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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1997-04-02, Page 5Arthur Black THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2,1997 PAGE 5. The There’s a word for Doug Young... amateur Our Defence Minister, Doug Young, is developing quite a reputation for running his mouth. Young dismissed Quebec separatists as a 'bunch of snot noses'. He sneered at a Progressive Conservative opponent as 'a faded pansy'. Then Doug Young really got nasty. Deborah Grey, a Reform MP from Alberta, was flailing away at the Liberals in what passes for debate on Parliament Hill. She called the Liberals 'porkers'. The defence minister cast an appraising eye over the amply-proportioned Ms Young and intoned that she was "more than a slab of bacon" her self. There is a word for politicians like Doug Young. The word is 'amateur'. There was a time when giants walked the earth. Giants with names like Churchill, Kennedy and Diefenbaker. In a debate, any one of those gentlemen would have inhaled Doug Young like a cocktail canapd. We don't see great political invective much anymore and it's a shame. It allows lightweights like Doug Young to strut and International Scene By Raymond Canon All for one — maybe There is a fascinating drama unfolding over western Europe, one that has not yet gained too much space in the North American media, but which may well turn into one of the most dramatic stories to come out of Europe since the decline and fall of the Soviet Union. To set the stage for the story, let's assume that the members of the North American Free Trade Agreement decided to take a monumental step along the path of economic liberalization. This step would end in the establishment of one currency for all the three countries, Canada, United States and Mexico. Not only that, but the central banks of the three countries would De abolished and a new one set up in one of the three countries, most likely the United States. If you think there would be opposition in all three countries to such a dramatic move, you would be right since anything that the Harris government is currently doing to change the direction of our provincial government would be minor compared to the impact of currency reform. We move now to Western Europe where the member nations of the European Economic Community have already decided to change all their currencies into a single one, to be called the Euro. Gone would be the French franc, the English pound and, above all, the German mark, the latter of which has been the strongest currency on preen on centre stage. He wouldn't have lasted 10 seconds with the guy who called King Henry VIII ..a pig, an ass, a dunghill, the spawn of an adder, a basilisk, a lying buffoon, a mad fool with a frothy mouth...a lubberly ass...a frantic madman..." Now who said that - Rush Limbaugh? Don Cherry? Nope. It was Martin Luther - nearly 500 years ago. American public figures have a gift for denunciation too. Check what a 19th century U.S. Congressman by the name of John Randolph had to say about a fellow politician: "He was a man of splendid abilities, but utterly corrupt. Like rotten mackerel by moonlight, he both shines and stinks." And then there's the British. I have a theory as to why the Brits are so relatively civilized in public. Aside from aberrations like the Soccer Lotus, the British tend to be well-behaved and non-demonstrative in social situations. I think that's because they're so busy disemboweling each other with words. The Brits are masters of verbal violence. Listen to Benjamin Disraeli describing Sir Robert Peel: "The Right Honourable Gentleman's smile is like the silver fittings on a coffin." On Lord John Russell: "If a traveler were informed that such a man was the Leader of the House of Commons, he might begin to comprehend the continent for many years, with the exception, perhaps, of the Swiss franc. Since Switzerland is not a member of the EEC, at least not yet, that country's franc is not among those disappearing. To the British, giving up the pound is almost like changing the Union Jack. The Germans are just as emotionally attached to the mark since that currency is, thanks partly to the independent actions of the German central bank, the Bundesbank, a bright light of stability when most other European currencies are fluctuating all over the place. Small wonder what ordinary Germans are overwhelmingly against the Euro. I found that out when I did a little poll of my own when I was last in Germany. The language of some of the people I talked to was all but unprintable. Where the real problem begins is the fact that the creation of the Euro is being pushed by the French and the German governments. Getting ready for such a move has included economic measures that have not gone over well with the voters, especially in France which is in worse shape economically than Germany, which itself has over four million people on the unemployment rolls. Can you imagine what might take place if opposition to the Euro hardens just about the time that Germany and France push to have it introduced? Or, what is even worse, what happens if Germany and France find themselves in less than full agreement on how it should be implemented? There are signs that this might be taking place already. It has been generally how the Egyptians worshipped an insect." On an Irish agitator: "A systematic liar and a beggarly cheat; a swindler and a