Politics about nothing
I think Andrew Coyne is right.
Politics in Ottawa has stopped being about anything important, any serious issues, and is now just sound bites and empty arguments. It’s flat out disturbing.
I vote for politicians because I believe in their vision for the country (or city, or riding). I expect those in government to … you know … govern. Make decisions. Spend money wisely. We can’t all know about foreign policy or health care, so we elect others to learn about those issues. To discuss them. To make choices accordingly.
Coyne is harsh, but I tend to agree with his diagnosis of the current political climate:
Compare the debate going on in the U.S. about health care reform. Sure, it’s messy, even crazy at times. But it’s a debate. Somebody is proposing to do something about an important national issue, based on his deepest philosophical beliefs. And somebody else is arguing against it, based on theirs. And while the leadership of the two parties butt heads over the President’s plan, individual congressmen and senators are drafting their own counter-proposals—actual legislation, on which they will vote; their many votes on various bills compiled into a record; on which they will be held to account at election time.
Nothing like that applies to Canadian politics. It doesn’t matter what ordinary MPs stand for, because all policy is set by the parties. And it doesn’t matter what the parties stand for, because at any given time they generally stand for the same thing, and because whatever they stand for today they will stand for its opposite tomorrow.
It is tempting to describe Canadian politics as a fantasyland. But “fantasy” implies something wondrous and magical, or at least interesting. In that sense, Canadian politics is the opposite of fantasy. It’s like a dream where nothing happens. You’re hazily aware that if something happened, it would violate all rules of logic or common sense. But nothing ever does.
The most positive definition I can offer of politics is that it is people behaving badly for good reasons. But our politics involves people behaving appallingly for no reason at all: there are no stakes, no important values are in dispute, nor is there even much power to be pursued for its own sake, all power (or such little as the federal government has) being located in the Prime Minister’s Office.
It would be a compliment to say our politics was corrupt. At least corruption is a purpose. Whereas to call our politics vacuous is an insult to wastes of space.
It’s very true that not all MPs are power-hungry and without integrity, but there’s enough of them that it has become a stereotype. It’s frustrating that members are pressured to vote the party line rather than stand firmly on their own perspective. I want politicians that I can believe in – because they believe in something and are willing to fight for it. I want leaders who will lead, based on conviction and experience. Though it’s true many Canadians need to engage in the political process, it’s possible that part of the reason they aren’t involved is because of that lack of grounded and responsible candidates.
My generation isn’t very encouraging either. A large portion of people my age seem to feel they are entitled to greatness without working for it. They want the cushy jobs and fat pay cheque, and they want health care and pensions delivered to their doorstep without participating in the process to obtain or improve their benefits. We take so much for granted yet somehow find plenty to complain about.
Again, not all are like this, but enough to be a frustrating trend. I’d like to see young people take more responsibility for not only their own accomplishments and progress, but also for the improvement of their community, city and country. I want us to wake up to the world we live in and, to put it frankly, stop being so darn selfish. I want us to have deeply rooted beliefs, opinions about the world, ideas for change and the guts to do something about all of it.
This isn’t to say I have it all together or know all the answers, but I have absolutely no doubt that my life is more fulfilling and satisfying, not to mention seriously exciting, when I live it for something bigger than myself.
Bulatci found guilty
Today a jury found Emrah Bulatci guilty of first-degree murder in the death of RCMP constable Chris Worden, who was stationed in Hay River, Northwest Territories for several years. Worden was shot and killed two years ago.
While I never met the officer when I was in Hay River for a few months in 2007, I did know several people that were friends of his. I watched Worden’s funeral procession in downtown Ottawa and sat in the overflow of the church for the service, reporting on the events for the local newspaper in NWT.
It’s a big day for Worden’s family and really, all of Hay River. The town was reeling for months after the shooting, and have launched campaigns against violence and drug use in Worden’s memory.
Bulatci will be sentenced tomorrow.
H1N1 rumours
As H1N1 continues to run rampant, so do conspiracy theories … and some ideas that don’t seem so far-fetched. I find it difficult to navigate online sources of information, and I’ve heard arguments both for and against the vaccination from people I trust (including someone who used to work for the World Health Organization, who is against). I’ve also heard that there’s an American patent for the swine flu vaccine from a couple of years ago – though I wouldn’t be able to understand it all even if I had read the application – and that the WHO offered the first vaccine before the first case of H1N1 was diagnosed. If that’s true, there is definitely something fishy going on.
I haven’t been very affected by the chaos surrounding the virus here in Colombia, but it has hit home. My sister wasn’t officially diagnosed, but my parents were fairly certain she had a mild case of it. She recovered quickly and is doing fine now. I know of several other people that had it as well, but recovered without any major issues.
While I have no intention of getting the vaccine, my pregnant sister-in-law (who is a nurse) opted for the shot, as well as my other nurse sister and her husband – but not for their 10-month-old baby.
And then there’s people like the former health minister for Finland, saying things like this:
As much as two per cent of Canada’s H1N1 vaccinations have been thrown out because they have passed their “best before” date, and right now I’m not entirely sure that’s such a bad thing.
So, what’s your take on the “pandemic” and surrounding panic? Are you getting the flu shot or are you staying far away from the long line-ups and crowded clinics?
