Dion expected to make a speech today announcing he will be resigning as Lib party leader. Nothing shocking about that. S and I talked a couple times during the election about how uncomfortable she was with the idea of Dion being the PM. She just felt that he was weak and impersonal.
And while I never necessarily agreed with her perception of him I knew that if she felt that way, then voters who were far less sympathetic to Dion and the Lib brand were probably doing some soul searching on election day. The Con advertising and messaging has done its trick and Dion was branded with a reputation he was unlikely to change.
That's the bare knuckle world of politics for you.
I think that Dion was a very smart man with some good ideas, several of which Harper and the Con are already appropriating. I applaud the Green Shift plan and I'm sorry we won't be able to see it implemented. But Dion does lack the charisma that is a staple of any career politician, an ability to connect with undecided or wavering voters. And with the Left split to high heaven you need to have a leader who will draw people in.
I think we'll get to see a 'do-over' of the 06 Lib leadership convention, only this time fewer people will be casting their ballot with rose coloured glasses.
Showing posts with label political stuff. Show all posts
Showing posts with label political stuff. Show all posts
Monday, October 20, 2008
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Election: Post Mortem
Another Conservative goverment, slightly bigger than its previous incarnation.
Predictions? I have a few.
Another federal election in no more than two years. (Head. Hand. Slap. Duh.) When that happens I suspect you'll see at least two federal parties with new leaders. (I look forward to the upcoming Lib leadership convention and the Machevellian machinations that will follow it)
Ont and/or Que will be blitzkreiged to high heaven with political gladhanding in the hopes of achieving that elusive breakthrough, the seat majority.
In the interim Harper will govern as if he has a majority and everyone will bend over backwards to let him do it, again. The PMO will treat Con MP's like children and the public will chortle over their inexperience and inevitable PR gaffes.
The economy will tank and, regrettably, the Green party will lose its relevance because saving the environment will take a back seat to making sure that Canadians have jobs.
The more things change, the more things will stay the same . So get ready for two long years of gnashing of teeth and striking of breast.
That's politics.
Predictions? I have a few.
Another federal election in no more than two years. (Head. Hand. Slap. Duh.) When that happens I suspect you'll see at least two federal parties with new leaders. (I look forward to the upcoming Lib leadership convention and the Machevellian machinations that will follow it)
Ont and/or Que will be blitzkreiged to high heaven with political gladhanding in the hopes of achieving that elusive breakthrough, the seat majority.
In the interim Harper will govern as if he has a majority and everyone will bend over backwards to let him do it, again. The PMO will treat Con MP's like children and the public will chortle over their inexperience and inevitable PR gaffes.
The economy will tank and, regrettably, the Green party will lose its relevance because saving the environment will take a back seat to making sure that Canadians have jobs.
The more things change, the more things will stay the same . So get ready for two long years of gnashing of teeth and striking of breast.
That's politics.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Video...and what it killed...
So.
The ABC movement is heating up. I’m starting to see a lot of anti-Conservative YouTube footage making the rounds on the net.
Here’s one, and another, one more and finally this.
The first two vids are clearly Liberal party sponsored. I think its worth noting that while the Conservatives and the NDP are all over television delivering their election party platforms, the Liberals have largely retreated, reduced to delivering their message online. If I was being generous I would say it’s because they’re attempting to reach younger, more technologically developed voters. However I doubt that’s the case.
It’s more likely that budgetary constraints have restricted the party’s ability to compete at the same level as some of their other political counterparts. And while I’m not discounting traditional media, I think the side effect of the Liberal funding crunch has accelerated the shift towards moving the whole political communications process online. Which is a good thing.
I don’t recall seeing nearly this kind of online exposure in the last election. Maybe people are more dissatisfied with the current government, or perhaps in the two years since the last federal election the net has permeated our lives that much more. That’s a question for bigger brains than mine.
But just look at the number of protest videos out there. Anyone with some basic editing software and access to the internet has just as much of an opportunity to make their political POV known as the biggest media outlets. (More if you consider that media advertising buys are usually done on a regional basis and not all areas are covered equally.)
Joe or Jane blow who’ve got a beef to pick with, say, the Green Party, can slap together a video in Montreal and the next day they’re talking about it in Kamloops. It’s exciting stuff and opens the doors of the electoral process that much wider. And while the concept of viral video, or protest videos, is nothing new, I’ve never seen it used to this extent in a Canadian election before.
The ABC movement is heating up. I’m starting to see a lot of anti-Conservative YouTube footage making the rounds on the net.
Here’s one, and another, one more and finally this.
