by Sean Orr | As I sat trying to write this column, mostly about last Wednesday’s debate, I realized that the entire time there had been sirens blaring: ‘It’s like living in a war zone’: Overdose calls spike in Vancouver.
“Our women and elders tell me, ‘I hate cheque day. I don’t want to go to sleep because I don’t know who is going to be alive tomorrow,’” said Harsha Walia of the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre. “Some people are in a constant state of grief and, however people cope individually, there is a collective sense of trauma and death.”
The issue was raised in the debate but discussion of it has been far too infrequent. As Charlie Smith points out, “Clark’s claim that some issues, such as fentanyl deaths, are beyond politics was patently absurd, given that her refusal to call for the legalization of hard drugs is an inherently political decision, as was the B.C. Liberal government’s refusal to take the Stephen Harper government to court for making it virtually impossible to create more supervised-injection sites”.
Here are some other highlights of the debate, or lowlights, depending on how you see it:
“The system needs to change…” – Christy Clark, without irony, just now. #BCdebate2017
— Derrick O’Keefe (@derrickokeefe) April 27, 2017
When the question tells you more than the answer. #BCdebate2017 pic.twitter.com/LHVZLlFJur
— BC NDP (@bcndp) April 27, 2017
Best burn:
Ouch. https://t.co/mMuzmgDBZA pic.twitter.com/KKL0AGdhb5
— Wile E. Cyrus (@danudey) April 27, 2017
Related:
Premier only needs to say “jobs” 15k more times to have said it once for every one of the 35k forestry jobs lost on her watch #BCdebate2017
— Aaron Ekman ?? (@aaronekman) April 27, 2017
Christy Clark’s closing statement. #BCdebate2017 pic.twitter.com/nIPooMPYFf
— Andrew Johnson (@GowllandRoad) April 27, 2017
Go home Daily Hive you’re drunk #bcpoli #bcdebate2017 pic.twitter.com/2BUUAyluYK
— Matt Lee (@mattlee980) April 27, 2017
Best synopsis: Tristan Markle
In the debate last night, Christy Clark came out strong by arguing that the universe is composed of opposing elements, hot/cold, light/dark, and that she would maintain homeostasis. Horgan countered effectively that the struggle of opposing substances is the way of nature, “you can’t watch the same negative ad twice” etc. Then Weaver put forward the strange hypothesis that there are no opposites at all, that “nothing” cannot exist or even be thought, so there is just the “One”.
I know we can’t trust polls, but…Post-debate poll: Horgan wins — but only by a slim margin. I can’t believe there are still undecided voters. I also can’t believe people are voting Green, but hey…what do I know?
Speaking of which: Not Easy Being Green? Examining the Party’s Contradictions. “I’m not concerned about Christy Clark getting back in.” — Green Party campaign chair Adam Olsen on vote-splitting with the NDP”. Wow. There was a time when I considered the Greens to be a sobering “third way” option. How foolish and naive I was. And wacky:
To think I supported this kind of atrocious behaviour: Twitter tiff erupts between BC Green leader and BCTF.
Meanwhile, Steve Burgess with a timely sports related burn:
A rare BC race in which the Green candidate was favoured. #Canucks https://t.co/AVR7M5iU0F
— Steve Burgess (@steveburgess1) April 26, 2017
Mine was better:
@christyclarkbc Except that the Rockets are actually from Kelowna…. #burnnnnn
— SEAN ORR (@seanorr) April 27, 2017
#iamlinda:
Hateful flyers distributed in transgender NDP candidate’s riding. This guy is a fucking troll and I really hate to give him any attention, but I thought we already “forced him out”?
Instead we are exporting our hate: EXCLUSIVE: The Canadian extremists inside the Berkeley violence. Surrey represent!
And while I hate to give a huge corporation free advertising, this one is pretty relevant: Heineken Just Put Out The Antidote to That Pepsi Kendall Jenner Ad.
If you want to listen to me make a fool of myself announcing baseball here you go. I did, however, manage to plug Horgan at least once. East Van Baseball 2017 Opening: Black Sox v. Cosmopolitans. “Sean Orr, not just a hat rack”.
Bonus 1: This Guy Screaming Green Day Whenever His Roommate Plays Acoustic Guitar is GOAT.
Bonus 2: Jeff Goldblum is currently selling sausage out of a food truck, and what a time to be alive.
Love that clickbait title but the reason why there are still undecided voters and people voting for green is – the hate for Horgan is very real (of course less than the hate out there for Clark) and splitting the left even though Greens are like totally right is their forte.
Overdose spike, which no one or no agency with any amount of money, power or magic can stop, and the opportunistic NDP response (code: we’ll deal with it much later):
“We would create a standalone Ministry of Mental Health and Addiction!” Celebration!
So. Mgmt, staff (cupe), payroll, pensions & perks, stationary, website, letterhead, conferences (because we need to have the discussion), office rents, vehicles, expense accounts, holiday/vacation pay, training budget, communications staff, more conferences, catering, then re-do the website (it’s SO outdated), then strike an advisory committee, then more catering, then “sorry, vacation time, get back to you next month!” Then ….