Carole James has had two chances to become Premier of BC. In spite of the low popularity of Gordon Campbell, who recently announced that he will be stepping down as premier of BC, she has been unable to increase her own popularity in the polls.She has not shown the dynamism that a leader of the opposition should have. What new ideas has she brought to the BC political scene ?If the Liberals are able to find a new leader who has projected the kind of personality that Carole James lacks, I predict that the BC NDP will remain an opposition party in 2013.

Speaking to people, whom I would think would be strong supporters of the NDP, I hear the words: "I may not vote for the Liberals, but I will not give my vote to the NDP, as long as Carole James is their leader." These are women to whom I am speaking. You would think that they would support another woman. But they tell me that Carole James does not project the dynamism that they expect of a political leader.

The truth about the BC Rail Sale

Will the public ever know the truth about the sale of the BC Rail? The abrupt end of the trial of Mr Basi and Mr Virk with a guilty plea and a ridiculous sentence of two years minus a day home incarceration leaves more questions than aneswers.Gordon Campbell apparently thinks that the public has no right to obtain these answers, although it is the taxpayer who ultimately pays the bill.In his usual haughty way he places all the blameon on these two ministerial aides,who were hired by his own chief of staff, Martyn Brown. Like Pilate, he washes his hands, and passes sentence on the two aides appointed by his own government and placed in the ministries of Finance and Transportation.
After the police raided the legislative offices of Mr Basi and Mr Virk in December
2003, it became clear that the fous of the investigation was on the BC Rail.Why did the Liberal government go ahead with trhe sale? They cancelled he pproposed saleof a BC Rail subdivision, but went ahead with the main sale. There seems to be a real
contradiction here. Is it possible that CN Rail was already selected to win the bidding for BC Rail? There were repeated allegations made in court by the defence that the "fix was in" for CN Rail to win the 2003 bidding . .the abrupt end of the trial means that the truth of that claim will not be tested.
The Liberals do not wish to have their part in this sordid affair revealed.

BC Rail outcome

After seven years of investigation, the two ministerial assistants charged by the RCMP, ended trheir trial by pleading guilty to two counts

Chilean miners real rescuers

In all the news reports about the the rescue of the 33 Chilean miners, little or nothing was said about the people who worked behind the scenes to bring the miners back to the surface. There were many pictures of the Chilean President embracing the miners as they came out of the rescue capsule. The billionaire President, who also owns the TV station qwas the central figure of all the pictures.
What about Albert Iturra, the psychologist, who cared for the mental welfare of the trapped miners or Andres Llarena, the naval commander and physsician, who was at the mine since August 24, advisingon the care of the miners while underground.There were other rescuers,such as, Patricio Robiero, an expert in hostile environment and rescue zones, who served in Iraq between 2006 qnd 2008.There weere also Andre Sougarret, the Civil engineerwho was ccalled in by the Chilean state mining conglomerate to coordinatethe rescue operation. Jeff Hart, the drill operator from Denver, Colorado, whose drill broke through to the miners.Not tobe forgotten are Laurence Golborne and Dr Jean Ramagloni.The former, a mining engineer may make a bid for THE Presidency in the next elections.
I had to go to a British newspaper, the Telegraph, to get this information.

The Questionable HST

Now that Van der Zalm has shown to this government of Gordon Campbell how unpopular the HST is, the Liberals have been forced to hold a referendum on the issue in September 2011. Does it take a year to know the opinion of BC voters? I certainly do not think so. This is a delaying tactic on the part of the Campbell government. He hopes that a year will give him time to show by devious arguments and the use of the media that he is right and the rest of the BC population is wrong. Gordon Campbell is well schooled in Macchiavellian politics.
If our Premier is so right about the benefits of the HST to the economy, why have only three of the ten provinces adopted the HST? Tell us Why, Mr. Premier. Has he considered the fact that the ordinary working man feels that he is being taxed up to the neck? Not too long ago , the Liberal government introduced with much self applause the Carbon tax, following the example of Governor Schwartznegger, the leader of a now bankrupt California state. No other Canadian province followed the example of Gordon Campbell. Why, Mr Premier? Or is it that they see you as a Moses leading our province into deep waters that will not part?
I suggest that this Liberal government got us into waters where they could'nt swim
when they staged the Winter Olympics. We are now like Montreal after they held the
Olympics, and like Greece we also needed a handout to keep our noses above water.
Whither are you leading us, our BC Moses?

