NEWS VIEWPOINT Time to give ANY OF us want to help the !ess fortunate at Christmastime, but too few of us make it a pricrity. Often, we only make charitable gestures when we have been assured that our own Christmas tree will be host to an overflow of gifts; when our own table has been laid with plenty; when our own greed has been sated. Families struggling to make Christmas dreams come true for their children can’t wait for the scraps from our overburdened tables, nor can the volunteer bureaus that collect and deliver donations of food, toys and money. Last year such organizations — com- posed of volunteers who all have their own last-minute Christmas errands to attend to — had difficulty delivering the hampers because so many donations were withheld until the last minute. This year, it has been estimated that there will be even more families needing assistance. In order to help them, donations must be given to the West Vancouver Santa Claus Fund by Dec. 15, or the North Van- couver Christmas Bureau by Dec. 20. Watch the North Shore News, which is sponsoring drop-off depots throughout the community, for information on where to give. By planning your donation now — perhaps your children can help you pick owt some toys — you'll enjoy the true spirit of Christmas as much as the family that receives your gift. "NEWS QUOTES OF THE WEEK “Every wine that’s made is its own reward. it’s like a beauty contest. Every weman is beautiful. Who should say that one is more beautiful than the other?’’ Home winemaker Frank Gigliotti, on wine and women. “really have difficulties with people who treat it so seriously that they lose sight of what it is. it’s something you pour down your throat.... Wine is grape juice and yeast. Big deal.”’ West Vancouver resident and wine critic Jurgen Gothe, on wine and wine snobs. “I want to show students in the Western World the potential of studentS movements. Stu?’scnts there are active in the social struggle, whereas North /.merican Publisher Associate Editor welcome unsolicited maternal including manuscrpts and pictures. 8 which should be accompamed by a stamped, addresses} envelope Peter Speck Managing Editor Timothy Renshaw Noel Wright Advertising Director . Linua Stewart North Shore News, founded in 1969 as an independent suburban newspsper and qualified under Schedule 111, Paragraph Ill of the Excise Tax Act, 1s published each Wednesday, Friday and Sunday by North Share Free Press Lid. and distrbuted to every door on the North Shore. Second Class Mail Registration Number 3885 Subscriptions North and West Vancouver, $25 per yeat. Mailing rates available on request. Submissions are bul we cannot accept responsibiity for students are mostly involved for their own personal gain.”’ North Shore youth environmen- tal activist Irwin Oostindie, on the. Filipino youth movement, prior to his trip to the Philippines to in- vestigate suspected poilution vio- lations of a Vancouver-based min- ing consortium. ** We had disposed of ali of our possessions 2nd $10 was all it cost us to come out here, but it was hard to gather $10 back in 1940.”” Dorothy Lynas, a North Van- couver District 44 School Board trustee for 31 years, recalling ber initial move to the West Coast. “It’s just a shame. This thing could have been the Pebble Beach of western Canada, It’s a tragedy that the people of West Van- couver will be denied such a facil- THE VORCE OF MONTH ANO WEST VANCOUVER ms Ftt si a SUNDAY + WEDNESOAY - FRIDAY 1139 Lonsdale Avenue, North Vancouver, B.C. V7M 2H4 59,170 (average, Wednesday Friday & Sunday) SDA DIVISION Display Advertising Classified Advertising Newsroom Distribution Subscriptions ity just because a few people have managed to spread a lot of lies and misinformation.’* . Cypress Ridge Golf Ltd. prin- cipal Stephen Hynes, on the defeat of the Cypress Ridge golf course project in the Nov. !7 ref- erendum in West Vancouver. “We do not believe that at the district's advanced stage of devel- opment, golf courses should have a claim on central locations where valid social, cultural and commer- cial facilities are to be developed for use by the community as a whole.” Mary Segal, representative of the North Shore United Way’s housing committee and former district alderman, questioning the need for a golf course in the Nor- thiands area of North Vancouver District. 980-0511 986-6222 935-2131 986-1337 986-1337 985-3227 MEMBER = Sete Somes of Aaese North Shore owned and managed Entire contents © 1990 North Shore Free Press Ltd. All rights reserved. A healthier way to change at the top THE BRUTAL speed with which Britain’s most successful peacetime prime minister of the century was politically assassinated this week has lessons we Canadians might profitably study. Once the British Tories decide enough of them want a new lead- er, they don't mess around. No chanting, stomping, placard-wav- ing mobs of grass-roots delegates from every church basement in the country at a preliminary ‘‘lead- ership review’’ convention to decide what — if anything — to do next. No repeat of the same extrava- ganza on a still grander scale three months later at the leadership convention proper. No multi- million dollar war chests needed by candidates. With the Brits it’s all settled by 350 or so MPs filing quietly into a committee room for an hour or two. Maybe repeating the perfor- mance a week later. And presto! — the job’s done, except for gracious tributes in the House next day to the dear dethroned one. In Canada's rush to copy one of the worst features of American politics — which have many good features — we forget maybe that the ultimate purpose of any polit- ical party is to GOVERN the na- tion or the province. Not to pro- vide periodic circuses for its own faithful. The Brits figure that the people who know most about governing are those actually doing it — elected MPs (and in Canada, MLAs). They best understand the day-to-day mechanics of govern- ment. And they're obviously in the best position to judge the characters and leadership capabili- ties of their colleagues. Moreover, MPs and MLAs are directly accountable for their ac- tions and decisions to their con- stituents —- both those who voted for them and those who didn’t. Convention partygoers are ac- countable to no one but themselves. The biggest danger from these latter, however, is the unholy PERSONAL power they bestow upon their chosen leader. It breeds imperial prime ministers and potentate-premiers. Personal ‘grass-roots support’’ is the big stick the leader uses to keep the caucus ‘‘on side.’” Once elected, MPs and MLAs must give him or her their total loyalty, even if it means ignoring the constitu- ents’ wishes. That’s precisely why ‘*politician’’ has become a dirty word nowadays for so many Ca- nadians — in no other modern MARGARET Thatcher ... past victories not enough. & Hi democracy is party caucus discipline more strictly enforced. Can you imagine last week’s drama in Westminster happening today in Ottawa or Victoria? If not, ask why not? U.K. Tories may yet regret dumping Margaret Thatcher, who led them to three successive vic- tories. But with her now widespread unpopularity, the country in recession, a 15 per cent lead in the polls by Neil Kinnock’s rejuvenated Labour Party and an election looming by mid-1992, the parliamentary pros did what they felt they must. Fast. Cleanly. Decisively. A bit rough — yes. But far healthier for the body politic than OUR fumbling approach to need- ed change at the top. TAILPIECES: Retired B.C. Tel marketing manager ANan Evers of North Van has invented a brand new anniversary — by putting the “day"’ into ‘‘birthday.’’ It led to a king-size family party last weekend to celebrate Allan’s 25,000 DAYS on earth! No pat- ents applied for yet, so work out your own round-figure thousands of days alive, remembering the leap years. Allan’s old-style age? Make that 68-69 ... Fun evening of the week will be North Van Chamber of Cornmerce’s recep- tion, dinner and roast honoring retiring Distz!.t Mayor Marilyn Baker, 7:30 p.m. onward,Wed- nesday, Nov. 28 at Cheers Res- : taurant, 125 E. 2nd. Call 987-4488 for any remaining tickets ($35, couples $55) . NEIL Kinnock ... the 15-per- cent-lead smile grows wider.