To the Editor: Those who speak now with glee about the inevitable demise of the Liberal Party of Canada should pause and take a deep breath, Even Ed Broadbent should take some time to rethink his long held views on this topic.
The last thing Canada needs is a left - right polarization such as exists south of our border. Centrists have virtually no voice in the present House of Senate of the United States. All they can do is stand back and listen to the extremist catcalls that emanate from either side.
In the meantime, their constitutional checks and balances allows their whole legislative process to be hamstrung and high jacked by highly vocal minorities. Issues that their country must deal with remain in limbo. The priorities and good sense of the vast majority of American citizens is simply being ignored.
The British Parliamentary model and ours, does not lend itself to the kind of paralysis that we see in the United States right now. It does encourage the emergence of single issue or regional parties. This can lead to frequent minorities.
The experience in Great Britain is often pointed to as a historical precedent for the collapse of Liberalism. Between the two world wars the historical Liberal Party of Pitt and Gladstone was swallowed up by the Labour Party. It was assumed that it would never be seen again.
In the last 30 years Britain has bounced back and fourth between the tight fisted Thatcherites on the one hand and the free spending Labourites on the other.
The present government in Britain is a coalition of a very centrist Conservative Party supported by Liberal Democrats. The Prime Minister is David Cameron (Conservative). The Deputy Prime Minister is Nick Clegg (Liberal Democrat).
In Saskatchewan we have a Centrist Conservative government with Liberal Ties. The Liberal government in BC has undeniable Conservative links.
Those who now speculate about some arrangements between Liberals and New Democrats on the Federal scene can hardly be accused of originality.
In the meantime, hang in there. Reports of the death of the Liberal party are greatly exaggerated.
Douglas Cowling, Yorkton, SK.