Racism Quebec style

In 1969, I flew from Manchester to Montreal to take up a position for which I had been interviewed in London. My professor at Manchester University had tried to dissuade me from going. He had known students who had gone to Canada, and found themselves in a static work environment unable to move up in their careers. I thought that it might be different for me, since I spoke French fluently which might be a point in my favour in this French speaking province of Canada.
It did not take long for me to realize that speaking French that I had learned in France would not be a point in my favour. I found it extremely difficult to adapt to and understand Quebec French. I was immediately categorized as being English, and socially part of Quebec English society. The door to French Quebec society was slammed in my face.
I arrived in Montreal in the midst of the FLQ crisis. The British High Commisioner, Cross, had been kidnapped, and a Provincial minister, Pierre Laporte, was executed by the FlQ. I discovered that there was professional jealousy by English Canadians against imports like myself, as they considiered that we were taking away their jobs. I was unacceptable to the Quebec French and also to the English Quebecers.
I tried to find a way to become part of Quebec society by becoming a member of the Quebec Liberal party, but found that I was only allowed to be a member as a show front that they were not anti-English. Since I lived in Quebec for thirty years, I had a lot of time to unearth the Quebec racist style.

Demise of British empire not white man's ascendancy

The history of the demise of the British empire is well documented, but the ability of the white Englishman to maintain his hold on the education and cultural growth of his ex-colonial subjects has no place in the history books. The genius of the white man is that he saw the advantages of the Catholic Church's method of evangelizing by setting up missionary schools whose students eventually entered the fold of the church.
The British colonial rulers laid down the rules for graduating by making the Cambridge university responsible for granting the school leaving certificates that opened the doors to a university education in Britain. Although they had relinquished their political clout, they still held a decisive role over the minds and future of the young. It was only in the sixties that West African ex-colonies began to throw off the educational yoke by creating the West African examinations council.
The same method prevailed when the colonies began to create their own universities. They could not grant degrees except through academic ties to a British university. Even the appointment of staff was done through a inter-university office in London.
So, when I decided to try to find an academic appointment the dice was loaded against me.
I will never forget my first interview in this office in London. The most voluble interviewer seemede to think that reading the Peloponnesian wars of Thucydides was more important than my expertise in Greek tragedy. Of course, his object was to give the appointment to one of his white young students. Today, I would know how to answer him, but then I was just a green young man.

Surviving in a racist society

I was born in a British colony. As a child I was led to believe that the white man was superior to the non-white. At least, everything that I saw convinced me that this was true. The white man enjoyed wealth, position in society, the best paying jobs, was among the ruling class and lived in bigger houses with servants to tend to his needs. If you were born white you did not have to struggle to get a good education, you did not have to get good grades at school, but you had the pick of the best jobs in government and industry. This is what the colonial system was about,jobs for the boys.
When I went to Ireland and England to further my education in universities, I discovered that non-whites in these societies were not considered any different. The only difference was that it was not thought to be in good taste to openly vaunt the white man's superiority. Even in academic circles you were not given an open door to relations between students. You could go so far but no further especially in friendships with female students.
After I completed my first degree, and decided to change universities, and go to London, I discovered that although I had graduated first in my class, I had been denied a post-graduate scholarship on the grounds that I was not an Irish citizen.I do not remember ever meeting a non-white Irish citizen. On completing my post-graduate degree, the dissertation for which was awarded the distinction of being permitted to be published under the name of the university, I began my search for
a position on the teaching staff of a university. I was hopeful that I could lecture in the University College of the West Indies in Jamaica, since I was born on one of these islands. I soon realized that the white man had a decisive role even there.
I will continue my tale about my search for an academic position in my next blog.

The Religious right in Canadian politics

The July, 2010, issue of the Quebec French magazine, l'Actualite, published an article reviewing the book, The Armageddon factor, written by the journalist, Marci McDonald. The title of the article is Stephen Harper and the religious right. This article is written in French by Chantal Hebert. I am a subscriber to this magazine, and what the reviewer said about the contents of the book piqued my interest.
We have heard a great deal about the religious right's hold on the Republican party and its influence on the policies of George W. Bush. What I didn't realize was that it also controls so many of the decisions of the federal Conservative party in Ottawa. However, I wanted first to test the truth of the statements made by Marci McDonald.
I found articles in Canpalnet Ottawa showing that since 2006 the Government of Canada has "deliberately set out to silence the voices of organizations or individuals who raise concerns about government policies or disagree with government positions." There has been a definite pro-Israel policy in the attitude of this government in its silence about the actions of the Israeli army in its bombing of a UN school and other UN locations in Gaza, its recent attack on a flotilla carrying aid to Gaza, actions condemned by other UN representatives but not by Canada. In his recent visit Mr. Netanyahu described Canada as Israel's friend.
Most recently, at the G20 meeting in Toronto, Canada was foremost in its aid to developing countries for maternal health, but the power of the religious right was demonstrated by the proviso that no portion of this aid was to be used for abortions. Is the Prime Minister becoming more and more the hostage of the religious militants in his party?
It seems that the author is correct in stating that the "Canadian religious right has never been so well placed to influence the political federal life".

