[mobglob-discuss] Fw: The Greens are right, right?
Liz
yashi at direct.ca
Fri Jun 18 14:25:45 PDT 2004
we are peace activists. the ndp will come to power on the back of the peace
movement in canada.
Liz thor - Larsene
----- Original Message -----
From: Chris Shaw <csshawlab at hotmail.com>
To: <mobglob-discuss at lists.resist.ca>
Sent: Thursday, June 17, 2004 3:50 PM
Subject: Re: [mobglob-discuss] Fw: The Greens are right, right?
> And Jack Layton looks any less conservative than Harris? Guess I missed
the
> more radical attire he wears between debates.
>
> As for Murray Dobbin's article: Dobbin is certainly entitled to examine
any
> party on its platform and decipher the parts any way he sees fit. This
does
> not, however, make his analysis correct or the "cherry picking" of parts
to
> support his predetermined thesis honest. The present election campaign
has
> been one almost solely composed of fear mongering, usually mostly by those
> afraid of slipping support. The Liberals have taken this route as the
> Conservatives have pulled up; now the NDP sees its numbers static if not
> dropping, at least in BC, while Greens are going up. The politics of fear
> is just that and one reason we keep getting governments that aren't really
> representative of the entire population. We seem to be perpetually voting
> against something we have been told to fear rather than voting for what we
> really want.
>
> Actually, a few days ago when Layton noticed that the Liberals were using
> fear of Harper to try to win back those leaning to the NDP, he suggested
> that people should vote for what they really believe and want, rather than
> voting "strategically" to keep Harper out. Layton was right. Odd,
> therefore, that Dobbin would now chose this moment to try to scare
> progressive voters away from the Greens. Guess it must be of those "do as
I
> say, not as I do moments".
>
> Perhaps the best advice was given a century ago by Eugene Debs who said,
> "I'd rather vote for what I want and not get it, than vote for what I
don't
> want and get it". Sorry Murray and Jack, most people who lean to the
green
> side of the house will likely do just that.
>
>
>
> Christopher A. Shaw, Ph.D
> Associate Professor
> Research Pavilion
> 828 W. 10th Ave.
> Vancouver, British Columbia
> Canada, V5Z 1L8
> tel: 604-875-4111 (ext. 68375)
> Fax: 604-875-4376
> e-mail: csshawlab at hotmail.com
>
>
>
>
>
> >From: "Liz" <yashi at direct.ca>
> >Reply-To: MobGlob discussion list <mobglob-discuss at lists.resist.ca>
> >To: "MobGlob discussion list" <mobglob-discuss at lists.resist.ca>
> >Subject: Re: [mobglob-discuss] Fw: The Greens are right, right?
> >Date: Thu, 17 Jun 2004 13:07:33 -0700
> >
> >It's funny, but the guy, the green leader, even looks conservative, in a
> >classical way. So that's good for the NDP in that they will draw some
votes
> >away from the new, NOT progressive, Conservatives. What erks me is how
the
> >media is insisting on framing this election as a two way race. Hopefully
> >there are enough people out there who don't trust the corporate media any
> >more, especially after they got herded into voting Liberal in the last
> >provincial election. Also, the movie Corporation should give people pause
> >to question the sort of information they are getting from the media. Even
> >the CBC is not taking the NDP seriously, yet.
> >Liz Thor-Larsen
> >For platform info (and some pro ndp cheerleading) see www.ndp.ca
> >But, we're definitely against weapons in space; for $15,000/year minimum
> >personal tax exemption; and shifting some of the tax burden back to the
> >corporations and the wealthy in canadian society.
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: Paul Browning
> > To: mobglob-discuss at resist.ca ; vancouver-activist at yahoogroups.ca
> > Sent: Wednesday, June 16, 2004 11:19 PM
> > Subject: [mobglob-discuss] Fw: The Greens are right, right?
> >
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Murray Dobbin" <mdobbin at telus.net>
> > To: <mdobbin at telus.net>
> > Sent: Wednesday, June 16, 2004 2:19 PM
> > Subject: The Greens are right, right?
> >
> >
> > > Globe and Mail
> > > Wednesday, Jun 16, 2004
> > > The Greens are right, right?
