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Bourgeois Radical?
No doubt to the disappointment of some of you, I will be casting a ballot this evening, neither declining it, nor even simply refusing to show up at the poll.
Though I am not excited by what I expect to be the outcome - a Tory government whose degree of neoconservative, self-loathing, Republican America worship remains to be seen - I still hope for a minority government, one which may be kept somewhat in check by a stronger NDP prescence.
That said, I would not expect revolutionary change even if it were an NDP government - what was once a (relatively) radical democratic socialist movement has become a left-liberal party, spending too much of its time defending such self-evident Good Things as universal medical care and fundamental human rights, without a corresponding vision of what might this an even better country in which to live. Any thoughts of challenging the economic status quo - as opposed to reigning in its worst excesses - are put aside for another era. I'll vote for the NDP because I believe they are an effective opposition party - and will be especially so if they hold the balance of power in a minority situation - not because I believe they have a vision for the future.
As befits the end of a campaign of much vented heat but little directed light, I too have placed my bet on the outcome of tonight's race.
For the record:
Conservatives:---> 132
Liberals:--------> 85
Bloc:------------> 47
NDP:-------------> 42
Green:-----------> 1
Independent:-----> 1
You can all have a good laugh at my expense in a few hours.
Though I am not excited by what I expect to be the outcome - a Tory government whose degree of neoconservative, self-loathing, Republican America worship remains to be seen - I still hope for a minority government, one which may be kept somewhat in check by a stronger NDP prescence.
That said, I would not expect revolutionary change even if it were an NDP government - what was once a (relatively) radical democratic socialist movement has become a left-liberal party, spending too much of its time defending such self-evident Good Things as universal medical care and fundamental human rights, without a corresponding vision of what might this an even better country in which to live. Any thoughts of challenging the economic status quo - as opposed to reigning in its worst excesses - are put aside for another era. I'll vote for the NDP because I believe they are an effective opposition party - and will be especially so if they hold the balance of power in a minority situation - not because I believe they have a vision for the future.
As befits the end of a campaign of much vented heat but little directed light, I too have placed my bet on the outcome of tonight's race.
For the record:
Conservatives:---> 132
Liberals:--------> 85
Bloc:------------> 47
NDP:-------------> 42
Green:-----------> 1
Independent:-----> 1
You can all have a good laugh at my expense in a few hours.
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Don't Be *Too* Sad ...
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Laugh?
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Thanks ...
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While I would love to see a Green seat (so that goddamn networks would fucking take them seriously enough to let into the debates), I don't particularly think it is likely. Even if the Ottawa citizen endorsed the green candidate for our riding (one of the more even ones for the 4 non-bloc parties). And even if they have some BC hopes.
I'd also love to see such a strong NDP. I'm not sure that that is particularly likely either.
But I could just be a pessimist.
It's Not Easy Being Green
That said, if a party qualifies for federal funding, it should have a seat at the media table.
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Corruption? Oi
Martin's brief reign has been one of the most inept I've ever seen. For a man who spent so much time plotting to take power, he seems to have spent very little time figuring out what he would do once he had it.
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If they get 50, you owe me a beer. That's my prediction there.
Fair? :P I'm in agreement with you that it'll be a Tory minority. They won't be able to get away with too much. ;)
You're On!
Re: You're On!
Re: You're On!
Re: You're On!
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Too Late
The polls tell the whole story at this point.
The polls have been wrong for 2 elections in a row, a fact which I find heartening; polls are a lazy journalists best friend and distract the press from covering the actual issues involved in an election.
I disagree with where forcemajeure is coming from politically, and I despise Tony Blair, but he forcemajeure) is quite right about the nature of the Liberal's campaign in this (and largely in the previous) election. The Liberals under Paul Martin were a political boat whose captain had overthrown its previous commander without any real idea of why he wanted the position.
I think Canada's Liberal Party is hypocritical and only "progressive" as it has to be to maintain power. (As an example, it did not lead Canada into the Iraqi quagmire (I hope to address your piece anon, but make no promises; other fish to fry, et al) but it did send troops to Afghanistan in what is a de facto support role for US imperialism.) That said, it doesn't play the fundamentalist religious card and has the virtue, as well as the vice, of seldom succumbing to dogmatism.
Re: Too Late
A few other of his political notes on his home country which you, as a fellow Canadian, might find somewhat interesting in these changin' times:Seems a tad harsh, but then again, I've never lived there...
