On both Facebook and Twitter today I posted a link to this page: A List of Fallacious Arguments. I did so because in the New Brunswick power deal debate I’ve seen quite a few comments, posts and so on that are off track, in my opinion, or concern issues separate from the merits of the proposed deal.
For example, yesterday we saw discussion around the presence of former NB premier Frank McKenna and his role in bringing this deal about. On one hand, his name and input are presented as an example of why this deal should go through – it’s an appeal to authority. On the other hand, his name and input are presented as an example of why it should not go through – an appeal to authority in reverse.
The truth is that even if his involvement was large, and even if it was for the cynical reason of fleecing the public of more “consultant fees” (as some have suggested), it doesn’t affect the merits of the deal. It may mean we have to address the issue of government transparency, and it may mean we need to address the issue of integrity in how our government conducts itself. But the deal itself is good or bad on its own merits.
We keep seeing appeals to history with the subject of a previous deal between Newfoundland and Quebec and how this is why we shouldn’t back the deal. Again, however, while we may need to study this deal under a microscope to ensure we don’t make a bad deal (as we should with any deal), the deal itself is good or bad because it is either good or bad, not because of something that happened in the past.
We have seen both sides using false arguments to communicate their positions. It is easy to see why: it’s a complicated issue and it’s far easier to simplify and appeal to emotions than to detail arguments for or against.
The result, however, could be disastrous. We may sign a deal that throws away our future or we may turn it down when it could have ensured our future. Either way, we won’t know until it’s too late that we didn’t think it through, we allowed ourselves to be swayed by arguments that were false but, at the time, told us what we wanted to hear.
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Ron Bos 11.10.09 at 11:15 am
I really hope NB gets it right. Alberta’s schmozzle with deregulation was and continues to be painful for all Albertans.
Bill 11.10.09 at 11:29 am
I hope so too. I’d actually be interested in seeing some external assessments on the deal such as Canada’s western provinces, or from the U.S. In other words, I like to see the assessment of someone largely unaffected by this in the hope of getting a more objective view.