Nova Scotia Election

Looking at coverage of the NS election, it appears that the NDP  is on the path to victory. Rodney MacDonald's Tories seem to be thoroughly discredited with only their grey, senile base left. The Liberals and their new leader Steven McNeil, have some momentum but have chosen to centre their platform are tax cuts for small business which has little resonance beyond those directly affected by the measures proposed.

The situation could not be better suited for Darrell Dexter and the NS NDP. With the tories and liberals running neck and neck for second this will hopefully allow the NDP for come up the middle in the ridings they need to win. The only question that remains is whether it will be a majority or minority for the NDP. 

That said I can't help but expess some dissatisfaction with the NS NDP, particularly with their stance on NS power and their resignation to allow it to remain a private entity. This should be a no brainer of any and social democrat or socialist as electricity, a basic necessity, which is provided by a monopoly, can only be provided in a just fashion through a public entity. Secondly, respecting the global responsibility to reverse global warming, a public entity is much more apt to incurr short term pain for long term gain. 

The NS NDP Seems content to simply eliminate sales taxes on electricity. While this relieves the consumer of immediate financial stress, it is a ham fisted half mesure that will cushion the finacial impact of futre increases in power rates, allowing NS power room to increase their profit margins. I think it reflects the NS NDP's hysteria over being viewed as a "red menace" thus submitting to the media's McCarthyist impulse. 

NS Power has articulated a long term vision of increasing electricity production by 85 percent largely for export, by building new coal fired generation plants. Nova Scotia continues to pipe it's immense natural gas reserves to Boston while firing power plants with Colombian blood coal. This is a result market based logic. If good sense prevailed, Sable Island natural gas would be heating homes in Nova Scotia while financing a energy future free of hydrocarbons. Only a Public Company can be forced to see beyond the bottom line and plan around objectives of social and ecological consequence. 

 

I hope that the NS NDP once in office, possibly with a majority, will find a little courage and relieve itself of its current gentile trappings. Public power is so essential to the logic of social democracy and socialism that refusing to commit to the act of nationalisation is a negaiton of the ideology. Lastly, polls repeatedly demonstrate that across the board Nova Scotians and Canadians alike are in favour of public ownership of our natural resources and energy industries. Why the NS NDP would not do something that is both popular and consistent with their values is beyond this blogger.