This is so depressing. It looks like Harper might be on the path to a minority government on Monday – with a slim possibility of pulling off a majority. That is sad for so many reasons.
In my riding, “my” MP Rob Anders doesn’t even have to show up at local events and debates. He’s rated “F” for his performance in the House, he’s described as dangerous and scary by reporters across this country – even by reporters in the States, where he made an impact as a Republican cheerleeder. He called Nelson Mandela a communist and terrorist, and blocked the granting of an honourary Canadian citizenship to the man. Then refused to come to the phone when Mandela called him with a “WTF?”
And Anders is probably going to have yet another landslide victory handed to him. He doesn’t have any real competition – the Liberals don’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell in Calgary. The NDP aren’t even trying to compete – putting up a U of C student as their best challenge to Ander’s seemingly neverending reign of mediocrity. I saw the NDP candidate yesterday – as he was running to class. I’m sorry, but if a party isn’t going to put forth a serious candidate, they should just concede a riding.
The thing is, I consistently voted for the Progressive Conservative Party. They tossed the Progressive part away in the merger with the right wing wacko Reform/Alliance. But, the vast majority of Calgarians will be voting simply for tax cuts, without thinking about the repurcussions of handing the country to these nutjobs. Even my senior citizen parents are rooting for the Conservatives, saying how the tax cuts will be great for them. But, they’re on a fixed income, and not paying much income tax to begin with. I’m really glad they’re involved in the process (volunteering for Harper’s campaign) but can’t understand the logic behind their choice.
Of course, the Conservatives will have to give so many concessions to Ontario and Quebec that even under a “western” party’s government, this side of the country will be neglected. And, the election will still be all but decided by the time the polls open here.
The thought of moving from Calgary is growing more attractive, but then the rednecks would win a little more. Leaving would be giving up.
This is so depressing. It looks like Harper might be on the path to a minority government on Monday – with a slim possibility of pulling off a majority. That is sad for so many reasons.
In my riding, “my” MP Rob Anders doesn’t even have to show up at local events and debates. He’s rated “F” for his performance in the House, he’s described as dangerous and scary by reporters across this country – even by reporters in the States, where he made an impact as a Republican cheerleeder. He called Nelson Mandela a communist and terrorist, and blocked the granting of an honourary Canadian citizenship to the man. Then refused to come to the phone when Mandela called him with a “WTF?”
And Anders is probably going to have yet another landslide victory handed to him. He doesn’t have any real competition – the Liberals don’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell in Calgary. The NDP aren’t even trying to compete – putting up a U of C student as their best challenge to Ander’s seemingly neverending reign of mediocrity. I saw the NDP candidate yesterday – as he was running to class. I’m sorry, but if a party isn’t going to put forth a serious candidate, they should just concede a riding.
The thing is, I consistently voted for the Progressive Conservative Party. They tossed the Progressive part away in the merger with the right wing wacko Reform/Alliance. But, the vast majority of Calgarians will be voting simply for tax cuts, without thinking about the repurcussions of handing the country to these nutjobs. Even my senior citizen parents are rooting for the Conservatives, saying how the tax cuts will be great for them. But, they’re on a fixed income, and not paying much income tax to begin with. I’m really glad they’re involved in the process (volunteering for Harper’s campaign) but can’t understand the logic behind their choice.
Of course, the Conservatives will have to give so many concessions to Ontario and Quebec that even under a “western” party’s government, this side of the country will be neglected. And, the election will still be all but decided by the time the polls open here.
The thought of moving from Calgary is growing more attractive, but then the rednecks would win a little more. Leaving would be giving up.
Related
More bad news. British researchers have concluded that mathematically speaking, this is going to be the gloomiest day of the year:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060122/od_afp/afplifestylebritain_060122210756
Heather, congratulations! (welcome?) I think that helps to put things into perspective a bit. Sure, there are some problems, but when compared with situations like Dharfur, Afghanistan, etc… they really are pretty tame. And, generally, Canada tends to Do The Right Thing.
