AG - Wednesday, September 29, 1982 - North Shore News WHE editorial page A cloud too late West Vancouver council may be legally correct in refusing to hold an anti-nuclear referendum this November. Many thinking citizens, however, may be more inclined to view its refusal as a moral cop-out. Council’s primary argument is that the threat of nuclear annihilation to the people it represents is no business of a municipal government. This bureaucratic head-in-sand attitude misses the whole point of the nationwide Operation Dismantle which the referendum would support. Operation Dismantle seeks to put on record — with all the authority that only official plebiscites can bestow — the views of millions of individuals about the prospect of being incinerated because of an error of judgement by one of the world’s two nuclear Superbrats. If this isn’t a legitimate question for ANY level of elected government to ask its voters, we wonder what is. Obviously, Operation Dismantle won't change Soviet or U.S. policies overnight. But as a massive anti-nuclear demonstration conducted coast to coast via the ballot box — and as a part of a wider world campaign — the result can only be positive. That’s why more than 100 municipalities, among them major cities like Toronto, are already organizing referendums for nearly five million Canadians. The cost in West Van would come to perhaps 15¢ per voter. Even in these hard times we doubt if West Van taxpayers would grudge that price for the right to register their views on the lethal shadow darkening mankind's future. Ultimately, the mushroom cloud would be EVERYONE’S business — but too late. Ma’s epitaph Ma Murray, who died Saturday at 95, raised the journalist’s duty to dissent to heights it may never regain. For 50 years, in pungent, often hilarious English, her smalltown editorials delighted a nation by lashing every public figure in sight. That they loved her, even so, and never sued, is the ultimate epitaph to an unforgettable lady of the press. VeeS WRHTE OF peRRET TDS ANE) WEST VANETOUVER sunday news north shore news Display Advertising Classified Advertising Newsroom 980-0511 986-6222 985-2131 Circulation 986-1337 1139 Lonadaile Ave . North Vancouver. 8C V7M 2H4 Publisher Peter Speck Associate Publisher Robern Graham Editor-in-Chief Noet Wright Advertising Director Tort beta as General Manage: Administration & Personne! Mis bdesreas b trblaear cd Circulation Director Bran AE ths Production Director bare pr “storehouse North Shore News foundod i Fb as an nyerprercennt . Newspaper ancl Qualified cider Se Merde Ui Part UE bag ange cago Wt the tagise tan Act canteervaarady th gnutofintved each Woolbemaay anal Snaeday toy Neoett “saree Free Bross itd thre Nett Shore becond Class Mai Rogintraton Numtbor s66° Entire contents 19862 North Shore Free Proes ltd All rights reserved aanvo) bistetbotard too carver y dere one Subscriptions Noth and West Vancouver $2 rates ovailatite on toque per yon Mailing Nic cet oep oc per enat abet y Me agieten! ma oorye phee Waved Hrvgatescued wee Wise drag, Peete ate Capt meee pres Va pe ests we Pea Babee eb Fe cme cc oetag pear veered Try av sn fesrrygoercd CDEP ey mere cee ethene VE CPE Ct LH ATION 93 095 Wednesday 43 464 Sunday coy «= SIN MAINSTREAM CANADA Can Marc change his spots? By W. ROGER WORTH Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau finally took pity on poor Allan MacEachen in the recent cabinet shuffle, beleaguered moving the Finance Minister to External Affairs. It’s about time. It was MacEachen who managed to incense both business and labour with measures introduced in an infamous budget last November. In fact, the error-filled document was so devastating that Trudeau had problems keeping the Liberal Cabinet and caucus in line. At best, support for MacEachen and his program was lukewarm, even among his colleagues. MacEachen rapidly became a born loser, walking around with a cloud over his head (or his head in the clouds). Now the nation has a new Finance Minister. The - controversial Marc Lalonde is in charge, and _ the economics game has sud- denly changed. Unlike MacEachen, who shunned meetings with the country’s business and . labour leaders, Lalonde was fast off the mark, holding discussions with representatives of one sector after another in his first weeks in office. Also unlike MacEachen, Lalonde really appeared to be seeking advice, un- derstanding only too well that Ottawa needs support from business and labour if the economy is to be turned around. And with 1.5 million Canadians unemployed, the task is massive. Yet all is not sweetness and light. Lalonde’s detractors are quick to point out that this is the individual who introduced the con- troversial National Energy Program, and has been in the forefront of developing the expensive social policies that are partially responsible for a massive federal deficit that now surpasses $20 billion per year. Nevertheless, there are those who believe Lalonde is pragmatic enough to