Canadian Federal Election Thoughts: Day One

My twelve years on the internet has now spanned five federal elections. It’s about time I blogged about it.

Thoughts, out of the starting gates, on the election. More angles to be covered, eventually.

Partisanship is so 20th century for many people, I feel.  While everyone basically knows who they are voting for, I’m purplexed as to why.

Are the evangelicals content with a Conservative government’s placating statements about sharing their values?  Thankfully, we have not gone down the distracting path of endless legislative stunts to win over their hearts – although allowing the backbencher bill on the rights of the fetus in a murder case to gather as much steam as it did was probably successful at rallying some of the troops.

Are the business folks gleefully looking to the Tories or Liberals for guidance?  Well, I think they should be satisfied.  Even as the economy is starting to tank for ordinary people, corporate profits have never been higher.  CEO salaries – extremely generous, on top of their benefits – compete in my head with the grandest of illusions – how do they get away with those, knowing it is our pension funds that pay for them?  Knowing it is our consumer dollars that pay for them?  They’re probably tickled pink that in an election where the people with the real power – the voters – are worried about the economy, no one is talking actual regulation of business to create jobs, green industry or (OMG!) nationalize industries like the Americans like doing these days in times of severe necessity.  It’s not just Venezuela any more, folks!

The Liberals are going to be running the best show they can to pull in as many of their incumbent seats, but they aren’t kidding themselves or anyone else: they are going down.  There is no steam behind Stephane Dion, and as much as he may want to paint himself as a green leader, he has a history as minister in one of the most polluting countries per capita’s administration (aka Minister of Chretien and Martin governments) to defend that *real* environmentalists should be looking upon him with shame.  Plus, his leadership is really a facade; when will the next incredibly boring leadership race take place, where we can just get with electing Ignatieff or Rae or the smiley faced guy with glasses?  And hey! Liberals! It’s the 21st century calling.  you’re supposed to have had a credible female leader by now. Just pointing out your hypocrisy on women’s issues. k. thanks.

The NDP’s picture is potentially shaky, no thanks to the vote splitting habits of those fighting to do as little evil with their votes.  Hanging on to the 30 seats will be a challenge, especially in Northern Vancouver Island and potentially in southern Ontario where the CAW’s “vote strategic” campaign may leak support to the Liberals.  Gains?  Not to be made in Saskatchewan, that’s for sure, so anyone from not there should stop dreaming.  I come from a redneck province drowning in the glee of oil profits, where social justice seems to have been tossed out along with any sense of practical policies on obesity, racism or excessive car use.  I like Jack’s message, I really do, and I believe that he’s in it for the long haul to greater success for the party. I just hate the fact that the electoral system strangles the NDP’s chances at achieving, at bare minimum, official opposition for once.  I think Canadians would like that.

The Bloc receives some of my sympathy, as some would know, because for a vast majority of actual votes in the H o C they usually side with the NDP.  Their strength in Quebec is all I can hope for to stop the trickling conservative, consumerist culture I worry about from taking hold of la belle province.

The Greens are driving me nuts, which is probably their job, really.  They don’t stand for anything. There. I’ve said it.  Here, I’ll be devil’s advocate to myself: people say that about the NDP in other provinces.  Well, the answer to that is, they might be right.  The problem is, the Greens are predominantly white, predominantly wealthy, and predominantly controlled by self-righteous yuppies who fail to notice three failings: 1) endorsing the Liberals means they endorse capitalism in its fullest; 2) accepting an Independent MP without allowing the voters of the riding to test whether they would re-elect him under the Green Banner is bullshit, and proves they truly don’t care about democracy, no matter its failings; 3) They have no true policies on redistributive wealth, instead allowing the market and consumerism to regulate purchases, as if what we consume should be the extent of how the taxation system works.  I don’t buy it, and I’ve told Elizabeth May as much, and she couldn’t have cared less. They don’t care about poor people, for they have not designed their carbon tax around people: they have designed it around a failed image of shifting revenues – one of the limited powers of government, as opposed to expenditures – as a solution to our problems.

This has been an interesting soap box, and I’m sure I’ll have more insights later on.   Peace, and good night.