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---- | T----. PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, September 11, 1990 -- 7 Viewpoint POST ELECTION MUSINGS Funny thing happened in the province of Ontario last Friday morning. The sun came up as usual, le got their kids off to school and themselves off to work, and the day 'went pretty much like any other Friday. In short, the sky did not fall in and the world did" not come to an abrupt halt after the people elected Bob Rae and his New Democrats to a smashing ma- jority government. If one listened carefully to what now ex-Premier David Peterson had been saying in the waning days of the campaign, electing an NDP government would lead us all down the path to ruin. Remember Peterson saying that kids could go without milk if the NDP assumed power. That was just one of many incredible blunders made by Peterson in what turned into a campaign of desperation in the summer of 90. Talk about arrogance, talk about pomposity to suggest that electing him would keep the kids from goin hungry, while electing the "red menace" or the socialist horde" would do the opposite. As far as I'm concerned, Peterson's bleating about the NDP "red menace" typified this election from start to finish, and was a perfect example of just how badly he and his advisors mis-calculated the mood of the electorate. Much has been made since last Thursday of how the Liberals "lost" this election, rather than the NDP "winning." And there is a certain amount of truth to that. That the people of Ontario were ticked off at the elec- tion call was apparent from the outset was obvious. But nobody knew just how d that resentment ran until those first returns s coming in Thursday evening. September 6 was a water-shed in Canadian poli- tics. And make no mistake, every politician in the country, no matter what party at what level, no matter how strong a majority he/she enjoys, had best sit up and take serious notice. This was more than just a severe slap on the wrists of David Peterson and his Liberals. It was a clear message of frustration, lack of confidence and outright anger at the way we have been governed. Peterson just happened to be guy in the right place at the right time on which this anger could vented. : And | suspect that more than just a few Lg on marking their X last Thursday, saw the face of Brian Mulroney, and remembered just how chummy Peterson and Mulroney were during the Meech deba- cle in Ottawa last June. And rightly or wrongly, Peterson was tagged as the "ultimate yuppie:" perfectly coiffed, the finest suits and shirts from shops on Bloor West, designer jog- ging t0gs, and lots of old London family dough in his pocket. ; I'm not sure if the tag was a fair one, but it stuck, and | suspect a fair number of voters who can't afford to park on Bloor West, let alone shop there, were only too happy to repudiate everything that the over- worked term "yuppie" has come to symbolize. One pundit | read even went so far as to say the vote last Thursday may be the death knell of "yuppy- ism" in Ontario, defined roughly as the pursuit of ma- terial excellence at any cost. Here in Durham East riding, | was frankly sur- Priseq at the strength at the polls by Gord Mills of the DP. Like most people, | thought the Durham East race would be between PC Kirk Kemp and Liberal Marilyn Pearce. I could not help but recall the night of August 14 when | attended Mills' nomination meeting in Bow- manville and there were 14 people in the room, in- cluding three media types. Guest speaker Mike Breaugh said a few words, _then beat a hasty retreat for the door and had to be Uiion:Hiled to pose for press photos with the candi- ate. Kemp and Pearce, on the other hand, already had their campaign machines in high gear. Pearce, an articulate individual with a keen sense for politics, finished a distant third behind Mills and Kemp. And like Liberals from one end of the province to the other, she was totally shaken by the results last Thursday. Kemp, who may yet win Durham East, depend- ing on the outcome of the re-eount, must have run one heck of a campaign to hold as many votes as he did for the Tories, in light of what happened across the province. As | watched the results come in, | couldn't help but think of Marg Wilbur. Marg has run as a candi- date for the NDP more times than | can remember in what used to be this Tory bastion. She would cam- paign doggedly in the face of near impossible odds with the same results. | guess she finally got tired of it and declined to seek nomination this time around. If any NDP stalwart deserved a trip to Queens Park, it's Marg. So, Bob Rae finally gets his chance to govern the province: We'll be watching his performance with interest. His job will be a tough one, especially keep- ing in mind just how volatile the electorate proved it can be. An Police who didn't get a message last Thursday nig t had best look for another line of work. Remember When? 45 YEARS AGO Thursday, September 20, 1945 Miss Bernice Jemison starts her studies at the University of Toronto on Monday. She is taking up languages. Miss Irene Mullegan has accepted a position with the Cana- dian Wool Board of Toronto. Port Perry High School has an enrolment of 117 pupils. Mrs. Heayn of Prince Albert has returned home after spen- ding a holiday with her sister, Mrs. Will Cook. Bill Brinkman of the Merchants Navy, enjoyed a few days leave at his home here in Port Perry. 