News flashes
I have been severely lacking in the newsy blog posts lately, and I am way overdue for a rant, but time has been in short supply lately … as well as internet I can depend on. The latter problem seems to have been resolved; as for the former … not so much. But for now, here are a couple news bites that caught my attention this week.
- Another foot has washed ashore in British Colombia. This is the seventh in two years to show up on a random beach in a sneaker. Police are still puzzled as to where they are coming from and what caused the death of the people the feet used to be attached to. I blogged about this last spring when a few feet washed up within a couple weeks of each other. It’s a disturbing trend and quite the mystery.
- An Ekos poll was released yesterday, showing the Conservatives are still on the upswing while the Liberals are doing worse than the NDP in a couple provinces. Here’s Kady O’Malley’s analysis of the new numbers.
- There’s a pretty good chance the National Post is going to fold due to its massive losses over the last few years, unless CanWest can shift it to another part of the company that can support it financial. Apparently the newspaper with 277 employees has never made a profit since it began printing 11 years ago.
And that’s all for now, folks. What news have you been reading lately?
News flashes
Here’s some recent headlines that caught my interest:
- We all knew it, but this week Canada was once again recognized as one of the best places in the world to live. My home and native land turned up forth on the UN human development index. Norway topped the list, the US of A came in 13th, and Afghanistan was second last with only Nigeria behind it.
Former British president Tony Blair might be the new EU leader.
- Last week, Ireland ratified the Lisbon Treaty, bringing the agreement much closer to reality in the European Union. Among other things, the treaty will create the position of EU president and make the group more like a federal nation. There’s a pretty good chance former United Kingdom president Tony Blair will be given the first term as leader.
- Brazil was awarded the 2016 Olympics on Friday, with Rio de Janeiro beating out Chicago, Tokyo and Madrid. It was a big moment for the nation and especially its president, the much-loved Lula da Silva. I, for one, am thrilled to see the Summer Games coming to South America for the first time. I’ve heard the argument that the millions of dollars to be spent on building projects and other preparation for the international event could be spent on poverty and crime initiatives for the country, I think the construction and other jobs this opportunity will create will be a huge plus. The Olympics will put the spotlight on Brazil and South America as a whole, both highlighting its positives and hopefully offering new solutions to its problems.
- Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi is in trouble. Today, a judge overturned a law granting the leader immunity from prosecution, a law that got him out of a corruption trial in 2008. The court decided the legislation was unconstitutional, as it gave special privileges to specific politicians – an opinion I heartily agree with. Just because someone is a head of state does not mean they should not have to face consequences of their actions, or even alleged actions. In fact, being in that position should mean they provide additional transparency; after all, they make decisions for the entire country and must possess a measure of integrity. There is a lot of pressure on Berlusconi to resign because of the charges against him, but so far he’s said he plans to stick around.
Let me know what you think and leave your opinions and/or other interesting news bites in the comments section.
Recap: Sept. 27 – Oct. 3
Here’s a quick recap of the events of my week:
Sunday – had a skype conference call with my entire family … we’re currently in four different countries, four time zones and three continents.
Monday – forgot to collect homework I assigned my eighth grade students. I was handed two pieces of mail when I arrived at school in the morning – yay!
Tuesday – helped kindergarten kids build sand castles.
Wednesday – had a mini Bible study with ninth grade and was impressed by their insights.
Thursday – met with the other high school teachers after classes to talk about how to prep the graduating class for the national exam (the Colombian version of the SATs). After a diagnostic test, we discovered they are all struggling in physics but rocking the mathematics. As for English, I have almost a completely split class – half are practically bilingual, half can barely carry a conversation. It will be interesting.
Friday – played a game in the English elective in which I had to chose the ideal job out of five options; I picked president. In the evening there was a lightning storm that lasted nearly three hours and I set a new personal record: 1,800 photos in 45 minutes. Four or five of those captured lightning, and there is one I’m super proud of (to be posted at a later date).
Saturday – the day isn’t over but I’ve spent most of it so far writing out my class plans for October. I’m really hoping I have some internet tonight so I can listen in to the Ottawa Senator’s season opener. GO SENS!
No confidence
Members of Parliament are voting on a Liberal no-confidence motion today. It won’t pass, since the NDP has already promised to support the Conservatives until the EI bill is through.
Michael Ignatieff says he believes Canadians deserve a better government, which is why he is trying to bring down Stephen Harper. It may be true we deserve better, but I also think we deserve a year without an election.
What do you think?
If I had 36 million dollars
If I won the lottery, say $36 million or something like that, I know exactly what I would do with it.
I would travel to space.
The billionaire founder of Canada’s Cirque du soleil will rocket to international attention after blasting off into outer space to host one of the most unique spectacles in human history …
He started as a street juggler and fire-eater and, because he was the best at math among his group of performing friends, Laliberte was put in charge of a little performing troupe that would eventually become the world-famous Cirque du soleil.
That business venture helped Laliberte become wealthy enough to plunk down $US35 million for a seat on an old Russian spacecraft and a stay aboard the International Space Station.
This guy is definitely my hero of the day. How cool would staying on the International Space Station be? Even just the travel to and from earth would be freakin’ amazing. I may have to make my list 101 things to do before I die … or 102, cause I don’t actually play the lottery.
The only problem with an adventure like this: you could never do anything to top it.
Cheryl