February 8, 2000
A little bit of history repeating - THE COMMENTARY
By Joseph Planta
VANCOUVER - The 1980’s were the decade of which I was born. A lot of you, dear readers, were I would assume of that era, as well. Well let’s take stock for a column and see what that decade meant and what happened, so to speak. In America at the beginning of the decade, was touched deeply by an Islamic revolution, all the way around the world in the Middle East. Hostages were taken up in Tehran and a Hollywood actor turned conservative statesman was in the process of taking over the White House. From there the face of society, more vividly, television changed along with the times. Gone were liberals like Maude and women’s lib icons like Mary Tyler Moore and in were the greedy capitalists living in Dallas or taking up a Dynasty in Denver. In the 70’s skirts got shorter and love was a little freer, but in the 80’s dresses became more and more lavish and hair bigger. (See Cher.) With a Republican down south, Canada soon said adieu to Trudeau’s Liberal dynasty and said hello to the Tories and Brian Mulroney took up residence at 24 Sussex Drive. Also, don’t forget in Great Britain, Mrs. Thatcher had become Prime Minister. In BC, if your collective memory’s go back that far, you’ll note we were run by the Socreds.
The hippies of a decade before had now had kids, and culture shock was not an uncommon feature in homes across this continent. Case in point, Mr. and Mrs. Keaton of Family Ties, having an ultra-conservative son, namely Michael J. Fox.
The 80’s had to end and by the middle part of the 1990’s, 12 year’s of Republican rule in Washington came to an end. Jean Chretién and his Liberals took over here. Don’t forget Mrs. Thatcher had seceded to John Major leading to Labour’s Tony Blair taking up residence at 10 Downing Street. In BC, if your collective memory’s go back that far, you’ll note that the NDP was elected, on their way to self-destruction.
Well, it’s the beginning of the 2000’s. Bill Clinton will be on his way out of the White House, and the Republican’s George W. Bush looks poised to move right in. Jean Chretién, hopefully is on his way out as well and last week Europe got a heavy dose of the right-wing with a new administration in Austria. A change in the face of governance is in the wings, as I type (and you read.) Have you noticed the NDP are on their way out in BC?
Will the right-wing zealots win out and take the reins of power across the world? I think so. Face it folks, for better or worse, they’ll tip the scales in their favour. After that? Oh, hell I’m waiting for a cloned sheep or a genetically altered cabbage running our government’s.
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An archive of Joseph Planta's previous columns can be found by clicking HERE .