35 YEARS AGO Thursday, September 22, 1955 Congratulations are due to Miss Nancy Kight on her recent Grade XIII Examinations at Port Perry High School. Nancy is the winner of $250. Bursary, and is one of the three winners of such bursaries in the County of Ontario this year. Mr. and Mrs. Grant Christie are vacationing in the Gaspe Pennisula. : Mr. W.S. Taylor and grandson, Glen Starkey have returned home after a very pleasant summer in Scotland. A Dedication Service was held when Mrs. Earl Martyn presented a beautiful new pulpit in memory of the late Rev. J. and Mrs. Denny. 30 YEARS AGO Thursday, September 22, 1960 Congratulations to Mr. Roy Ormiston on being awarded the Eaton's of Canada Livestock Special at Port Perry Fair. Mr. Ted Lamb, Port Perry, has been awarded a travelling scholarship for the Provincial Junior Farmer's Association United Nations Tour to be held Sunday, September 25th to Satur- day, October 1, 1960. Bank Accountant, Mr. Keith Callings, who has been associated with the Port Perry Branch for about two years, has been moved to a larger branch at Brockville, Ontario. 25 YEARS AGO Thursday, September 23, 1965 Mrs. Violet Skerratt of Utica, and her eldest son Kenneth, collected 68 prizes at the Port Perry Fair. Mrs. Skerratt, who submitted 60 entries, won 37 firsts; 21 seconds; and 2 thirds. Ken, who entered 8 exhibits, won 4 firsts; 2 seconds; and 2 thirds. Individual trophy winners of Sunnybrae Ladies Golf Club for 1965 were Eleanor Davidson (high points); Olive Clark (1.G.A. Trophy for low gross game); and Joan Christie (low gross trophy for the year). rm 10 page 10) Passenger association will lobby NDP for extension of GO service After lobbying David Peter- son and his Liberal government for the last several months, Paul Pagnuelo has turned his sights to Ontario Premier elect BobRae. In the wake of last Thurs- day's massive election victory by Rae and his New Democrats, Pagnuelo said he'll be "getting a letter off to the new Premier right away" to determine the status of extending GO-Train service from Toronto to Peterbo- rough. Pagnuelo, the Little Brit- ain resident who works in downtown Toronto, heads the Toronto/Peterborough Passen- ger Association, which has been working virtually non-stop to restore passenger service since January when the federal gov- ernment took the axe to VIA Rail. Pagnuelo was delighted when the Liberals made a cam- paign promise to extend GO- Area man fo be sentenced A Prince Albert man will be sentenced in two weeks for the hit and run death of an Oshawa boy. The fatal accident occurred in July 1989 when 11-year-old Jamie New was hit by a car while riding his bicycle on Townline Road North. During a four-day trial last week, Kevin Stuart Murray pleaded guilty to failing to re- main at the scene but not guilty to criminal negligence. According to the Saturday edition of the Toronto Star, Mr. Justice William Lane reserved judgment on the criminal negli- gence and will give his decision on that charge and sentence Mr. Murray for failing to re- mainon Sept. 26. Mr. Murray told the court that he never saw Jamie New, just the back wheel of the child's bicycle. Court heard Mr. Murray was serurning home from a golf game when the accident oc- curred. He said he had con- sumed two beers and a rye and colathat day. One day after the fatal acci- dent, Mr. Murray said he drove to a Newmarket autoglass shop and had the windshield of his automobile fixed. He surrended to police five days after the accident. Train service to Peterborough, starting next fall. But with the Liberals out and the NDP in, Pagnuelo said the Association will be pressing the NDP for the same commit- ment. He told the Star he's pleased that NDP leader sup- ported the extension of GO ser- vice during the election cam- paign. But he's now looking for a commitment that the start-up date will be next fall, or sooner. Pagnuelo said he's optimis- tic that commitment will be giv- en, "since the NDP seems to su- port the concept of rapid transit generally." "Is Bob Rae still standing by his commitment, and if so, when will the service start," said Pagnuelo. 'WILL GOMEONE ELSE PLEASE SECOND THE MOTION Gro. Cranfnd- [ i