Satisfying man's basest instincts

Last night Vancouver was the stage for the first time of Ultimate Fighting. Thousands flocked to be treated to the spectacle of two men battering each other until either one dropped to the floor or the referee stopped the fight. Ultimate fighting combines the martial arts, wrestling and boxing. Man, apparently,is not satisfied with one of these sports, but his thirst for something more thrilling has brought together the elements of these three spectacles.
In Roman times, the emperors of Rome treated his subjects to the sight of gladiators fighting each other to the death or confronting wild animals until either the man or the animal died. We condemn bull fighting as a cruel sport. We have severe judicial penalties for those who take part in dog fighting or cock fighting. We used to consider boxing as the noble art of self-defense. Is there any nobility in seeing a
man like Mohammed Ali suffering now from Parkinsons disease as a result of the blows he received to his head? We now consider wrestling and the martial arts as sports that are not ferocious enough to satisfy our need for excitement.
So now, we are willing to pay $300 to witness Ultimate Fighting. Even the Mayor of Vancouver was present at last night's first exhibition of this so-called sport here in BC. Afterwards, he signified his approval of how the event was managed.
How far are we willing to go to satisfy our basest desire for excitement? Is this the kind of example that we want to set for our children? Aren't there sufficient cases of young people fighting and killing each other? Where is society heading?

The Forgotten people of BC

Last week a news item that was splashed on the pages of the Vancouver Sun and echoed in the local TV news broadcast caught my attention. The headline in the news was:"Canadian seniors to outnumber kids by 2021". Apparently this was something that might be a catastrophe in contrast to kids outnumbering seniors in 2021. However that might be, according to Statistics Canada, "Canada's population is expected to age rapidly until 2031 when the entire generation will be at least 65 years old.
Since seniors will form such a substantial part of our population, and I will be speaking especially about the 65 years old in BC, you would expect that our Provincial government would be making a major effort to prepare for this event. One would expect the government to be budgeting for the construction of more Senior Centres and preparing to meet the requirements for medical attention that such an increase in 65 year olds will bring.
One hears almost daily about the needs of the homeless. Millions must be spent to build homes and shelters for them. Unfortunately, these are either people who have chosen for the most part this way of life, and do not feel comfortable living between four walls, or should be obtaining psychiatric care in an institution. We do not
hear the voices of advocates for Senior care. Yet, seniors have worked all their lives, have paid their income taxes, and built this country to be what it is. Our Provincial government to balance its budget has made seniors targets of their cuts,reducing the subsidies to those living in Seniors Homes so that these seniors are left with very little in their pockets after paying for their care. Senior Centres that provide programs for seniors health saving the public medical services millions of dollars are being told that they will no longer receive the few thousand dollars that were provided to pay the salaries of a few coordinators.
I would like to compare the treatment of senior citizens in BC to what is happening in some countries. In Scotland seniors travel free on the buses and trains. In Sweden seniors pay 40 percent of the fare on all public transport. This BC Liberal government cannot be proud of their social record, topping it all with the HST that will hurt seniors most of all

