They don’t call it “dirty politics” for nothing. Actually, it’s a cutthroat business.
We saw that firsthand last week with the Liberal party dumping MLA John Slater like a bad habit. It was a shameful way to treat someone who dedicated a large part of his life to the party and the riding.
Why didn’t party management tell Slater back in September that it wouldn’t support him seeking re-election? Instead, it appears party brass ignored him while courting someone else for the job.
Slater did an admirable job for his constituents, although some may disagree. He was instrumental in bringing the correctional centre to Oliver, and worked hard on modernizing the province’s water act.
Any “personal issues” Slater may have had did not interfere with his work; he was always on time and attended most if not all events that required his presence.
Some say Slater could have done more for his constituents to help derail the HST, but his hands were tied by the party. He apparently did ruffle feathers within the organization by speaking out against some Liberal policies. This sealed his fate to some degree, he told the media.
Did Slater fall into the same political trap that former candidate Joe Cardoso did? Cardoso was given the nod by the Liberals but then dropped after he criticized leader Gordon Campbell in a letter to the editor. The party soon replaced him with Slater.
Politics is a vicious circle.
In a telltale sign of support for Slater, several members of the riding’s executive have resigned. Who needs “Days of Our Lives” when you have a real-life soap opera right in front of you?
We applaud Slater for speaking out and sitting as an independent. What does he have to lose?
Town Councillor Maureen Doerr made us laugh when she blurted, “Are you nuts?” when fellow councillor Linda Larson announced her intention to run for the MLA position.
Anyone entering politics today should first seek the advice of a psychologist and purchase a mental flak jacket to ward off all of those back-stabbers. We just hope former NDP candidate Marji Basso doesn’t suffer from any political viciousness.
Although it is highly commendable that someone would run for office, he or she must realize it is an uphill battle trying to regain the trust of the fed-up electorate.
The political system is broken when an MLA or MP cannot (for fear of his job) go against the party to truly represent his constituents.