Op-ed: Who to vote for, patiently explained

KJIPUKTUK (Halifax) – First let’s get the basics out of the way. The last four years under the Liberals have been awful. Tories are just as bad as Liberals. A strategic vote for the Tories is still a vote for the Tories, who don’t care for people on welfare and want to lift the moratorium on fracking. 

If you disagree with any of this, this editorial is not for you. Thanks for visiting!

If you’re still reading this, and you agonize over who to vote for, or think maybe you should spoil your vote, don’t. It’s just a vote, not a major moral dilemma. Voting is like buying cookies at the grocery store, it’s not that big a deal, don’t overthink it. 

If you think all politicians are the same, you are wrong. Some politicians are demonstrably better than others.  Also, it matters who holds power. With the Liberals or Tories in government you end up having to defend earlier gains. With a progressive government calling the shots you get a chance to push the envelope.  

By the way, don’t trust polls, let alone pundits who offer riding by riding predictions based on flimsy evidence. These people think politics is just a game, like fantasy baseball. 

If you’re poor, on welfare, disabled, getting screwed by your employer (especially if that employer is the Liberal premier), of if you’re defending the land and fighting for clean water, you should vote NDP.  

NDP proposals such as the $15 minimum wage, free community college, affordable child care, welfare rates that allow you to live in dignity, and more stringent environmental controls are all very good things. Better and more concrete than any other parties’ offerings.

One thing that I find telling is the NDP’s principled stand in the Chronicle Herald strike. Unlike any other party, including the Greens, NDP candidates don’t talk to scab reporters. That has to hurt a party that desperately needs to get its message out.

Not that the NDP is perfect. There’s lots of wishy washy stuff in the NDP platform, about Alton Gas, carding, offshore exploration, and more.

Still, defending our gains and pushing for more is going to be a little easier with lots of NDP MLAs in Province House. Maybe the NDP isn’t perfect, but it’s pretty darn good. Good enough for government.

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