Let me be blunt: the spectacle referred to as an all-candidates forum on April 25 at the Prestige should instead be called The Glenn Hicks Reality Show.
He told the entire audience to sit there quietly and listen as he “grilled” the candidates and thus enlighten us all. The audience should have been asking the questions. And yes, that can become unwieldy and even long-winded, possibly a bit boring using the town hall style forum. Democracy may be “inefficient, slow, unwieldy, and just plain boring,” but “it’s still a helluva lot better than any of the alternatives.” Glenn Hicks as moderator of a town hall would have been very interesting.
What we witnessed last Tuesday was a “show” starring Glenn Hicks, a waste of time, except for the odd zinger such as the “cash for access, or export of raw logs, or the role of the Green Party. Instead of getting some real content on so many of the issues (I see them as scandals and crises) what we got was “incendiary” remarks (questions?) from Glenn Hicks to provide drama and excitement for us, the obedient audience. Talk about dumbing down the whole democratic process!
The Nelson Star does a disservice to this campaign by publishing Will Johnson’s article in which we see, on page one, reference to one of the candidates “making a living out of attacking people.” That kind of remark, by Hicks and then repeated in the article, without any context, demonstrates the “info-tainment” aspect of this show.
Seems to me that fighting or attacking has become necessary in this province in the last decade, given the scandalous stonewalling and heartless actions of the present government. Look at the disabled funding issue, children in care, pay to play, Site C, and the B.C. teachers’ battle over public education. Fight? You darn right I’ll fight, and attack those who would laugh at debate in the legislature (which isn’t even open most of time).
Will Johnson’s article is not at fault; he reported on the “show” as he saw it. What is wrong, and even disconcerting, is our general trend towards American style politics – a horse race or spectacle of half truths or “alternative facts” lacking in context, content, ideas and arguments. We are heading down the same road as our cousins to the south. I hope we detour.
Steve Corrie
Nelson