Except for those nose-counting lovers of freedom, the Youth 4UA vanguard, haven’t we heard enough about uniting the right? Daily updates on the United Alternative have hit maximum saturation considering the new party is almost universally dismissed as impossible or pointless.
After six months of disinterest from Joe Clark, UA strategists began attacking him as anti-democratic. Translation "Why doesn’t he like us?" This plays out very desperate.
In some dark populist corner of their minds, the UA can’t understand Clark’s reluctance to be involved in their little plan to rescue the country from the clutches of Jean Chrétien. Coming from a party that would have sent Christ to Golgotha amidst cheers of "release Barabbas," the cry for democracy falls short of convincing.
Would the UA please realize the right wing is not homogeneous? The conservative party’s supporters are all about business; Reform party supporters have some ideas about money, but social issues is the fork in the road. Frankly, Reform’s plans revolve around scrapping the Charter of Rights and Freedoms; the Tories are shrewd enough to ignore most social issues. There is a chasm between Manning’s and Clark’s views on the role of government (an important hinge).
While mutual despise of Liberal red may create buddies at a cocktail party, rarely can it glue political movements. Common philosophy is needed and it’s hard to imagine Tory blue and Reform green agreeing on anything more than the importance of power ties–but not the color.
It’s not enough to hate the current government enough to vote them out, it must be replaced with something. You may remember that’s how Chrétien was elected in the first place.
All the Reform tirade has accomplished is to further alienate those they wish to sway. It’s food for their persecuted egos while other exploit Ontario’s electorial spoils. But who will they blame for Ontario’s bitter fruit? Will it be fringe Reformers, who don’t lack the savvy to realize they shouldn’t be a kook when the camera is rolling? No! It’ll be the Joe Clark who refuses to play ball, another scapegoat to explain why Reform plays well in the sticks, but can’t make it in the big city. Then Reformers miss the basic flaw of cracking Sheila Copps lesbian jokes while lamenting about how undignified the Chrétien Liberals are. And the worst thing they done is they’ve made Jean Chrétien seem the best prime minister candidate on the market. I hate that guy.