With the Conservatives who have been running the province since 2003, everything reduces to cash.
For them, the only principle is cash.
Not surprisingly, when it comes to the idea of electing senators to represent the people of Newfoundland and Labrador in the national parliament, Premier Kathy Dunderdale said this:
Mr. Speaker, there are still a lot of questions that need to be answered. For example, who is going to fund it? Who is going to pay for it? Mr. Speaker, when we get the answers to those questions, then we will say whether or not we are in favour of elected senators.
Yes, whether or not Kathy supports democracy comes down to how much it might cost.
Come to think of the past seven or so years, this does explain a lot.
- srbp -
2 comments:
I can answer that question: we are, one way or another. :-)
Seriously, though, it does seem important that national senators should be elected in a nationally administered election. It's absolutely ridiculous to let individual provinces decide how or whether federal politicians will be elected. But that isn't a cost issue.
"We support only cheap democracy," she seems to be saying.
National senators ought to be elected to the national parliament under a national election system established and paid for by the national parliament.
Absolutely agreed.
What Dunderdale is saying is merely consistent with her attitude to most things, including stuff in her own provincial jurisdiction: let's get Ottawa to pay for it. Hers is not a position of principle beyond the principle that all principles convert to cash.
She learned that from the guy who is now her sworn enemy, the same guy who gave her the job she currently holds.
The world is a funny place.
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