The Role Of The Opposition Is To Oppose

In the many weeks leading up to the last election Carole James was invisible. Hopeful supporters said, “Carole James has a program, but she’s not telling it till the writ is dropped. For now she is criss-crossing the province getting to know everyone.” Then the writ was dropped, and we learned the position of the Carole James NDP. In the face of Gordon Campbell lying, trashing solemn contracts, going on the attack against unions, creating full-scale scandals, desecrating B.C. seniors, and walking on low-paid workers, Carole James declared she wanted nothing to do with confrontational politics. The Gordon Campbell Mafia agreed warmly, knowing it couldn’t win election in a truly confrontational but fair and proper campaign by the NDP. Then Carole James said she wanted to cut ties with labour and unions. Since the Gordon Campbell Mafia hates unions and does all it can to break them, it said: “Right on, Carole!” Then Carole James told the B.C. population repeatedly that an NDP government couldn’t undo the bad things the Gordon Campbell Mafia has done. “Yes,” said the Gordon Campbell Mafia, “we, too, believe we are God.” Then Carole James gave a speech to the Board of Trade. Instead of telling them to get ready to help the poor, to do new innovative things in B.C., to lose the tax love-in with government, Carole James tried to woo them, and failed. The CanWest headlines the next day said, in effect, “the audience that heard Carole James told her to get lost.” Instead of calling on the great NDP CCF past in B.C., Carol James tried to hide from it, ashamed of it. For instance, the Gordon Campbell Mafia and the CanWest Press have defamed and slandered honest Glen Clark who made one political mistake, trying to suggest he is a dishonest person. Instead of strapping on her fists and showing that Glen Clark is Jesus Christ compared to Gordon Campbell – liar, sell-out, contract breaker, etc., - Carole James tried to pretend Glen Clark has never been in B.C. “That’s it,” said the Gordon Campbell Mafia, “way to go, Carole!” Having lost an election that fate handed to her to win, Carole James threw a huge “Defeat Celebration” in the ballroom of the Empress Hotel. Then said her admirers: “Now just watch Carole James.” Except we couldn’t watch her because she’s been nowhere to watch. She’s been invisible. When absolutely pushed by complaining NDP members, she would issue a tepid news release. Months have passed and Carole James has done nothing. She should have been seen cutting at Campbell policy all over the province. With two or three MLAs – to introduce them to British Columbians – she should have appeared on the Telus strikers’ lines. Telus is lousy. Telus has been reprimanded by CRTC. People don’t like Telus. Telus wants to make its workers slaveys for the rich. Carole James should have said that – from the Telus strike lines. With two or three MLAs – to introduce them to British Columbians – Carole James should have appeared, making memorable comments, at seniors’ homes, at health centres, at half-way houses, etc. to underscore the vicious treatment in those places because of Campbell policy. She should have sought major speaking engagements with the Nurses’ Union – which has done excellent work criticizing Campbell’s Mafia attacks on health care. James should have sought major speaking engagements with Teachers’ organizations, with the organization fighting privatization of B.C. Hydro, with municipal governments. At those events she should have been cutting the Campbell government to ribbons, introducing NDP MLAs, and outlining a bold policy for an NDP government in power. She has done none of those things. She has done nothing. Now she is acting as if she is a committee chair of an inconsequential Gordon Campbell Mafia committee told to cool it, get out of the limelight, and wait for Campbell’s orders. Now Carole James is in the house, where many Liberals are tainted with lies and corruption over the sell-out of B.C. Rail, party membership fraud, nepotism, and much more. The NDP is facing a government which is ugly and whose policy is totally repugnant to NDPers. The NDP cannot “co-operate” with that government unless NDP MLAs accept Gordon Campbell’s poisonous program and his party. That is what Carole James seems to be doing. She appears to want to look pleasing and reasonable to the Liberal Mafia in the legislature. She wants to “co-operate,” which - like it or not – means the NDP co-operating with Campbell Liberal sell-out, corruption, and slashing living standards for our most vulnerable people. That way lies craven, hopeless disaster and despair for British Columbians. As if to prove my point, NDP leader Carole James gave her maiden speech in the legislature on September 13. Appropriately, most Liberals didn’t bother to hang around to hear it. There’s “courtesy” for you. There’s “co-operation.” There’s “civility.” Moreover, as if to show that the gray-faced, slippery-with-truth, corporate robot Gordon Campbell has a black sense of humour after all, he’s letting the NDP have a majority on a special fish-farm committee where they can use up all their energy thinking they’re important. Will Carole James be taken in by such tricks? She has already been taken in. This is the leader of the NDP in British Columbia, the party which is the refuge, the home, the hope of all British Columbians who want a decent, honourable, just, humane B.C. – controlled by British Columbians. It makes me think that young B.C. people in unions, in universities and colleges, in care homes and health units, in service trades and restaurants and garages and bakeries have got to act. They’ve got to get into the NDP, push aside the slick bureaucrats in suits, get executive positions, move the dead wood out – and make the NDP determined to win, determined to make B.C. a decent, honourable, just, humane B.C. – controlled by British Columbians. If they ask Carole James to do it for them, she’ll first consult Gordon Campbell – co-operatively, of course, forgetting the eternal, simple truth spoken by Winston Churchill about parliamentary legislatures in democracies: “The role of the Opposition is to oppose.” [Proofreader's note: this article was edited for spelling and typos on September 18, 2005]