13 May 2009

Fear, Lies, Innuendo, Now Hypocrisy

The No-STV campaign claimed to have among its proponents not only people who supported first past the post, but also those who supported mixed member proportional representation "or some other alternative."

Well to anyone in that camp who allegedly did or does support MMP or some other system, Congratulations!

You've effectively killed off any chance at electoral reform in this province for at least another generation. No credible government could go through with implementing a new voting system - or setting up yet another referendum, this time favouring MMP - with the populace so clearly having trashed the idea. Additionally, for those in your camp who favoured MMP, that you used the larger ridings as one of your fear tactics would work against you. Because, as you so carefully avoided admitting, MMP requires larger ridings too.

Now, to add insult to injury and a hefty dose of hypocrisy, on the day of the referendum Bill Tieleman writes an article advocating compulsory voting.*

As I wrote in reaction to this on Twitter: "We're to take Tieleman's advice re compulsory voting? The same man who worked so hard to maintain FPTP? No thanks."

The NDP back-roomer and talking head, the man who championed the defeat of British Columbians for STV, a democratic grassroots movement which had virtually thousands more volunteers than the No-STV organization of which he was President, arrogantly supposes to instruct us on democracy. I think not.

* For articles written by Bill Tieleman or David Schreck discussed in this blog, readers will have to find the links themselves. This blog will not be providing them.

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