ‘ “Since Israel has never protested against any other coun- try, whose government included neo-fascists, Israel's real coacern must surely be rooted elsewhere. ; ”, Gerrnany is currently paying millions of doflars annual - “ly to Israel for Germany's treatment of Jews during the Second World War. _This will continue for another 50 ycars. =" Demands for internal policy changes in Austria, albcit . for: different reasons. could also manifest themselves in ‘Germany. ..\ The Austrian spirit of independence could catch on. Since the State of Israel is not paying compensation for | erties it committed against the Palestinian people and the .U.S. is not paying compensation for its crimes against the Vietnamese. people, most Germans wonder. why: they .. > should pay for something that happened long before most - .OF them were born. . %.. On the other hand in a culiure where money deter- mines everything, including forcign policy, it is not diffi- cult to understand why Israel and its U.S. vassal should be “getting concerned. .: The. problem as the Greek historian Thucydides remarked is that unless you learn from history it will repeat itself... . Ernie Crist, Councillor North Vancouver District ‘ econ mo rth shore . Nerca Shore Hows, founded in 1563 as ant . independent suburban newspaper and quakhed under Schedule 11§, Paragraph 111 of tne Exarse Tax Act, is published each Wednesday, Fridcy and Sundey by HCN Pubtications Company and distributed 10 every door an the North Shove. Canada Post Cansdian Publicaties Mail Sates Product Agreement Ho. 0767.23. Maing rates available on request. & is Newigacet cor, Distihuion Mia.ager 986-1337 (124) femognsnews.com 61.582 (average citcuianon, Weinesday. Frday & Sundzy) Mark Fancher Creative Services Director 985-2131 (127) Miancher@nsnews.com All hat ALL together, let’s hear it for ... Ujjal Dosanjht And Gordon. Wilson! Does this have my culrured North Shore zeaders staring over the edge of their teacups, murmuring: “My word. Has the fel- low taken leave of his senses? Again?” Assuredly not. Rapid thinkers that they are, they have quickly grasped what I am about to declare: Pray for a Dosanjh victory or a Wilson vic- tory at this weekend's “New” “Democratic” Party leadership convention. Either one, it is confidently predicted in this space, would be beaten in the next provincial general clection — possibly this autumn, What Gordon Campbell's Liberals shoutd fear, and everyone else itching to send the NDP into richly deserved purga- tory, is a victory by the only other serious contender. Corky Evans. Let’s go back. First, don’t be sure of a massive election landslide that would bury the miost corrupt, arrogant and incompe- tent government in B.C.’s history. In the 1996 election campaign Campbell and then-Reform Party leader Jack Weisgerber were so sure that a stake had been driven through the NDP’s heart that they only haggled over which would be first, Liberals or Reformers. Glen Clark, the Fun With Figures man, stole the election from under their noses. ise Dhaliwal HPyPromotions Manager 885-2131 (278) $85-2137 (101) ddhaliwaleensnews.com pspeck@nsnews.com Terry Peters 985-2131 (160) tpeters@nsnews.cont Peeneaseeneesenresersseconsscennencosenssooues Boag Foot General Manager 885-213 (133) dfool@nsnews.com Photography Manager Classified Manager 986-6222 (202} vstephenson@nsnews.com Entise contents © 1999 HCN Fubhcations Company. All rights reserved. Peter Speck, ff pa ya Dosanjh and Wi Campbell got the consolation prize of a bigger popular vote but fewer seats than the NDP. Soon Weisgerbee virtually fell right off the political map. These worthies missed the obvious: Ignore the hard-core NDP ward-heclers’ and cronies’ grumbles between elections. They'd vote for the NDP if the entire cabi- net were convicted of home invasion murders. ‘These true believers back the NDP because (a) they're receivers of the NPP's political stolen nods; (b) they can’t bear to vote for the Liberal or any “right-wing” party; (c) the NDP is the therefore the only hole they have to go to. How big is this permanent constituen- cy of blind followers? Past performances suggest at least 20%-25%. With that base, and its tough organiza- tion based on trade unions and sympa-_ thizers in the academy and the bureaucra- cy, the NDP’s seemingly uphill task — to win again after the Mike Harcourt-Glen _ Clark joint fiasco — levels off. The party merely has to attract as fittle as 12% of the all-important swing vote to maintain power. Now throw in an lection timed just as B.C.’s economy is on a feeble upswing. Yet if the NDP. Wilson and Dosaajh haven’t lost all credibility, this province really does need not a new government but a new public. Every act of Gordon Wilson in recent years testifies to his shameless abandon- ment of principles and his beady-cyed LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters must includa your name, full address & telephone number. VIA e-mail: trenshaw@nsnews.com Timothy Renshaw Managing Editor 985-2431 (496) treushaw@nsnews.com Display Advertising Manager 886-0511 (St7} dwhitman@nsnews.com gsnelgrove@nsnews.com | wob sits - wew.nsnews.com pursuit of power. a Here’s a man who, even while the dis- pute rages over whether he had paid back an almost $30,000 loan to a widow, and who has littered the landscape with 2 trail . of debts and dubious personal finances — buys a yacht. Needs relaxation, you see, his spouse explains. : Dosanjh’s public ethics have also been flushed right down the toilet. Notice his weasel, faux statesmantike phraseology when he’s shown to be the main benefi- ciary of the poisoned party membership sign-ups of at least 1,300 mostly Indo Canadians. io Dosanjh buffed and puffed and struck - . a pose, but nowhere did he declare that... he’d kick out or otherwise punish those in © his camp who were responsible for this -.: hijacking ofdemocracy, ©. - Never mind what the establishments °, says (including his leadership opponents), : or doesn’t dare say: Dosanjh has obliquet: played the race card; and that will snap the public’s tolerance and, plus his other -: baggage, assure his defeat at the polls...’ ‘That leaves Corky Evans. = 0 Sok, _ Fear him. He is by far the wittiest aspi rant. He has adroitly distanced himself from his government's disasters on the leadership campaign trail. He has ingrati-. atingly joked about his real and acquired names. And he is the only one who could win over those essential swing voters. But have no illusions: Evans would instantly become the créature of the same old NDP gang. woe es Nor that that would take any .arm- twisting. Behind the homespun humour and the craggy Lincolnesque face, ‘Carky Evans is also the most old-fashioned." -- socialist and comimand-economy ‘adveca' of the lot. . (PEER, - —lautens@nxionet.com - , MOMSTLOUREASHEUS) | | Administration © $3: OSisplay Advertishit . Real Estate Advertising Clavcitied Advertising ‘ Sishiturtion - Display & Heal Estate Fax _ Michael Becket ~ Mews Editor’ _ SB5-2131 (114) | ” Mews tips fina (after hours) 805-2131 press 3 h Vancouvar,.8.0,, V7E 284.