Maybe a conservative minority wouldn’t be so bad… Tax cuts to satisfy those that voted for Harper, and maintaining social programs to keep the liberals and ndp from terminating the government…
Last month, I became a Canadian citizen. I’ve lived here since January 1997 with four and a half years in Toronto and the rest in Saskatoon.
I have spent much of that time bragging to my friends and family back in the US about what a great country Canada is. I love the health care system (my mother has worked more years than she needed to just to keep her health insurance in California). I love the fact that Canadians opened their homes to Americans on 9/11 and that the Canadian government has had the guts (trying to keep it clean) to stand up to the US government and say, “No UN mandate, no Canadian troops in Iraqâ€.
Money stolen by a few individuals may be a scandal, but it’s nothing compared to tapping phones without warrants and holding your own citizens without ever laying charges or telling their families where they are. Then there is the current US environmental policy which allows corporations to voluntarily meet minimal environmental standards. Conservatives in the US allowed the ban on assault weapons to expire, and are pushing to allow the expiration of the voting rights act. Just imagine that country with a notwithstanding clause.
My MP is as conservative as they come and the idea of her party moving this great country any closer to resembling the US makes me sad and disappointed in my fellow Canadians.
Dude, I left Alberta for the “left” coast thinking I would never have to suffer another insufferable Conservative boar as an MP, only to have this guy (http://www.garylunn.ca/) as our seemingly permanent representative in a riding that’s been jerrymandered to have an exceedingly rural and retirement constituency. Arggh. Still, I will vote Green time and time again. It’s not just about getting a seat (though clearly that’s the bigger goal). In my riding I seriously doubt Lunn will be defeated. But voting Green will
both give them additional funding for the future (every $1.75 counts) and increase their percentage of the overall vote. This won’t do anything in terms of seats right now, but it may do things like get them into the next leaders debate, and influence the parties that do have power to take the green agenda more seriously.
If you are seriously concerned about national politics then get involved; this *definitely* doesn’t need to mean running for office; join a party, influence their platform, bring your blog savvy to bear, volunteer to do something, work on it between elections, and not just during elections. Good to see your ire getting raised by these issues, as you can translate this into real action, just make sure to not let it slip away a few weeks after the election.
No witty song quote from me, I’m too busy crying in my beer about a possible conservative govt.
As much as I dislike Harper, a Conservative minority with the NDP holding the balance of power wouldn’t be so bad, and probably not that different from a Liberal/NDP minority.
To me, the really depressing thing is that there is literally no one to vote for. Ed Broadbent, the last of a breed, is finally hanging up his hat. That kind of sums it up for me.
I’ll be voting NDP here in Quebec, even if they have less chance of winning here than they do in Alberta. But if Harper wins a majority, it will probably be because he won the few seats in Quebec he needed to push him past the post.
What I find depressing are the priorities Canadians are expressing here. Your parents reaction is typical — they’ll save a few bucks from the GST and suffer inferior health care and a degraded environment as a result.
And since we share this particular obsession — there is apparently no interest at all in challenging the parties to construct a meaningful energy strategy. Canadians are even higher per capita energy consumers than Americans, our population more dispersed and we we consume a great deal fighting these winters. You wouldn’t know it from the campaign. There’s clearly no popular interest in demanding our leaders respond to the impending challenges (unless withdrawing from Kyoto counts), there are clearly no votes to be won promising, say, a national transit strategy. Or incentives (or penalities) to promote urban density. I remember in the last election the NDP were mocked for proposing tax credits for cyclists and small-scale home gardens — they don’t even talk about it any more.
My sympathy about Anders. He’s one of the half-dozen biggest nuts in Canadian politics, and that says something.
Our own riding is one the safest NDP strongholds in the country. You sure we can’t lure you over the Rockies?
Saskatchewan is waiting for you. D’Arcy! You could even join the Posse.