The Islamist Trojan horse

About two weeks ago I received an e-mail from a friend. This e-mail puzzled me because my friend is a Muslim, and the article that he sent me is very anti-Muslim.
This article is the speech of Geert Wilders, Chairman, Party for Freedom, the Netherlands, at the Four Seasons, New York. Its title is America as the last man stnding, and underlines the imminent threat of radical Islamism to our society. He
states that Islam is not a religion but a political ideology comparable to communism or national socialism.
After reading this e-mail, I decided to read The Islamic Threat: Myth or Reality by John L. Esposito, reviewed by Daniel Pipes in the Wall Street Journal. Mr. Pipes ends his review by blasting Esposito for his failure to "recognize the hostility and ambition of radical fundamentalists and to consider the implications of growing Muslim populations in the West".
I have called my blog the Islamist Trojan horse, because like the people of ancient Troy we have opened the gates of Western civilization to masses of immigrants from Muslim countries, with fundamental Islamism hidden in their midst. In Europe, Muslim neighbourhoods are to be seen around Paris, Amsterdam, Marseille and Malmo in Sweden. In these quarters very few indigenous residents are to be seen, and Islamic laws rule. A total of fifty-four million Muslims now live in Europe, and considering the birthrate among the Muslim population, 25 percent of the population in Europe will be Muslim in th next 12 years.
The majority of the Muslim population are law-abiding, but the economic recesion has given birth to young discontents ready to listen to the preaching of fundamentalist Imans. We have the recent cases of Shahazad, the failed Pakistani born Time Square bomber, a USA citizen, and Nidal Malik Hasan, a Major and psychiatrist in the American army, who went on a shooting rampage.
Wilders's final words are: "WE have to take the necessary action now to stop this Islamic stupidity from destroying the free world that we know".

Thoughts born from The Bishop's Man

This is not a review of Linden MacIntyre's book, The Bishop's Man. I read this book recently, and what he relates about the priest, who is the Bishop's agent to get rid of priests who go astray, and get them out of the public's view brought me to think about some of my expeiences with the Catholic clergy.
I went to Catholic schools, and the majority of the priests that I have met were good people. There are, however,some who do not match up to the picture that has been painted of what Christ's chosen should be. Unfortunately, these are people who occupy positions of authority in the Catholic church. As a result of my bad experience with these upper echelon of the clergy, I would say that they are the last persons to whom you should go if you are in need. They are examples of those who are always willing to receive, but never to give.
The priest in the Bishop's Man asks himself why he chose to become a priest. He does not know the answer to this question, but he does know that he suffers from great loneliness. From my own school days, I know how young men are made to believe that they are being called by Christ to follow him, and that resisting this call endangers their immortal soul. If you are a good student and seem to be religious in tendency, you become the target of recruitment to the priesthood.
These are some of the thoughts that came to me on reading this book. On the whole I think that the author struck the nail depicting the priest and the bishop.

The Hated HST SEQUEL

Today, Saturday 1st May the hated HST became law in BC. On Thursday, Gordon Campbell and his Liberal caucus cut short the debate on the HST bill, and passed the legislation into law. There was no regard for democratic freedom of speech or the opposition of 85 percent of the BC population to the HST. It is now obvious, something that the Liberals have been hiding from us, that we are boxed in for five years by the agreement that the Liberals signed with th Federal government. Even if the petition we are signing is succesful, we have to grin and bear it for the next five years. Even if the NDP win the next election this Liberal yoke on our necks will continue for this period of time.
During this time the food banks will flourish even more, because the poor will get poorer, and will have to get help for their daily meals. The buying power of our incomes will become smaller, and it is possible that inflation will climb. Economists have told us what the effects of high taxes on the economy are. The underground economy will increase in size, because people will try to avoid paying the HST using cash and making deals to obtain services. This is what happened after Mulroney and his Conservative government introduced the GST.
At the next Provincial elections, will British Columbians forget and forgive the Liberals, just as Canadians hve done for the GST? That is what the Provincial Liberals are hoping for.Will you remember the HST, and still vote Liberal?

The Hated HST

I remember when Mulroney introduced the GST and how Canadians hated this tax.
Mulroney paid for this at the polls, when the Conservative government suffered a devastating defeat at the polls. Jean Chretien was elected on the promise that he would abolish the GST, a promise that he did not keep. The Liberals have always been self-serving. That is why Ignatief is so silent about the introduction of the HST in New Brunswick and British Columbia.
The HST is nothing more or less than a Provincial GST on top of the Federal GST.
One wonders if Gordon Campbell and his Provincial Liberal really did their homework about the effects of the HST on British Columbians. Did they realize that
there would be so much opposition to this tax? Were they mesmerized by the money offered by the Federal government to those who adopted this tax. It was such an easy solution to their difficulties about balancing the budget.
Of course, Gordon Campbell is rich, and paying the new tax will be no sacrifice to him. The rich will have no difficulty in paying this tax that imposes taxes on items that were previously not taxed. It is the middle class and those on small incomes who will feel the pinch. The Liberals say that the HST will be advantageous to the
Province's busineses, and create more jobs. Then, why has this not happened in Brunswick?
Our only recourse at the moment is to sign the petition against the tax. Perhaps,
history will repeat itself, and finally we will just accept the inevitable. Or we can repeat to ourselves: Is it from heaven or is it from hell, this damned intrusive HST?

