What is happening in Newfoundland and Labrador is not merely polarization in public opinion. Polarization implies that people are within the same community or see themselves as being within the same community.
What we are seeing increasingly is the tendency to fragmentation. People do not listen to differing opinions. They do not see or understand what is happening in their own province but identify with and frame their world in the context of what is going on elsewhere.
If you think Roger Grimes is a reactionary, then we are in a far darker place as a society than anyone currently realises.Roger Grimes used to be head of the provincial teachers’ union. He got into politics after that, served in several cabinet posts, including natural resources and then wound up as Premier for three years. This past summer, the provincial and federal governments appointed him as chair of the organization that regulates the offshore oil and gas industry.
Given his
experience, Grimes is a logical choice.
In the new role, he chairs the board and that’s all. The job used to be combined with the administrative
head of the organization but the two governments who share management of the
offshore through it decided it was a good idea to split the two jobs. That
gives him a bit more latitude to speak his mind on subjects, something Grimes
has never been afraid to do.
He spoke to
an oil industry meeting on Thursday. His
message was simple:
“Don't ignore them [climate change activists]. Engage with them. Educate. Make sure that everybody understands — and I'll say it one more time — everybody needs to understand that it's not an either-or proposition.”
“You can [develop oil and gas resources] and save the planet at the same time.”