> > >
> > > By MURRAY DOBBIN Globe and Mail Update
> > >
> > >
> > > It is intriguing to watch the coverage of the Green Party in the
> >federal
> > > election because the conventional wisdom -- that it will take votes
> >from the
> > > NDP -- is confounded by the party's actual policies. While the
> >analysis is
> > > likely correct, a look at Green policies reveals that this party is
> >really a
> > > Conservative alternative, not a social democratic one. Its fiscal,
> >economic
> > > and even environmental policies would be a near perfect fit for the
> >old
> > > Progressive Conservative party.
> > >
> > > In fact, the Greens are led by a former Tory, Jim Harris, and under
> >his
> > > direction have become the quintessential small government,
pro-market
> >party.
> > >
> > > Their social analysis says virtually nothing about the structural
> >causes of
> > > poverty, and their solutions borrow from both the former PCs and the
> > > Alliance. They talk about how a Green government would "enhance the
> >existing
> > > network of . . . school nutrition . . . and food-bank programs . .
."
> >to
> > > eliminate hunger in Canada. Those who study poverty with a view to
> >ending it
> > > see food banks not as a solution, but as a symbol of everything that
> >is
> > > wrong with the way governments approach poverty.
> > >
> > > The party is committed to smaller government in a way that no other
> >party
> > > is, except the new Conservatives. With respect to the devastated
> >federal
> > > public service -- characterized by massive downsizing, unprecedented
> >stress
> > > levels, completely inadequate staffing to carry out department
> >mandates and
> > > years without real increases in pay -- the Green Party has a single
> > > response, and it sounds a lot like Stephen Harper's: "Reform the
> >public
> > > sector to be more responsive and accountable." This is union busting
> >by
> > > another name, and seems to promise the continuation of the
right-wing
> > > assault on government employees. If you want the public service to
be
> > > "responsive," the logical solution is to return it to functional
> >staffing
> > > levels.
> > >
> > > The Greens' fiscal policies are among their most reactionary and
> > > problematic. They toe the Bay Street line by promising to "lower
taxes
> >on
> > > income, profit and investment, to promote increased productivity and
> >job
> > > creation." As for addressing the problem of chronically high
> >unemployment,
> > > the party takes a page out of Paul Martin's book of maintaining
> >extremely
> > > low inflation -- Greens will still fight inflation by putting people
> >out of
> > > work unless unemployment rises above 10 per cent. These policies
have
> >been
> > > notable failures for the past 15 years -- lowering wages, increasing
> >the
> > > productivity gap with the United States and creating mostly low-wage
> >jobs --
> > > and certainly have no place in the platform of a party that pitches
> >its
> > > appeals to social democrats.
> > >
> > > Any increase in revenue from promised Green taxes on "harmful
> >activities"
> > > would be neutralized by lowering income taxes, the most progressive
> >and fair
> > > taxes we have. The Greens also call for an increase in property
taxes,
> >a
> > > regressive tax. They are committed to using surpluses to ". . .
reduce
> >the
> > > national debt." In other words, the party is to the right of all the
> >major
> > > parties, which are now committing billions for spending on social
> >programs
> > > that Canadians say they want.
> > >
> > > One of the most remarkable aspects of the Green platform is the lack
> >of any
> > > commitment to using government legislation or regulation to
accomplish
> >core
> > > environmental goals.
> > >
> > > Here are just a few examples: "The Green Party will: Empower
> >[bioregional]
> > > stewards to seek intervenor status in legal actions that impact the
> >health
> > > of the ecosystem; . . . work with local environmental groups to
reduce
> > > pollution levels in the air, water and soil; promote sustainability
> >through
> > > education; and monitor the diversity of species, the levels of
> >pollution and
> > > the health of the ecosystem."These are not the actions of a
government
> > > committed to using its mandated power to actually protect the
> >environment.
> > > The party also supports the corporate sector's position on
> >self-regulation:
> > > "The Green Party will assist and encourage Canadian companies to
> >attain ISO
> > > 14000 certification, the international standard for management." The
> >ISO
> > > 14000 has been almost universally condemned by the international
> > > environmental movement as ineffective and unreliable.
> > >
> > > Those Canadians thinking of voting Green because they believe it is
> > > progressive had better do their homework. There is more to this
party
> >than
> > > the user-friendly name would suggest.
> > >
> > > Murray Dobbin is author of Paul Martin: CEO for Canada?
> >
> >
>
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> >
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