Thursday, July 10, 2003
The demise of the right? - THE COMMENTARY
By Joseph Planta
VANCOUVER – Jeffrey Simpson, from his catbird seat in Ottawa, writing one of the more prominent political columns in Canada today in The Globe and Mail, is one political voice that is widely heard, and widely respected. If anyone's seen it all, it's probably Simpson, who is astute and who has been a prominent fixture in the politics of the nation for the past quarter century or so. He isn't colourful like an Allan Fotheringham, or one who has been around like Hugh Winsor, or even as partisan as Claire Hoy. Simpson is professorial in his musings and rare if ever, do we see Mr. Simpson come down with a harsh opinion. Some say he's an establishment suck (and he's got an Order of Canada to claim otherwise), but without a doubt he doesn't deserve any criticism that he doesn't know his stuff.
And so it is with a heavy heart that I recently read a rather presumptuous column of his, noting the death knell of right-wing politics in Canada as evidenced with the death, two weeks ago, of the right-wing organ, The Report magazine. He notes too, the haemorrhaging of his paper's rival, the National Post, the ineptitude of the Canadian Alliance and Stephen Harper to gain any attention east of the Lakehead, and the fading Conservatives in Ontario, who were inspired by Mike Harris and now managed by the rather slick as shit, Ernie Eves.
The Report magazine began its life in the 1980s, based in Alberta as The Alberta Report. It played on the themes that Western Canadians could relate to: Western alienation, abhorrence towards the National Energy Program, Senate reform, and the need for government to control its spending and size. All issues being those that the Reform Party would go on to champion so well. And it was quid pro quo as The Report became the Reform cum Alliance's number one butt boy. Both gave voice to the ever growing chorus, clamouring malcontent towards the status quo and Central Canada.
1999, Jeffrey Simpson claims, was the apogee of the great right revival in Canada. We had Ralph Klein showing us what could be done in Alberta, Mike Harris's Common Sense Revolution in Ontario, and Preston Manning challenging Canadians of their ilk to "think big." The National Post had just begun to cover the news from the right, and in the process began to make some news itself. Now the right-wing, which challenged consensus in this country, which held the Liberals' feet to the fire, and moved them to actually work on controlling the deficit in the country, to Mr. Simpson is, lame. It's stalwarts, the Post, The Report, and Mike Harris are either dying, dead or gone from the political scene. I guess Mr. Simpson is gloating because the phenomenon has faded and a new kind of politics is emerging.
As one who came of age, politically, during the saga that was ‘unite-the-right,' and realising that Western Canadians are truly alienated from the middle, it worries me that we're going back to the bad old days when Ottawa knows best and that all of us who hold ever challenging views are getting discounted or told to shut up. The status quo is not sustainable, yet the establishment seems to yield to its comfort. It suits Mr. Simpson well, as he is with his prominent space and is well heeled with centrist views that upsets no one.
Is the right-wing dead? Perhaps. The Alliance looks stalled, and with a Tory party in rather dire straights with a new leader who seems more style than substance, the Liberals look to sweep with Paul Martin. But we should not knuckle under ready to kiss the ass of Paul Martin? No. There's still hope that Canadians of all political parties will continue to challenge and will one day send the message that we're aren't for the taking for granted. Look at the amazing poll results in BC where the BC Liberals are within 5% of the dreaded NDP, or Bernard Lord's razor thin majority in New Brunswick. Or go back to ten years ago when the Charlottetown Accord confounded everyone so, even Simpson and his establishment lot, who went out of their way to hump the accord trying to get Canadians to believe it was the right thing for the country. There is still much room for Canadians to surprise themselves, however with shit disturbers like The Report magazine dead and buried, and the National Post dying, and conservative minded parties across the country losing support, it's frightening to think we might move the other way. One can only hope we won't.
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An archive of Joseph Planta's previous columns can be found by clicking HERE .