poltroon.. .He has committed every crime that does not require courage." On the difference between a misfortune and a calamity: "If Mister Gladstone fell into the Thames, that would be a misfortune. If anyone pulled him out, that would be a calamity." Then of course there was Winston Churchill. God help the wretch who felt the lash of his tongue. Such as Clement Atlee - "a modest man, with much to be modest about." Stafford Cripps - "There but for the grace of God, goes God." Neville Chamberlain - "In the depths of that dusty soul there is nothing but abject surrender." Canada's own John Diefenbaker got off more than a couple of haymakers in his time. It was Dief who described the Liberals as "the flying saucers of politics. No one can make head nor tail of them and they are never seen in the same place twice." He's also the one who described the then - premier of Quebec, the somewhat self- important Jean Lesage, as "the only person I know who can strut sitting down." Diefs gone now...more's the pity. I'd love to hear what he'd have to say about Parizeau and Bouchard . established that the new central bank for the Euro would be located in Frankfurt, Germany, the city which is currently the country's financial centre. There is now the whisper from Paris that, in return for the French agreeing to have the bank in Germany, the presidency of the bank, (equivalent to our governor of the bank) would be given to a Frenchman, although the current betting is that a Dutchman, Wim Duisenberg, will be given the job. If there is an agreement, nobody has heard about it, at least publicly. Furthermore, the French want to have more political control over the new bank than the Germans do. This is counter to the Germans' position, and the Canadians’ as well, where it is generally considered that, the more independent the central bank is, the better it can do its job. Unless these two matters can be resolved, you can look for a battle royal to take place as all the other members weigh in with their opinions while the British sit on the sidelines and say a British equivalent of "I told you so." Fortunately for the Canadians, not even a hint of a single currency has been heard in discussions held by the members of the North American Free Trade Agreement. There won't be either, given the potential clash brewing in Europe. A Final Thought The human brain is like a freight car — guaranteed to have a certain capacity, but often running empty. Short of it Experience not the problem The 'doing' of resumes is filling my off- time these days. As the days move toward the end of another school term, there are people in my family looking for a new — or an— employment opportunity. As the brightening days of spring cheer the winter spirit, many students begin a full- time job of finding full-time work. With years of education and training behind them, they tread warily into a future they should have hit in bold stride. Studies offer dismal hope. The unemployment rate for people 25 and under sits at a discouraging 20 per cent, according to some recent statistics. But while I have come to expect such disheartening news for our well-educated youth, I was a little surprised at the reason given for the slump — lack of experience. The cycle of needing a job to get the experience to qualify you for a job, has been a problem for as long as I can recall. One of the first career doors slammed in my face, just a few decades ago, was because I had no hands-on, in the field training. But, I can't believe that's the case today. My resumd upon graduation was a one-page exposd which listed my education and some part-time work as a teenager. Conversely, my son's and daughter's are three pages in length. They are highlighted by not just work experience, but by volunteer hours. The resumes of the other young people that have passed through my hands are similar. Today's 20-somethings are too well educated to be unaware of the challenges facing them. With too many people in the work force and too few jobs to offer them, they know they can't enjoy the luxury that others have had in the past, that of waiting for the work to come to them. No matter how fast they are out of the starting gate with their university or college degree in hand, it is not necessarily the first to cross the finish line who wins. The race today is about commitment, hard work and continually striving for better. The majority, as I said, know that and their resumes prove it. They donate countless hours to jobs for which others are receiving pay. They take courses to keep one step ahead in the race. And, if they are fortunate enough to find some, take on •often menial work to help pay back their student loans. It has been an exhausting race to maturity for an often over-indulged generation, but some are proving their mettle. In my opinion they are the most qualified career novices society has ever produced. Be that as it may, the realities are still unemployment for many. This spring the challenge facing them is not the work, but if they will. Yet, spring is also a time of optimism and hope. I cannot, on a glorious, sunny day, believe that the future holds no promise for all this potential. I do believe that things will change. I do believe that each year, the aging population will mean more career openings for young, enthusiastic graduates. And I do believe that when they finally win the race, today's Gen-Xers will have the experience to meet the challenges.