RICKY BLUE

Better an election than a war

My perception of the Quebec election is being coloured by the war in Iraq. Those of you who read my column regularly will know that I believe in supporting one's allies and toppling dictators. In both cases.

But I am also filled with "Shock and Awe."

I am in shock that the Parti Québécois can still use the same old ruse of not mentioning 'referendum' during the campaign and in absolute awe that the Quebec electorate still falls for it.

I know that the first casualty of war is truth. I see that this maxim also applies to elections.

Attacks are meant to inflict damage, not reveal truth. Bernard Landry landed a precision guided missile into Jean Charest's camp when he accused him of being a "Westmounter." Landry claimed that pointing out Charest's place of residence was to show why he was soft on the merger issue. But we all know the explosive emotional impact of one Quebec politician calling another a "Westmounter." The 'Rhodesian' was silent. But it is there.

When I read about the coalition forces persuading the Iraqi army in Basra to surrender by promising aid, it reminds me how our politicians promise us so much to get our vote. The way the PQ suddenly found all kinds of money that it previously claimed it did not have to buy voters is nothing short of astounding.

During an election politicians have to look out for 'friendly fire,' the ultimate act of which is shooting yourself in the foot. An example would be when Landry tried to tell us, with a straight face, that our standard of living was higher than in Ontario.

In the election the anglophones are prisoners of war.

The Liberal Party captures us at the beginning and we spend the whole campaign in their camp. The only party that really reflects our concerns is the Equality Party. But we are so terrorized by the separatist PQ that we side with the Liberals no matter how they treat us.

Will Charest free us from repressive language laws and oppressive taxation? Will he free us from the last great outrage — the forced mergers? Don't hold your breath.

He is trying to keep the campaign focused on health care, winning points by hitting the PQ's dismal record. Let's call them 'surgical strikes.'

They thought a policy of 'decapitation' would be easy. That they could bring about 'regime change' because Landry is so dictatorial. And it would have worked but for one thing: the Québécois actually prefer him to Charest. This makes no rational sense but there it is.

Landry has even convinced many Quebecers that he IS Quebec. So any attack on him is an attack on Quebec. It won't be as easy as they thought.

Then there are the Turds and the Kurks, I mean the Kurds and the Turks. The Action démocratique du Québec are the young Turks amassing at the border to threaten the Liberal coalition forces. But they are also like the Kurds, a large segment of Québécois voters who no longer believe in the regime. They are a threat to both other parties.

And who will get hurt by all this?

We, the people, of course. But if politics is simply war by other means, we are the 'collateral damage.' Unfortunate, perhaps, but there is one thing I am sure of: it is much better to have an election than a war.