dramatically change course as he is forced to preach (and practise) restraint. But a clear indication-of a real shift in government policy is badly needed. To underscore his in- tention of creating § con- fidence and certainty for entrepreneurs and business people, Lalonde’ could simply reverse many of the horrendous tax changes introduced by his predecessor, thus giving business a reason to cheer, and perhpas create a few jobs. It’s really tough to congratulate the man responsible for the un- biquitous National Energy Program, but so far he's been making the _ right moves, apparently seeking co-operation rather than confrontation. For the sake of the nation, let’s all hope the leopard is able to change his spots. (W. Roger Worth is a feature writer for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.) The art of the possible... THE SPECTRE of the separatist Western Canada Concept Party splitting the Social Credit vote and, thereby, enabling the NDP to sneak to power by default is worrying North Vancouver-Seymour MLA Jack Davis — just possibly for more reasons than one. Mr. Davis, you'll recall, 1s a former federal Liberal cabinet minister who was unseated by Capilano Tory MP Ron Huntington in the 1974 federal election — following which he decided to switch his political career from Ottawa to Victorna by transferring his from = the Socreds Renominated last week by acclamation to. carry the Socred banner again at the forthcoming provincial clecton, Mr Davis had stern words of warning for his supporters A vote for the WCC he told them, will help the NDP “Et takes away from Social Credit and tincreases the NDP's chances of for ming @ government in Victora ” To which Mr whose critical speeches in the Legislature sometimes sound more appropnmate to an independent MIL A than to a member of the government allegiance Gmnts to the Davis party then added = an intriguing = personal com ment “PAGRER “The WCC wa night wing party lt tw oa party of protest protest government government against big especially tip in Ottawa” he explained “TL undertand what the WCC supporters are saying | agree with much of it. I say the same things myself.” Mr. Davis's frank com- ment, intentionally 9 or otherwise, must have been sweet music in the cars of WCC leader Doug Christie who, a week earlier, had brought) his new party's message to another respectably sized North Van mecting On that occasion Mr Christe regaled his fmendly and alfentive audience with a long lst of alleged western gmevances against both the Trudeau and the Bennett governments — including metrication bilhnagualism overlaxation lack oof tepresentation federally unfair tanffs and cxcessive handouts to castern provinces Victoria Mr Christic declared than because the provincial Socreds (hybrid Liberals) supported federal Liberal politics was no whit better Ottawa and were cqually guilty oof total mismanagement and total neglect” The WCC solution a. countabitity Ihe right of voters to tecall on satisfactory MLAs The right of voters to decide issues tinctduding western separatism teferendum ttself by Throughows Con federation western ¢ annda has been robbed blind by the wicked East with its domination of the House of Commons, he charged. Only with separation and free trade would the West achieve economic prosperity. Noel Wright THIRD OPTION Mr Christie's liste acrs may have digested some of these detail with the proverbial pinch of salt’ But thers response. measured tn terms oof applause and donations in dicated they were with him all the way on his one word theme PROTEST Its a well hnown pohtnal aAtom that monetary central CVEN th garcnd times, people never vote for a party — only against a party. And these are very far from being good times. It matters little that no government can presently provide any quick fix for our economic woes. What matters politically is that the Socreds and the NDP alike have already demonstrated that fact. So today the temptation could be growing to protest the helplessness of the established parties by looking at a third option, on the basis that “there's nothing to lose” Social Credit itself onginally swept lo power in Alberta and BC. tin very similar circumstances Much will depend of course, on how many candidates the WCC actually fields an the forthcoming elechon, but equally im portant could be the party's eventual leadership With duc respect to Mr Christie the WCC's chicf weakness at the moment is the lack of a messiah with strong politi al credentials Led by a Aberhart of nett latter day Hill W A 6 Ben there's no telling how far and fast it might go All of which maken Me Davis s open endorsement of much of the WCC's “protest approach Interesting = to say the least Its aot every day that such a prominent politcal figure as Seymour + Liberal turned Socred MIA smites the enemy with onc hand and heips him back on hos feet wath the other But then, nobody knows better than Mr Davis the first cule of bis trade politics es the art of the possible