A6 Terrace Review — Wednesday, December 19, 1990

ome for Christmas... the words ring with the
brief, beautiful moments when all are children
once again, bright cheeks glowing and gigples
bursting with excitement from amidst rainbows of untied
ribbons and scattered wrappings. Pleasures to be felt and
‘savoured are the warmth of steaming cocoa sipped
_ through cream, the loving hugs of young and old as they
snuggle around the crackling fire on Christmas Eve. -

A time of tradition, Christmas present forever links to
Christmases past, continuing the chain of memories that
binds us to that first Christmas, when the earthly father
Joseph was himself compelied to return to his homeland
to be taxed. Thus the first journey home was made in
anticipation of the child Jesus’ birth.

All over the world, people keep the traditions that they
learned as children. Parents wish only to recreate for their
own children the magic of holiday joy that they them-

selves shared as youngsters.

Stockings are hung and trees are trimmed to the sound
of carols drifting in from the snowy outdoors. Children
bake cookies and wrap each other’s gifts while mum
stuffs a turkey and dad drapes the doorway with garlands

and lights.

Young lovers delight in kisses stolen beneath the
mistletoe, and grandpa sits by the fireside, stirring the
dying embers, as he recalls long forgotten days of boy-
hood Christmases to an audience of wide-eyed young-

Sters.

. Then, all too soon, grandpa’s tales come to an end as
the children are hurried off to bed, so excitéd it seems

they’ll never sleep.

They check one last time to be sure that Santa’s cookies
and cocoa are left where he’s sure to find them. After
lingering over a few goodnight kisses, they’re off to bed.

Dawn finds ribbons flying through a maze of crumpled
wrappings as children of ail ages delight in giving and
receiving gifts. After a festive breakfast, the family
attends: mass or services. For many, a candlelight mass on
Christmas Eve is a Jong-standing tradition.

After noon, aunts, uncles, cousins and relatives perhaps
not seen on any other occasion, arrive to share in the

day’s joy.

Gifts are exchanged, wonderful foods enjoyed and an
overwhelming warmth appreciated. Is it any wonder that
all roads lead home at Christmas? Not at all, when you:
realize that being together is perhaps the greatest gift of

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AN) SC
— TABEIS 0B

VICTORIA — Reaction
from the New Democratic Par-
ty to the latest Cabinet manipu-
lations by Premier Bill Vander
Zalm has ranged from derision,
to disgust, to disdain.

But that 3-D response really
covers up a fourth D-word
—delight.

By making some astounding
political decisions in
Thursday’s Cabinet shuffle,
Mr. Vander Zalm has moved

‘one step closer to becoming

Richard I], a la New Bruns- ©
wick’s Richard Hatfield taking
his lemming-like MLAs into
oblivion with him.

And the NDP are loving
every minute of it, as it brings
them nearer to power.

By appointing an untried,
little-known, lightly-regarded
backbencher (Kelowna’s Cliff
Serwa) to the formerly power-
ful office of environmental
minister, the Premier is sending
a clear signal that there is only
so much ‘“‘green’’ thinking this
government will tolerate.

Coming in the wake of the
resignation of John Reynolds
last Monday, over the
Premier’s veto of a tougher
policy against pulp-mill pollu-
tion, the appointment of Zalm
loyalist Serwa is a sad and
hollow one.

True, Serwa is an intense,
dedicated man, maybe even a
“‘nice guy’’. After all, he even
brings Okanagan apples to the
Legislature during season, for
the staff and secretaries.

But through the first four
years of this government, this
apple-polisher has remainéd
mired in the backbench, with-
out anyone suggesting he
should be anywhere else, such

The view from
Victoria —

by John Piter

as in Cabinet.

The widespread concern
about the environment we live
in, and the general public’s
growing demands that govern-
ments act more responsibly,
and spend money more wisely
in this field, means that any

politician treating it lightly will _

pay a high price,

It would appear that Mr.
Vander Zalm’s ‘I'll get even’’
attitude towards Reynolds has
led him to downplay a vital
ministry, and it will have
serious repercussions for him.

And what can one say about
the return to the fold of Black
Sheep Bud Smith?

Mr. Vander Zalm appears to
have been convinced that he
had little choice but to bring in
the former backroom bully-boy

After all, political savvy and
a somewhat deserved reputa-
tion for turning strategy into
success—all of which Mr.
Smith has displayed—is some-
thing the Socreds in general
and the Premier in particular
need now, desperately (especial-
ly coupled with the loss of
Reynolds).

With an apparent growing
revolt against his leadership ris-
ing from the ‘‘grassroots’’, Mr.
Vander Zalm is under siege,
and needs all the help he can
get.

But one wonders if his cyn-
ical arrogance in ignoring Mr.
Smith’s widely-publicized in-
discretions, in order to hail the
former attorney-general as his
and Social Credit’s savior, will
prove in the long run to be
another: mistake.

When the history of the Van-

der Zalm years is written soon, .

by the look of it—this Cabinet

shuffle will be an insignificant
blip, a further example of Bill
Vander Zalm’s blinkered view
of reality.

Its parallels to the July 1988
shuffle after the resignations of
Grace McCarthy and Brian

- Smith are exceptional.

At that time, a Premier
under seige from his own party
expanded the size of the Cab-
inet, brought in three lightly-
regarded, unknown but loyalist
MLAs who later had to be
dumped from Cabinet, and
fought to maintain power by
making promises to change his
style and to take learned advice
to produce some substance.

This time, a Premier under
siege from his own party has
ignored more capable backben-
chers, brought in three more
lightweights over whom he can
exercise control, and continues
to fight to maintain power,
while bringing in a supposed
wily political image maker to
save his, er, hide.

Pathetic, really. .

A note on the state of the
Socred ship of state (also
known as Titanic IJ).

The deep and bitter division
in the party between the ,
Zalmoids and the old party
faithful was never more evident
than in the nomination battle
in Burnaby-Edmonds earlier
this week.

Although former newspaper
columnist Nicole Parton won
the over anti-abortionist Ron
Gray was a hollow one indeed, -
and may well prove to be one
of the shortest-lived political
careers in history.

~~ Continued on page AB