Tuesday, February 06, 2007

let the silly season begin.........


The top of the New Brunswick Legislature on a snowy January day, 2007



"This is the song that doesn't end
It goes on and on my friend
Some people started singing it
Not knowing what is was
And they'll continue singing it forever
Just because..............

This is the song that doesn't end........."

sung by shari lewis and the ever insightful lambchop.


Today, pomp and circumstance invades this fair city as a knock is heard on the door of the illustrious Legislature. Just like ALL good British parliamentary forums. However, don't let the beautiful facade fool you. Inside lurks silliness masked as elected officials who will do their very best to primp and pose in front of the camera.

Sound bites and sword fights take centre stage as they parry and counter-parry over issues, some of which are meaningful to voters, others created as fodder for the fencing bout. It always gets heated. It always gets silly. It always gets off track as personal points become more important than the larger picture of progress.

So, what to expect this time around as the Liberals take centre stage for the first time in this provinces in 7 years? This issues may have a slightly different flavour, but the fencing footsteps will most likely be the same old song and dance.

Be on the lookout for that ever elusive elf named "self-sufficiency".........clothed differently, but still the same McKenna face. This catch phrase has lost it's shelf life.........but will be dredged up again and again and again. This time, it will somehow be paired with the homeostatic term "sustainability." That way, it will cover all hot ticket items............jobs, energy, poverty, and the environment.

Self-sufficient sustainability...........it just slithers off you tongue, doesn't it? Too bad it means squat. The brain drain will continue, as will the ongoing overloading of our energy usage, as will homelessness, as will our mucking of the environment.

My, how cynical I have become.

The opposition Tories still smarting from their losses? Be prepared to hear their rally cry trying to score early points ----

"You Grits BROKE your election promises!!"



The finger pointing, sabre crossing, eye rolling, voice raising, vein popping blaming game is about to begin. We can only hope for some uniquely interesting scandals and dirt to liven things up.

Gee, for some reason, I can't get Lambchop's song out of my head............


"Some people started singing it, not knowing what it was, and they'll continue singing it forever just because........."




1 comment:

Sunny said...

Funny how the Liberals haven't even been in power for very long and they've already broken most of their promises. No Energy rebat for the GST that we are overpaying every month. Graham figures we are all rich enough to afford it so too bad for us. Soooo many promises....no return for our investment.
The brain drain will continue just as you said. Employers refuse to change and increase wages, many cannot afford to increase wages anyway because they are barely scrapping by as it is, our workers are heading out west, women are having less children because we can't afford them and not work at the same time...the vicious cycle goes on and on and no government is going to be able to find a fix for it anytime soon.
Graham has his big nose in the clouds. It is fine and dandy to talk about making New Brunswick "self-sufficient" by 2026 because there is no way he'll still be in office by then and the promises he made will dissipate like the morning fog over the Saint John River.