Nobody Cares

I don't post frequently enough on this blog. I used to have a lot of commentary on the politics of this nation but I've become quite jaded as of late. If anything, I am starting to understand why we have low voter turnout as much of the nation is also quite jaded with politics.


Case in point today is the collection of headlines on National Newswatch.


We've got government contracts going to a company employing a Conservative Senator. We've got Conservative MPs doling out government grants with the Conservative logo on it. Over $100K being spent on a one hour event in New Brunswick to highlight/update how the Conservatives have been handling the economy. A reminder of how election laws were broken and that we are supposed to be in an election today.


Despite all of this "controversy" and "corruption", the Conservatives are still polling at a near majority status. Why? There are a couple of reasons.


1. The source of all of these complaints is as trustworthy as who's being complained about. Seriously, it's like going into a prison and hearing from one inmate that another is a thief. When polling comes out that demonstrates that politicians are some of the least trusted professions in Canada, it really doesn't matter if you are crying "wolf" or yelling "fire". Nobody is listening.

2. Nobody really cares if the government is corrupt because, frankly, it is expected. As noted above, Canadians expect this kind of behavior from their government and thus it is not the defining issue for them. It's a sad and unfortunate truth but it's still a truth.

Will we get a change in government? Yes.... eventually. Maybe it will be the Ignatieff-led Liberals, maybe it'll be the Rae-led Liberals. Hell, it could be the Trudeau-led Liberals, I don't know (I do know it won't be the anyone-led NDP or Greens). The Liberals are going to have to spend some time in the electoral penalty box until they can figure out some other reason than "the government is corrupt" to become the new government.

The Conservatives gained power because they stopped complaining about the government and learned the rules on how to become the government. They capitalized on the electoral reforms that Jean Chretian implemented in 2004 much quicker than the Liberal did. Now, the Liberals need to learn those rules and find their trump card. Maybe it's a new policy stance, maybe it's some sort of internal governance that brings more people into the Liberal camp. Again, no idea what that trump card will be. Appealing to non-traditional Liberal bases will be a challenge but without it, they will be lucky to crack 100 seats ever again. But, until they figure it out, they better start getting comfortable with the term "Prime Minister Harper".

If the system is going to ever change, politicians really need to start acting in the public's best interest instead of their own. Even if the current slate of 308 are sincere in their intent (which I and millions of Canadians doubt), it will take several years of consistent action to budge the public perception that they aren't all corrupt and in it for themselves.

Yes, a little jaded with politics which may explain my involvement with the Greens. The Greens haven't elected anyone and, thus, have avoided the taint of partisan politics. Nobody in the Green Party has ever personally benefited from being elected nor have they handed out benefits to those that have helped them get elected (the lone advantage of not having any elected officials!).

Will things change if/when the Greens elect someone? The answer is definitely yes. The follow-up question is whether it will be electoral system than changes or the Greens themselves...

I've really got to get a new hobby.

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A different angle on Rahim Jaffer

A lot of media has been made about former Conservative MP Rahim Jaffer being charged with driving under the influence and possession of cocaine. Sure, the Conservatives take the moral high ground when it comes to law and order issues or legalized drugs issues so when a former MP breaks both, it's not so good for him or the Party.

Here's the bigger question.... where the hell were you at 1 in the morning without your wife and drinking enough to lose your license for 72 hours?

I can't speak for the rest of you married folks out there but I can assure you that if I walked into the house at 1am reeking of booze, my wife would have a few choice words for me. I even asked her what her response would be and it was summed up in two questions.... where were you and who were you with?

Maybe someone should ask him those questions...

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Legacy

Every leader puts some consideration into what their legacy will be. Despite the best intentions, their legacy isn't always planned. Case in point is current Prime Minister Stephen Harper and electoral reform.

It may not be what he is trying to define as his legacy issue but he is trying to do a lot to reform the Senate. Reform may not be the right word anymore as the big-C Conservatives have abandoned the policy plank of a Triple-E Senate. However, PM Harper is trying to make the Senate much more partisan. This will only get worse if he continues to appoint Senators into January 2010 and the balance of Liberal and Conservative Senators could be equal.

Partisan politics is driving citizens away from the voting booth. While low turnout rates favor the incumbent party, this is not healthy for democracy. Thankfully, someone within the small-c conservative ranks (Preston Manning) is talking about some sort of democratic reform.

In the end, all politicians need to evaluate the system that they all operate in. While partisan politics pay off in the short term, it's not healthy for the system itself. If they benefit from it (jobs, perks, etc.), then they must take the responsibility to ensure our democracy is strong and active.

If not, their legacy will truly be a negative one.

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It starts with education

The political system in this country is broken. Don't take my word for it. Watch the latest episode of At Issue and listen to Maclean's Andrew Coyne say the same thing.

We are on the brink of our 4th election in 5 years and, realistically, very little is going to change in those election results. A few ridings may switch hands. We may have a Liberal minority government instead of a Conservative one. A couple of party leaders may retire/resign. But none of those, or even the collection of those, events will change the political system in this country.

The Conservatives have been governing for 3 years without much of clue on what they are doing. They have pretty much tossed out every small-c conservative principle in order to maintain their grip on the role of government. The Liberals seek to replace the Conservatives in the role of government but have yet to present any reason to replace them. While I don't generally agree with the NDP on anything, they are right when they say there isn't any difference between the Liberals and Conservatives.