Growing up in a Tropical paradise

"Shining waters and golden sands." Isn't that what the tourist from developed countries see when they plan their holiday to the Caribbean islands? Growing up as a young boy in the southernmost island of the West Indies, I was exposed to life as it really is in these small countries. From my earliest days at school I was told by the members of my family that I had to study and work hard to be always at the top of my class. Education, after elementary school, is not free, at least not in my day, in my native land. The only way it would not cost me was to win a scholarship to go to High school. So I studied hard to win one of the twelve or fourteen scholarships offered by the government to all the elementary school children elegible.
It is not only education, but also the availability of medical care, that was not open to those who could not pay. I remember that when I became sick, sometimes with such high fevers that I began to hallucinate, it was not a qualifed doctor but the application of home remedies by my parents that cured me.
Later on in my life, after I obtained my M.A. degree in an English university, I went to work in West Africa. There I saw that life was not far different for the native people to what I had experienced as a boy in my homeland. Life , in many ways, was even tougher for them. As I stayed working there even after the country achieved independence, I was able to see that rule by their own people did not bring about the utopia that was hoped for by the indigenous inhabitants.
A visitor only sees the wonderful warm climate, the beautiful beaches and blue
transparent waters. The song "Jamaica Farewell" ends with the reality of life in these countries. I hear the words: " I see women on bended knees cutting cane for their family." These people toil in the heat of the sun without the benefits that workers enjoy in developed countries.

IRANIAN NEW YEAR

Yesterday evening, 27 March, I had the pleasure and honour of being invited by the Iranian-Canadian Association of Burnaby to their celebration of Nuroz, the Iranian New Year. What a warm-hearted and hospitable people these Iranians are. They welcomed us with open arms, and did all they could to make us feel at home. These people are exiles from their native country, where freedom of expression is suppressed in every way possible, imprisonment and being killed by shooting. The recent reports coming out of Iran show how peaceful demonstrations against a questionably elected President have been turned into violent executions by the Revolutionary Guards.

After the joyful traditional celebrations in the company of such wonderful people, my thoughts turned to the sorrowful events taking place in this area of the world.

I reflected on the reasons why these countries are in such a turmoil that have made so many people in the Middle East refugees. The populations chiefly affected live in countries where there are theocratic governments. Religion does not seem to bring happiness in these areas of the world. Has it always been like this throughout the

history of mankind?

Iran is not the only country with a theocratic government in the Middle East. Israel is another prime example of such a government. And like Iran, Israel has a government that oppresses the Palestinians who lie in their midst and on their borders. These two theocratic governments rattle their sabres an threaten nuclear war against each other.

Read the history of the world, follow the wars of Christianity against Islam, and draw your own conclusions. I have my own opinion, and I would be interested to know yours.

AMERICAN HEALTHCARE

It is strange what people talk about while playing Snooker. My companions bring up all kinds of subjects, religion, politics, philosophy and questions about the health of their friends. Recently they commented on President Obama's political victory about healthcare for Americans. Thirty-four thousand American would rather die than become sick, because they do not have Health Insurance. This made me think about our American neighbours, the majority of whom do not know where Canada is.
Americans boast about being a democratic nation, but do they realize the nature of their democracy. The reaction to Obama's healthcare bill shows that we should qualify their democracy by the word Capitalist. Viewing the hew and cry over this piece of legislation, it is evident that Capitalism reigns supreme in the politics
of the USA. The stockholders of the almighty Insurance Companies were more important than the health of citizens who could not afford insurance.

CLASSICSLINGUIST

CLASSICSLINGUIST

Purpose of a Seniors Centre

Is a Seniors Centre a place to while away the time that hangs heavily on your hands after retirement? What purposes does it serve? Is it a recreation centre?Does it serve only a physical need, to keep your body in good physical form so that you can remain fit during the declining years of your life? Are our only needs just physical? Since man is a combination of mind and body, then the mind must also be attended to. That is why Seniors Centres also offer language courses, since seniors have the time to travel. The development of our mental faculties should not end when we quit school or university. The mind has the ability to hold any amount of new information. If this capacity is not kept functioning, it will fall into decay. Thus, Seniors Centres should also provide facilities to allow their members to keep up with the latest advances in technology and the sciences.