Re: Too Late
I was interested in
forcemajeure's commentary, though I also found it mostly wrong-headed and occasionally factually incorrect, in a way I find disturbingly typical of neo-con/neo-liberal types (an assumption about
forcemajeure, as I have so far read only the material of his that you have provided).
To start with the factual problems, forcemajeure said, "No less than four of the ten provinces have active secessionist movements, and a very soft majority in one favors independence..."
While it may be true that four provinces have "active secessionist movements", I am only aware of one (in Quebec) which is active in the sense that it runs candidates in elections, or otherwise partipates in politics. Grumbling into one's beer with cronies at the local tavern doesn't count.
He also said, "...that Canada is, just barely, a democracy." I suppose this could fall into the wrong-headed column, but at the very least I would like him to expand on this idea. What country does he point to as a democracy that is more than "barely" a democracy?
Those issues aside, it is with forcemajeure's interpretations of Canadian history and politics that I take serious issue.
Where he see Canada as a "loveless marriage", I see it more as a quarrelsome extended family that nevertheless has chosen to stay together despite differences among them and despite the bright-lit pull of their neighbours to the south.
Canada doesn't have a Big Idea and I believe this is a Good Thing. Big Ideas tend to lead to rigid, ideological thinking, which tends to lead men and women to eschew compromise and the ability to "imagine the other" (to quote the philosopher and husband this country's former Governor General Adrienne Clarkson, John Ralston Saul).
Rather than uniting behind any Big Idea, the Canadian historical experience has been one of grass-roots, pragmatic co-operation, which has resulted in the sort of society forcemajeure finds frustrating, but which I consider to be one that thrives on the dynamic tension of never-ending (though always changing) debate and argument.
As Ralston Saul pointed out, Canada took this path before it existed as a state, with French and British and native people living and learning together (and yes, sometimes killing each other as well, but not often, compared to most places in the world), often despite the will of their political masters.
Where forcemajeure sees weakness, I see strength and an essentially democratic and respectful mindset that is open to other points of view and even to changing its own.
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What is perhaps most alarming about the ideological assertions presented by forcemajeure is that it comes from a 21-year-old gay man who is engaged to be legally married, something that is very much reality in his limited life experience. This is NOT some "oh, he's young, he doesn't know any better" statement, it's simply a question of the math. Since his sexual awakening, being a gay man with the opportunity to be legally married to a life-partner of his choosing is not a pipe dream. It surprises me to learn that he openly supports someone who openly wishes to take away that which has so recently become a reality.
Not nearly enough Canadians speak both of our official languages fluently. This is something that saddens me. It also makes me loathe and despise most of our media outlets. In the French debates, the sound byte from Stephen Harper was that he would not invoke the Notwithstanding Clause of the Constitution (aka, the "fuck you, I won't do what you tell me" rule) to overturn the Supreme Court decision to allow same-sex marriage. What DIDN'T make the news reel in the English translation is what he actually SAID: "I will not invoke the Notwithstanding Clause IN THIS TERM."
As a bilingual Canadian (Francophone father and Anglophone mother, so I learned both languages at the same time and have a hard time deciding which to check on the "first language" box in government forms), for forcemajeure to say that Stephen Harper has improved his French is as insulting as it is laughable. He will not unify Canada or placate Quebec. ESPECIALLY with his frail minority government, where he will waste all his energy kissing ass, desperately clinging to power for as long as he can.
So what's the best option for Canada? Sadly, at this time, it does not exist. Much like organized religion, none of them seems to have all of the pieces of the puzzle. I can only hope to see an era of coalition and compromise in our future.
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I am sure it will still change in the hours to come but at 11:20pm it now stands at:
Cons ---> 122
Liberals-> 104
Bloc --> 50
NDP --> 31
Independent --> 1
The liberals didn't nearly implode as much as some predicted.
No Cigar
The liberals didn't nearly implode as much as some predicted.
Yes, including myself. Well, I wasn't too far off the mark.
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I cast my ballott too, but now I wish I could go change it back.
I have to say I'm not dissapointed by the outcome. I think a change is necessary (though I wish the NDP could have won, but they didn't...and most likely never will). But the Conservatives will be held in check by the NDP/Liberals (and the Bloq in some issues).
What I am happiest about is the fact that the Liberals will be getting a new leader. I think they need someone a little younger than Martin was. I think more young Canadian voters could relate.
And unlike some people, I'm not happy that the GST will be going to 5%. But then I'm a funny duck like that.
Good luck in Toronto, we all know how it's going to be treated from this point on.