Seriously, I understand how you feel. The incumbent MP in my riding (Battlefords-Lloydminster) is Conservative Gerry Ritz. Gerry’s a nice enough person, but I disagree with almost everything he’s said during the campaign. The other candidate getting lots of attention around here is Jim Pankiw, whose platform seems designed to do nothing but play to the anger and hostility of rural voters by blaming all their ills on aboriginal canadians and gay marriage. The NDP candidate in the riding is a terrific candidate (and a friend) so I hope that the righ-wing vote is split enough for him to come through.
Should we give up and move away if the conservatives win? No way – I’m going to live where I want to live, and use tools that are available to me (like blogs) to keep their actions in the public eye. To quote Pete Townshend:
I’ll tip my hat to the new constitution
Take a bow for the new revolution
Smile and grin at the change all around
Pick up my guitar and play
Just like yesterday
Then I’ll get on my knees and pray
We don’t get fooled again
i mean this in the nicest way. if you’re going to use your blog as a forum for political commentary, you might want to consider posing more responsible and intelligent insights. name-calling conservatives as wacko redneck nutjobs (your words)—while colorful—will elicit cheers from the converted in the peanut gallery but impede more sophisticated issue advancement. it’s childish. you’re more mature than that.
your criticisms of Anders are more interesting, though i wish they were more even-handed.
you sound like someone who would be poorer but happier in an “NDP stronghold.” be true to your value system, man.
Points taken. I wasn’t intending to write political commentary – just venting my personal opinion – if that takes on the tone of commentary, so be it. I’m just extremely frustrated with the status quo, and trying to decide if I’m frustrated enough to give up and leave the city that I grew up in, or to stick it out while feeling like I’m overwhelmingly out of place. I’ve written before about how I feel about The System, and this is just an extension of that. Buzzwords and sound bytes trump both logic and compassion.
I’ve also killed any thought that I might throw my hat into the ring and try to run myself – the press would have a heyday with this post (and many others).
I appreciate the productive criticism – that’s how I took it, so no worries.
Not sure how even-handed any criticism of Anders is likely to be. By all accounts that I’ve heard, he’s simply not the man for the job. Even his fellow Conservative MPs are starting to speak out against him in an effort to distance themselves from him.
As for being poorer but happier – there’s no reason to be poorer. Maintain the current taxation level – I’m actually fine with that – but do something productive with it. Tax cuts aren’t the answer to every. single. issue.
But, the call of the “NDP Stronghold” is definitely getting louder…
davidicus – I think that Saskatchewan counts as being as strong an NDP stronghold as you are ever likely to find. The label of “poorer but happier” is not merely incorrect, it is misleading. It is probably true that I do not earn as much as I could elsewhere, but having chosen teaching as a career, I’m obviously not interested in choosing a high-paying job! ;^) Costs of living here, despite what some people might say to the contrary, are actually quite modest even in larger cities like Saskatoon or Regina (stop laughing – in Saskatchewan terms, they’re as big as we get). Consequently, my wife and I have very little debt load – the mortgage on our house which backs onto a park in one of the best areas of town is less than the price of a fully pimped-out SUV. Happy – definitely! But poor – hardly!!
And there are perogies to be had in every grocery store! :^D (check davidicus’ blog for reference)
At risk of pandering to “elicit cheers from the converted in the peanut gallery,” may I add that Rob is right. Saskatchewan rules. And davidicus is right, I live in Vancouver because I want to be poor.
“I’m allright, don’t nobody worry ’bout me.”
Mr. Wall cites Townsend, I quote Kenny Loggins. I’m doing my best to drive this thread into the ground. I always like watching Caddyshack.
Political Mud Slinging
Seems like the upcoming election is getting dirty with both the Liberals and the Conservatives slinging mud all over the place. Advertisements against both Steven Harper and Paul Martin have been spotted on the tube. I am an unabashed liberal, which is k