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8.+. Wednesday, September 4, .1985 - North. Shore News

GREAT READ

_ # « a a .
Socialism with a smile
MOST. POLITICIANS’ books on politics are

‘boring. But I’ve got one that isn’t. It’s a gas, and
has the intriguing title of My Dear Legs.

. The famous author is
Alex Macdonald, the NDPer
who lives in trendy Point
._Grey. while representing East
Vancouver (one of. B.C.’s
best‘ ‘political. jokes) and has
been in the legislature Jonger
than anyone else — 25 years,
Not that he started in poli-
tics as recently as that. He
worked ‘for the saintly J.S.
.Woodsworth..in the early
“days of the’CCF, was secre-
. tary-to the great M.J. Col-
dwell, and has done time as
an M.P.
Alex still has stars in his

eyes-as ‘far’ as socialism is ‘

concerned, “and - is « almost
hopelessly idealistic. I can
: say that not only because it
_ is evident from his book but
‘because I knew him: well,
"just ‘as’ the gravedigger’ knew
Yorick well. Not that Alex is
dead... “Just take. a. peep at
some of the fun in his book?:

Sb ‘Historically, | Canadian’ ;

Legislatures’ “wind “up” their
sessions when .. the _ bores
begin to bore the bores.”

a “Last night 1 dreamt I was.
making ~ @: speech ‘in the
Legislature and. woke up to
find I was.’

Sa “My. “ guondami “Cabinet”

-collegue’ —.., whose’ name
“escapes me.— “was ’ spreading

a: rumor: that: IL. “kept my.

‘clothes:in Point -Grey:
Rumors about myself’ I don’t

mind, as long as they are not:
,§

(The -reference is to
dealist, Bob Williams?

” atte: apt to, “snatch Alex’ s seat .

; from under him.);,
. #2 “Ed. Broadbent came by.

to: inform -us ‘that ‘Utopia
would bea little late this Spr

EALTH MINISTER - Jim

two’ initiatives by. the pro-
“yincial : government - ‘to deal
- ‘With~public concerns: about,
; the spread of Acquired Im- -
_ ‘mune’ Defi iciency, Syndrome
AIDS). oo
Mr... Nielsen said’ the
Lealth Ministry will'set up a

-program ‘in Vancouver - for.

- AIDS testing, evaluation and
‘counselling, which will be i in
‘operation by October.

The ministry . is - “algo

‘developing a campaign: to:

_provide public information
on AIDS..

‘British Columbians ‘are pro-
‘perly informed about
“AIDS,’? said Mr.-Nielsen. “‘1
“want"to reassure. the. public
-that every freasonable effort
will -be made in the preven-
tion, screening and treat-
“ment of this’ ‘serious condi-
tion.’

. Mr. ‘Nielsen said the
ministry had recently: hired
Dr. Michael Rekart, former-
‘ly director of AIDS program
at ‘the Les Angeles Coun-
ty/University of « Southern
California Medical’ Centre,

: . who will: direct the, testing

and counselling program and

assist in planning initiatives
to deal with AIDS.

. The new testing program

is intended initially for peo-

“ple. with the. highest risk of

-having - -and transmitting. the
- virus associated with AIDS.
Blood” from’ organ ‘donors
and donors, of sperm for ar-
tific cial insemination will also

“Nielsen” recently - announced |

“The provincial gov- “9
ernment, is concerned: that .

There are dozens of quips
like that. Macdonald is a
natural wit and could prab-
ably have made a fortune
working as.a’ Bob Hope gag
writer instead of wasting his

cL
get this
straight

from....itself; especially

‘ relished - his * ‘es ‘Don.

Phillips. the: “Socred, ‘who,

. Says Alex,’ “can: tell you

everything - he knows’ in 10
minutes, but spoke for four

hours against the ND? bill

that more. than doubled the °
. ; ..ficult to trot the The Beast

ime: ‘trying. to's save the world ;

that this politician does
nothing but tell jokes? If so,
Terr. My point is that he is a
left-winger with a sense of
humor, and there aren't too
many of them. Most of to-
day’s lefties would have
looked good in the New
England of 1660. Just take a
look at Renate Shearer &
Co.

Alex is an erudite old .

school socialist who regrets
the dumping of Regina
Manifesto and didn’t cheer
when the NDP was formed.
And although he has carried
many a labor brief to court,
his socialism is a religion not
to: be watered down = by
hard-eyed trade unionism
and ‘similar corruptions.
Plaintively, he asks: ‘‘Are
the trade unions so caught
up in helping their own
members that they don’t
care enough ‘about income
gaps in society as a whole?”’
_ The answer is Yes, Alex.
You know it. -That’s why,
with the. poet, you ask,
“Where lies the land to
which the s’” would g0?””

If the reader suspects a
note of first-name affection
hire, the reader is right: In
tie‘old days Alex and 1 often
supped at the same table and
drank from the ‘same bottle.
“(it was‘at his house, that I

met: Kingsley. Martin,
“editor-guru.: ‘of the New
. Statesman, a man whom’ |!

now consider to have been a

“complete lunatic aud guller.)

Alex: and I don’t see a lot
of each other these days. If
you're an Alex, it’s a bit-dif-

San Of B. Cc. into. the room. Your

creased funding to St. Paul’s
Hospital by. $500,000 a year

~to treat AIDS ‘patients, and

has contributed $550,000 as
-B.C.’s_ share of. a: national

program, to. screen blood .

donated. to” the. Canadian
Red Cross. : a

‘SAVE uP

n other initiatives to ‘date, .
the Health’ Ministry: has in-.

*” friends might: have you cer-
_ tified.

“Anyway, Alex’ $s “book My

ie Dear Legs.was good enough

to keep me from all activities

on a Saturday ‘night.“ You
- can:get-it-for $7.95 paper-

back, $14.95 cloth. Publish-

. ed by New Star Books.

eee

Apologies: the play The
Enemy Within, referred to in
last Friday’s column, did not
sunat /Neighbourhood
‘House from July 17 to
August 10. It was shown for

. one night only. Juiy 17-Aug. -
‘10 was the period during |
“which it) was shown in

“ various locations. .

To 30%

- SIMMONS POSTURE REST

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