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Home My WebLink AboutThe Times Advocate, 2004-03-24, Page 44 Exeter Times—Advocate Wednesday,March 24, 2004 zkxna =CNA Editorial Opinion TIMES ADVOCATE PUBLICATIONS MAIL REGISTRATION NUMBER 07511 We acknowledge the Financial support of the Government of Canada, through the Publications Assistance Program (PAP), toward our mailing casts. Jim Beckett Publisher and Editor Deb Lord Production Manager ti Published by Metroland Printing, rt Publishing & Distributing Ltd. Metroland 424 Main Street South, P.O. Box 850 Exeter, Ontario NOM 1S6 • (519) 235-1331 EDITORIALS Unopposed Liberal victories are over Canadians and Liberals awoke to a new political reality Sunday morning after the Conservative party held its vote for a new leader, with Stephen Harper scoring a first ballot win over challengers Belinda Stronach and Tony Clement with over 55 per cent of the vote. hi Huron Bruce riding, Harper drew 51 per cent of the vote, with Stronach taking 35.1 and Clement 13. Harper was able to draw support from across the country to win the leadership ahead of second place Stronach and third place Clement. While Stronach's youth and inexperience worked against her, her second place finish shows she may be a force to be reckoned in the Conservative party of the future. Harper's win means different things to Canadians across the country. For Canadians in general, it means they have the choice of one united conservative party with a strong leader for the first time since the Reform Party was started in 1986. It also means a voice for the west, instead of the tradi- tional Ontario/Quebec dominated politics of the past. For the Federal Liberals, it means the free ride is over. For their entire 11 years as government, they faced weak divided opposition. But Prime Minister Paul Martin will not have the luxury Jean Chretien did. With a strong Conservative party on the right, and a revital- ized New Democratic Party under Jack Layton on their left, the Liberals will be held to account for the first time in over a decade. One of Harper's first jobs may be to take his party into an election within the next couple of months if Martin decides to seek a mandate for his government. The Liberals face a tough decision as they try to decide whether to call an early election or wait until closer to 2005. Although calling an early election has the advan- tage of not giving Harper and the Conservatives time to build up their support, it risks facing an electorate still seething over the recent advertising fund scandal. Delaying the election gives Harper time to establish himself as a viable alternative to Martin. Martin also faces the prospect of more "I didn't know/it wasn't my fault" testimony from members of the former Chretien government as the inquiry unravels details of the scandal. With the Liberals below 40 per cent in the polls and the Conservatives up to 28 per cent, the possibility of a minority government is on the horizon. Whichever decision Martin makes, one thing is clear. The days of unopposed Liberal victories are over. About the Times -Advocate HEY BLUE! I G0TTA BEAUTY HIGHLIGHT FER 'ROCK 'EM SOCK'EM 16! ` t � 1 r 41 Vra‘ittil) 0.1:44117100_ i.4,14‘ 0 . I Ifil e f -4k\ -'41t&I .1 le t4 4r,Z�.BE ZZI AirkV • /1144*:, ?MA Every man needs wheels For the first time since I was 17, I find myself without a car. Yes, that's right, the old Honda finally bit the dust and was towed away with much pomp and cir- cumstance last week. For me, not having wheels is a rather debilitating experience. While I've never been a "car guy" and thankfully never will be, I get a wimpy feeling when I have to ask my wife if I can borrow her car or (hor- rors!) if I actually have to walk some- where. Walking wouldn't be so bad if it didn't actually involve physical activity. And while I can basically use my wife's car whenever I want it, it's not the same — it's not my car, and it looks like a girl's car. But since my job (and my ego) demand that I have a car, I'll be buying a new vehi- cle any day now. And for the first time ever, it'll be brand new and rust free. While my recently -deceased Honda served me well, nothing will ever beat the 1982 Honda Civic hatchback I bought for $550 in the early 1990s and drove the hell out of in university and college. It leaked massive amounts of gas and oil and spewed forth clouds of exhaust, but nevertheless refused to die. Of course, not all memories of my former cars are good ones — the less said about the Suzuki that burst into flames on Hwy. 401 outside Gananoque the better. There was a silver lining, though: the insurance claim was substantial (compared to the value of the car) and I had the thrill of watching the OPP close two lanes of the highway while my car turned into a fireball. Ever since, whenever I'm driving and I smell something, I just assume the car has set on fire. But although I'm buying a new car, I'm not happy about it. No matter what you spend on a car, it's a waste of money. The only reason I'm buying a new car is because, at my rather advanced age, I feel used cars should be a thing of the past. Everyone else I know is buying new cars, so I'm jumping on the bandwagon. Plus, it'll be neat to see how long it will take me to destroy a new car as opposed to a used one. Sour Grapes While he's been put on a seven -second delay in the aftermath of offending basically everyone who wasn't born in Ontario, CBC's resident caveman Don Cherry continues to confound and offend. His nonsensical response to Todd Bertuzzi's attack on Steve Moore was to blame Moore's coach for not having his goon out on the ice when the ambush took place. He then blamed the media, as though it was a reporte 5lplldtktiedc Moore in the head, tackledhim� ''a''n fff`f''ri■ove his ace into the ice. On the same Coach's Corner, Cherry continued his disdain for all things non-English by referring to Canada Safety Council president Emile Therien as "some guy named Emile." Cherry pronounced the name "Emile" with disgust as though he wanted to lose his lunch at the mere thought of a person with the gall to be "non-English." If Prime Minister Paul Martin is serious about putting a stop to wasting taxpayers' dollars, our public broad- caster can start by giving Cherry his walking papers. And I vow to never write about Cherry again, because all he's looking for is attention. With each con- troversy, he's simply laughing all the way to the bank. SCOTT NIXON AND ANOTHER THING Address & Office Hours Times -Advocate, 424 Main Street South, P.O. Box 850, Exeter, Ontario NOM 1S6. Our office is open Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. Closed on Holidays. 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For example, Jim Beckett's e-mail address is <jbeck- ett@southhuron.com> Our general e-mail address is ads@southhuron.com. The Times -Advocate Team Publisher/Editor Jim Beckett ext. 109 Advertising Barb Consitt ext. 110 Reporters Scott Nixon ext. 105 Pat Bolen ext. 113 Mary Simmons ext. 107 Customer Service Sue Rollings ext. 101 Carol Powe ext. 102 Composition Department Manager Deb Lord ext. 114/103 Sharlene Young ext. 103 Jacky Westlake ext. 103 Accounting Staff Anita McDonald ext. 104 Ruth Slaght ext. 106 Carol Windsor ext. 111