Editor:
The world is a tough place to govern right now with post-COVID hangovers, Putin invading Ukraine, Gaza, high interest rates, housing shortages, food and cost of living inflation, etc. The result of all this dismal news is that it is near impossible for an incumbent government, anywhere in the world, to be re-elected. They are tarred with the current state of affairs.
In B.C., as usual, we bucked the trend, and the BC Conservatives achieved the near impossible feat of failing to unseat the NDP incumbents. The Rustad Conservatives did themselves no favour with their leader’s antediluvian climate change denial and anti-vax stance and their platform was accused of dating from the 1950s. On top of that their platform costing was only released about five days prior the election, after hundreds of thousands had already voted. It contained the news that the Conservatives would run a deficit larger than the NDP’s. In the days just prior to election day, Rustad said he was in favour of returning B.C. to plastic straws rather than paper. A small thing, but indicative of an outdated world view.
Your newspaper ran a report that Sunshine Coast students had voted for the Conservatives over the Greens and NDP. This seems contrary to all I’ve read about the Greta Thunberg generation. Nothing wrong with that of course, but it will be interesting to see if pocketbook issues ultimately prevail over saving the planet and its people.
Your columnist Les Leyne rues the fact that the election was basically a stand-off with only a one per cent divide. It is what it is! Worrisome is the urban-rural divide that looks remarkably like the red-blue divide in the USA.
One final thought. Anyone for proportional representation?
Tony Greenfield, Halfmoon Bay
