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© get this straight °

ONE OF the faults of our parliamentary system is that we
have no control over the politicians. All we have is the right
to kick them out every four years or so. The rest of the time
they do as they please. What we have, therefore, is not so
much a democracy as a temporary rule by the few, ora

four-year oligarchy.

It is this that has led to the ig-
noring of public opinion in vital
issues such as immigration,
followed by the bribing of the clec-
torate at election time and the
unscrupulous purchasing of votes.
Deficit or no deficit, this reaches
bizarre proportions and contains
the seeds of financial ruin.

For one brief shining moment
there was a prospect of attempting
to change this corrupt system.
That is why I joined the Reform
Party and tried to run for it. But
that moment was shattered by the
leader himself. Mr. E. Preston
Manning had the opportunity to
prove that his party was different
from the others, but at the very
first test he blew it.

In case you have been star-gaz-
ing or out of town, let me repeat
what happened: the Capilano-
Howe Sound constituency associa-
tion chose me to carry its banner.
But Mr. Manning refused to sign
my papers because there was a
perception in some quarters that I
am a “‘racist.”’

For the purposes of this discus-
sion, whether I am a racist or not
doesn’t matter. What matters is
that Mr. Manning's action was
taken in defiance of his party’s
stated principles. I give you
chapter and verse.

Page 9 of the party platform
states that MPs should be more
independent. One of the reasons
they are not independent, it is
stated, is that party leaders have
the right under the Elections Act
not to sign nomination papers.
This must be changed, it is stated,

and such change is ‘‘essential.’’

In addition to that, the MPs’
oath of office must be amended so
that they swear ‘‘fundamental
allegiance to their constituents as
well as to the Queen.”’ This should
be strengthened by ‘‘some type of
recall procedure’ where MPs have
violated that oath.

**..Mr. Manning should
himself be recalled for
having stamped on his
own principles and
having had his own E.
Preston Manning
Elections Act hidden in
his hatband.’’

This would lead, in all logic, to
the view that Mr. Manning should
himself be recalied for having
stamped on his own principles and
having had his own E. Preston
Manning Elections Act hidden in
his hatband. It leads further to the
conclusion that all that stuff about
fundamental allegiance to the con-
stituents is a lie.

There is only one way to
describe such an action: contempt-
ible hypocrisy, especially as the
program is littered with statements
about ‘‘direct democracy.’’ The
people, states the program, ‘‘must
have a direct voice.’’

Aren't the people of Capilano-
Howe Sound people? And if they
cannot have a direct voice, how
can the members of any other
Reform Party constituency be
assured of a direct voice?

The joke grows. ‘‘The cause of
more representative government in
Canada," it is stated solemnly on
Page 8 of the party platform, ‘‘re-
quires, first and foremost,
Members of Parliament who have
at least some independence from
party discipline.”

It does, dees it! Well, how much
is ‘‘some’’?

Let us return for a moment to
the conversation I had with Mr.
Manniiig two days before that as-
tounding nomination meeting was
held in West Van Senior Second-
ary.
He informed me, as explained in
this space on Sunday, that he
would refuse to sign my nomina-
tion papers ‘‘in the general interest
of the party.”

I have a question for him:
Hasn’t the explosive publicity that
has arisen from his arbitrary act
done the party far more harm than
any criticism that might have come
from his having signed the papers?
Are party members cheering him?
Does the protest resignation of Mr.
Barrie Wall, his P.R. man for
British Columbia, help the party?

A case might have been made
for Mr. Manning if it had been
discovered that I was leading a
secret life as a rapist or bank rob-
ber. That not being the case, there
is no justification at all for his
witless wimpishness.

As I told that nomination
meeting, there are a million stories
in the city. And a million ‘‘percep-
tions.””

More on Friday — on Mr.
Manning and “‘racism.”’ @

Input sought on cultural policy

LOCAL RESIDENTS and _ art
groups have an opportunity to
discuss strategies for development,
support and coordination of local
cultural resources when the North
Shore Cultural Policy Committee
holds a public meeting Thursday,
Oct. 27.

Formed in 1986, the North
Shore-wide committee recently
came up with 68 suggestions, in-
cluding the formation of a North
Shore Arts Commission, which
would be devoted solely to the arts
and arts resources.

The new commission is ‘‘the
heart and soul of the report,’’ said
co-chairman Judy Dennis, who
added that the three municipal
councils have recently approved in-

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itial implementation of the report’s
recommendations.

Co-chairmen Dennis and Alan
Smith and members of the com-
mittee will be at the meeting to
answer questions and hear com-
ments on the report.

Copies of the report are
available through the North Van-
couver Community Arts Council at
988-6844, Dennis at 922-8340 or
Smith at 984-4926.

The meeting will be at 7:30 p.m.
in room H501 at Capilano College.

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JAMES HATTON on

CHILDCARE

Working parents need a reliable system of
quality childcare;

One that provides:

© the availability of high quaility,licensed
childcare facilities;

an equitable cost sharing formula for
daycare to prevent family hardship;

programs of parental leave, flextime and job
sharing.

it's time we build a national childcare program.

LIBERAL
Fighting for your future.....James Hatton

Authorized by John Merchant, official agent for James Hatton