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WIIITY FPEE PRESS, WEDNESDAY. APRIL 18.1990, PAGE 7 PAGE SEVEN One week after the governmnent has forcedl the GST through the House of Cominons, Fn prepared to predict that it's a dead duk and so is Mike Wilson and Brian Mulroney. That's right, I think we've got it licked. The op tion to the GST is right on track; it's accelerating and I ro%'thnk any governuient (with the possible exception of Maggie Thatchers - and Brian's no iron lady, thank goodness) would be able to deflect or ignore its momentum. The juggernaut which swept acros eastern Europe in the //P last year, bas jurnped the channel into Britain where an unpopularyoil tax bas caused the worst riots in decades. The saine popuhast restivenese is now crossmng the Atlantic. The lesson of Europe is that any government, either democratic or dictatorship which dares to proclaimi with a straight face that raiuing taxes, interest rates, prices, and unemployment in the short terni will bring better tirnes in the longer terni ha.d better be able to deliver. The sooner the better, or watch out. Weil the Mulroney goverient bas now had six years to- deliver those botter times aud things keep getting worse. The people bave seen ail of the governnes other economic q initiatives go sour and they1re just not buying the GST. When WVilson dropped the rate from 9% to 7%, the __________________________________ governinent figured it would defuse the opposition - it didu't ___________________________________ work. They figure now that it's tbrough the Couinons, people will grudgiugly acceopt it, but there are stiil nine months for the opposition to gauler even more steam. It still bas to pass the Senate before it becomes law, sud even local Conservative ML', Rene Soetens expects the Senate - .È4. to take its ti ne, iute posibly holding it up past its proposed .. , $.; .:% imp.lementation aate netJanuar. With the Senate holding ..iV4t pu lic hearings acroas the country, the opposition te the GST .. .. can only grow. When the Senate finally soucis it back te the . ., ..1. Conmons with a whole buuch of amendments, public opposition will force a lot more than two conservatives te vote against it. And just lu case the goverrmnent uses Senate ... . 'bashing as its defence, just remeuiber that the GST wouldn't i.. ..4.X.7~~L have a suowball's chance in Hades of passing through an ~~.. ~ . ... ~ ~ .~. equal representation Senate such as the western premiers ..~. ....*...., . are suggestiug. That two conservative M179 did vote against the GST last I week is a substantial victory already - breaks i goveruiment *i **. party solidarity are pretty rare iu this country - sud ej» g (4 theni from the caucus may have been a serious tactical error. One of the most senior Tory niembers, Patrick Nowlan froni Nova Scotia, grumbled openly about reassessing bis own position. Mulrouey's ability te a]nost niesmerize the Tory caucus- Nowlan referred te the Prime Minister as "a niagician in caucus" - is slippiug. Wheu the GST conies back te, the Couinons, MFs will have to balance their loyalty te their party vs their duty te *,<. represeut their increasiugly hostile constituents. Eighty per cent (and growing) opposition is not easily ignored. It is now virtually lmiposible to flnd anybody who truly supports the GST. Even T. ory MP's defenci it by attacking the present federal sales tax instead. Despite what the Prime. .,.. Minister says, business dosa not support it. Even the stronglyMUG ADYRWO OG. ArRC.17 conservative Business Council for National Issues is M ADYRO OGNAC RC.17 lukewarm. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce is Thle Mudge sud Yarwood Organ Factory, locateci on the east aide of Brock Street, south Of supportive of the concept of a broad based value-acideci tax Onltario St, operated iu Whitby froni 1873 to about 1876. The buildingr later becarne the AtlasQ Ait ate tirne under different circumstauces, this tai 28 ratepayers are protesting "exhorbitant" increases in the Board of Education budget. uiight have been more popular but right now the governuxent* T.B. chest X-Rays may be abandoned inl Whitby due te lack of local interest. and the people have reached a peak of mutual cynicism which dooms it. Unleas Mulroney is prepareci te brave the kind of riots that have swept Britain over the poil tax, he will 125 YEARS AGO have te back down - Mike Wilson wiil be bis fali guy. from the ThursdaY, April 13, 1865 edition of the We stiil live iu a democracy sud the concept espouseci by wm'MY CHRMopCI.E some couservatives that the governuient only ueeds te be* John Calder sud Daniel Lanion, Whitby Towushp farers hvesodftctefrth popular one day out of every four or five years is the height of Easter Market at Moutreal. r r h .sodftctlfrte cynicism. Democracy is governuient by the people three* There is a heavy docket of court cases at the spring assizes in Whitby. hundred sud sixty-flve days of the year. If we, the people,* Druggist James H. Gerrie is selling pure grape wiue for medicinal sud sacramiental uses don't like what the governmeut is doing, it is houour-bound et two dollars per gallon. te respect our wishes or persuade us te its point of view. * he horse show of the Unitedi Agricultural Societies of Whitby and East Whitby wiil be Raroming it down our throats is a denial of the most funda- held ou May 4i the Town of Whitby. mental democratic principles. The death of democracy. ______________________________ -- - - - - - -- - -