S.O.S

In today's editorial (SP June 7/10) former Premier Roy Romanow states that from his recollection the 1999 Liberal/NDP coalition in Saskatchewan was a success. Hmmm, I thought. I saw Roy the other day and he didn't appear to be addled. That coalition wiped out the provincial Liberal Party. Melenchuk's legacy is that of a Judas. It finally dawned on me that from the NDP standpoint is was very successful. They cornered the centre-left vote of the Liberal party. Saskatchewan now has a two party system. There is no spoiler to split their vote. Its a 'for or agin' situation now.

If the definition of stupidity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome, the federal Liberals should be carefully looking at the outcome of its provincial branch in Saskatchewan before coupling with the federal NDP. The Liberals are now doing what the Tories used to do - assassinate the leader and divide and conquer from within. I suspect it all boils down to how they selected their leader. Ignatieff is just too cerebral to appeal to the average voter and doesn't have the corporate memory or loyality of the party. He does not have Chretien's folksy demeanour or Trudeau's wow factor. They may just have to wait until the Trudeau heir ripens before regaining power.

However there is Elizabeth May's Green Party to answer the mayday call to the disenchanted. In Saskatchewan I suspect the Greens will attract the extreme left vote of both major political entities - the political purgatory.

These activities by the party hierarchies give new definition to SOS. Stupid or simple-minded.