The Times Colonist had a nice editorial on the announcement that Corky Evans is retiring from provincial politics.
The Arrow Lakes News offered an interesting Q&A interview to mark the occasion.
I can't forget that Evans was part of the train wreck of an NDP government of the late 1990s; that's not a great resume item.
But he did bring a consistent view that government's role is to help make life better for the people who live in the province, not to just stand back and hope for the best.
And, as this earlier column from the Times Colonist shows, Evans is one of the best speakers in the legislature.
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6 comments:
Corky Evans's daughter goes public with her views
Letter Vancouver Sun
Saturday, June 07, 2008
Re: "Folksy Evans set to quit provincial politics, June 4
In light of the announcement by my father, MLA Corky Evans (NDP--Nelson-Creston), I find myself free to comment on things political.
I am relieved that in 2009 I will no longer have to associate my father with what has been the worst-led Opposition in recent memory. With incredulity, I have watched Carole James essentially cede the NDP's platform, through miscalculation and a complete absence of political sophistication, to the provincial Liberal and Green parties. Somehow, she has made 30 seats less effectual than the previous unrecognized opposition of two.
I find myself wishing my father would do upon leaving what he did when he ran for leader -- motivate his party to take a rigorous look at the road it is travelling and reassess its leadership.
Sandi Swanigan
Richmond
The thing with public transit is that it's susceptible to the public.
So, for example, when the Vancouver Police Department wants to play war games - as they did this past weekend, they get to seal off a car at the VCC/Clark station and pretend that (get this) "radical environmentalists" have taken hostages on the train.
True story.
An intrepid reporter might want to ask why a SWAT team descended on a taped over Skytrain car at that station this past weekend and why specifically they're using a "radical environmental group" as antagonists.
Have their been threats by these organizations?
Aren't we supposed to be fearing fundamentalists?
Can't a transit cop with a gun do the job?
Inquiring minds want to know...
If Corky Evans is "one of the best speakers," who are the others?
I'd say Colin Hansen, Norm Macdonald, Bob Simpson, Bill Bennett, Carol Taylor, Adrian Dix, Nicholas Simons.
Thanks, Paul. I've always thought Corky was head and shoulders above the rest, yet at the same time, and it seems increasingly, his speeches have induced my groans for being stuck on an outdated mode of us vs. them politics. The ghost of Tom Joad. I'm still scratching my head over his parting advice for all voters to join political parties. Enlist! More us vs. them?
Anyway, I appreciate your list of speakers who are generally more currently relevant and informative than Corky is (and Simons is fun to watch, though he's more in the Corky mould). But Corky is still the most entertaining! -- even if his tired content is so often the merits of oldtime class-war Socialism.
I wouldn't have thought of a couple of the people on your list, so I will pay more attention.
.
Corky Evans is NOT an example of "us vs them" politics. Whenever I've heard him speak, he takes the long view, recognizing that we're all in this together.
Read Hansard. Check how often the Campbell government insults the previous NDP government or the NDP Opposition, blaming them for things which didn't happen, setting up the adversarial situation.
Even Paul Willcocks takes a swipe at the NDP "train wreck" in this column. It's a knee-jerk reaction which is unhealthy for the province, in my opinion.
But then, B.C. hired 185 new Public Affairs Officers in Sept. 2006 to do SOMETHING, and it's a pretty safe bet that they're anti-NDP, too. In fact, one or two of the comments above could have been written by one or two of them, which means bought and paid for by the taxpayers of B.C.
But somehow, it turns out to be the NDP at fault again. Amazing.
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