What have we found? The same old fear(mongering)

Apologies to Pink Floyd, but that was my impression reading the Star's editorial on the electoral reform referendum. Once again, there's the old canard about "unstable" minorities under MMP. Too bad that the numbers don't bear that out. They also rehash the bit about how the "party bosses" can appoint the list MPPs, forgetting of course that party bosses can do the very same thing with MPPs in ridings.

Oddly they credit John Tory as a courageous for speaking out against a system that would have offered his party "marginal gain" in the Star's opinion. I say it's odd because another FPTP proponent predicted that the PCs would suffer as a permanent opposition under MMP. Those against MMP can't even decide who would win or lose because of it. There is of course no way to know that in terms of parties. The thing we do know is that voters would win, what with no more wasted votes.

There are the other usual fear-mongering bits in this article too. Things like the old scenario trotted out where a major party would form a coalition with a fringe group of radicals and impose some idiotic policy to satisfy the smaller partner. The idea that any party would do something so politically suicidal and stupid makes me doubtful. The German government has not lurched from one radical policy to another in order to satisfy minority partners. This scenario is one of the more obvious red herrings tossed out by the FPTPers. I know this because they never cite any examples.

I'm convinced that MMP is the right direction for this province. I'd like it if the biggest daily in Toronto would come around and see the light. In other words, wish you were here.