Not that the NDP are any better. They are lusting after a role as Official Opposition and have taken that to mean "oppose everything". While I will give them credit to having a few ideas, the whiny rhetoric is as much of a cause for tuning out as the lack of ideas from the Liberals and Conservatives. The Bloc are lined up at trough called federal subsidies and, outside of Gilles Duceppe's performance in the debates, offer nothing to political process. The Greens are just too politically immature to effectively contribute.

The solution is still some form of proportional representation. However, the recent votes on MMP and STV in Ontario and BC have demonstrated something... we cannot start with the solution. We need to start with educating the population about the problem. I commend the Toronto Star for starting to do this.

What most politically aware people forget is that most of the country isn't paying attention to the day-to-day activities. As was pointed out on the At Issue panel (linked above) is that all the controversies (Mulroney, Dhalla, Raitt) were just drawing attention away from the auto bailouts. While the politically aware are well read on the details of each proceeding, the general public just sees 3 more corrupt politicians and more waste of their hard earned money.

Any wonder why they don't vote? They just got four (at minimum) more reasons that it's pointless in this last session alone. Depending on the age of the voter, the list of reasons for not voting might actually be infinite. This is why education needs to be the first step. They need to see there is a third option outside of voting and not voting...

... and an election isn't the forum where this education should be conducted. The election needs to be a reflection on how well the education has been received. This is the challenge of the main stream media. Inform citizens on how the system is broken and why instead of reporting on the daily symptoms of the problems. Then, just then, there may be a chance to fix things.

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Path less taken

Maxime Bernier, meet Garth Turner.

You might remember him.... he was a former colleague back in 2006. He decided to blog, got in trouble, refused to shutdown the blog and was subsequently removed from the Conservative caucus. He even wrote a book on the event.

I know you are a lowly backbencher now, all I'm asking is why are you starting up a blog? Want to separate yourself from the Harper Conservatives? Afraid the latest polling numbers will be you are unemployed in 2010? Looking at taking a run at the ADQ Leadership or even the Conservative Leadership???

Will be interesting where this leads...

(h/t to CalgaryGrit)

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Beyond quick fixes

The political system isn't working well.

Sure, FPTP does the job but not as effectively as it could. As more people become disenchanted with the political system and the politicians operating within it, the more ineffective the system becomes. More ineffective the system, the less likely people participate. The lower the voter turnout, the more power that gets handed over to the parties' internal mechanisms. The more the parties control government, the more ineffective the system gets.... and the cycle repeats.

We are already seeing a massive decrease in voter turnout at the federal and provincial levels. The municipal levels are even worse. If memory serves me, the voter turnout for the City of Calgary election last year was under 20%. What's even worse is that these municipal pools are where many of today's politicians are being recruited from. Less than 10% of a population base is needed to elect them to municipal government where they get experience to move into the higher levels of government usually hand-picked for secure ridings by party officials.... not a bad gig if you can get it.

Now many PR supporters were looking at this month's STV vote in BC and the MMP vote in Ontario as an opportunity to fix our current political situation... and both votes failed to change the system. The gut reaction of the PR side was to blame the "No" side for fear based campaigns and/or poor media coverage. This wasn't the problem. The failure was trying to engage a large part of the population that has completely tuned out when it comes to politics.

Imagine a population that has been hearing for WAY too long, "Vote Party X because we'll fix all the problems created by Party Y". Now, the PR people come in and say, "Vote for PR because we'll fix all the problems created by FPTP." Sound pretty familiar??? Any wonder why the population didn't rush to the voting booths??? They've been hearing promises for years and have yet to see politicians deliver. Why should they believe the PR people more than any other politician?

It's time to get the population re-engaged with the political system and the best way to do this is through our current educational system. All social studies programs across the country should be putting a serious emphasis on the Canadian political system at all levels. I vaguely remember my classes about the BNA act but I do remember not being taught a damn thing about the current political system. My engagement with politics started with being recruited into the local PC Youth group at age 17. I met my MLA, attended several local functions and had a friend go as a Kim Campbell delegate to the PC convention.... all in 2 years.

The kids' interest and involvement in politics will invigorate (or reinvigorate) their parents which, in turn, will lead into their social circles. However, this all takes time. Even if high school curriculum were changed for this fall, the effects won't be seen for years if not a decade or two. But the problems weren't created overnight nor will they be fixed overnight either. Re-engagement of the population takes time.

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Big ideas wanted

John Snobelen has a good editorial this morning on politics and the lack of big ideas being forwarded out there. His advice is geared towards the Ontario PC's who are currently in a leadership race this summer but the general theme is applicable to all parties in all jurisdictions.

While Snobelen tosses out some specific ideas (some I disagree with), the point of the editorial is clear. Politicians are becoming too generic with their answers and their ideas. Why should someone buy a membership in the Ontario PC's when they don't sound any different than the governing Liberals. As the party sitting way behind in the polls, some powerful ideas (which will be controversial to some) are needed to galvanize the people into action.

This may have more to do with the crashing voter turnout we have been seeing across the country as of late (BC 2009 - 49%, AB 2008 - 39%, Canada 2008 - 59%). If the parties are coming across as generic, just why should voters bother participating. Sometimes it's not worth the effort to ultimately decide between light brown and beige.

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