The first two vids are clearly Liberal party sponsored. I think its worth noting that while the Conservatives and the NDP are all over television delivering their election party platforms, the Liberals have largely retreated, reduced to delivering their message online. If I was being generous I would say it’s because they’re attempting to reach younger, more technologically developed voters. However I doubt that’s the case.
It’s more likely that budgetary constraints have restricted the party’s ability to compete at the same level as some of their other political counterparts. And while I’m not discounting traditional media, I think the side effect of the Liberal funding crunch has accelerated the shift towards moving the whole political communications process online. Which is a good thing.
I don’t recall seeing nearly this kind of online exposure in the last election. Maybe people are more dissatisfied with the current government, or perhaps in the two years since the last federal election the net has permeated our lives that much more. That’s a question for bigger brains than mine.
But just look at the number of protest videos out there. Anyone with some basic editing software and access to the internet has just as much of an opportunity to make their political POV known as the biggest media outlets. (More if you consider that media advertising buys are usually done on a regional basis and not all areas are covered equally.)
Joe or Jane blow who’ve got a beef to pick with, say, the Green Party, can slap together a video in Montreal and the next day they’re talking about it in Kamloops. It’s exciting stuff and opens the doors of the electoral process that much wider. And while the concept of viral video, or protest videos, is nothing new, I’ve never seen it used to this extent in a Canadian election before.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Strategic voting
So,
I’m finding this website very interesting.
Basically an Anyone But Conservative site it attempts to advocate for strategic voting, under the guise of promoting environmental issues, in ridings where the race is close enough that Conservative candidates can be defeated.
Quickly plugging in my postal code revealed that my riding is evidently a lock for our NDP candidate and therefore I’m encouraged to ‘vote with my heart’.
All of which raises some very interesting questions.
How many people currently vote with their hearts and how many already vote strategically? If you’re a dyed in the wool NDP supporter, but feel you have a chance at stopping a Conservative candidate from being elected by voting Liberal, do you do so?
How flexible is your political ideology?
I wonder if this site also has the unintended side effect of discouraging voting. If I see that the NDP is almost guaranteed to win my riding, why vote at all? If I’m against the NDP clearly my vote won’t make much of a difference and if I’m pro-NDP I don’t need to worry because, apparently, we already have this one in the bag. There may be better ways to spend my time on election night, like going home and reading my new comic book purchases.
You should vote in support of something you whole heartedly believe, as opposed to voting out of fear and making deals with the devil.
But, lets be honest here, political ideology changes. There are four national parties that are politically left of centre to one degree or another (yes I’m including the Greens and Bloc here) and only one party that has staked out a claim to the right of the centre. Which means, between these four parties, there is clearly some sort of common ideological ground that voters might be able to relate to. It could mean holding your nose when you mark the X on your ballot. But, to you, a little principled slippage may be a small price to pay for keeping the Conservatives in check.
Since my riding is considered to be locked these aren’t really questions that I have to seriously ask myself. I have the luxury of voting how I want...secure in the knowledge that unless I'm voting NDP it may not be worth a damn. But what about those living in swing ridings, what’s going through their minds?
I’m finding this website very interesting.
Basically an Anyone But Conservative site it attempts to advocate for strategic voting, under the guise of promoting environmental issues, in ridings where the race is close enough that Conservative candidates can be defeated.
Quickly plugging in my postal code revealed that my riding is evidently a lock for our NDP candidate and therefore I’m encouraged to ‘vote with my heart’.
All of which raises some very interesting questions.
How many people currently vote with their hearts and how many already vote strategically? If you’re a dyed in the wool NDP supporter, but feel you have a chance at stopping a Conservative candidate from being elected by voting Liberal, do you do so?
How flexible is your political ideology?
I wonder if this site also has the unintended side effect of discouraging voting. If I see that the NDP is almost guaranteed to win my riding, why vote at all? If I’m against the NDP clearly my vote won’t make much of a difference and if I’m pro-NDP I don’t need to worry because, apparently, we already have this one in the bag. There may be better ways to spend my time on election night, like going home and reading my new comic book purchases.
You should vote in support of something you whole heartedly believe, as opposed to voting out of fear and making deals with the devil.
But, lets be honest here, political ideology changes. There are four national parties that are politically left of centre to one degree or another (yes I’m including the Greens and Bloc here) and only one party that has staked out a claim to the right of the centre. Which means, between these four parties, there is clearly some sort of common ideological ground that voters might be able to relate to. It could mean holding your nose when you mark the X on your ballot. But, to you, a little principled slippage may be a small price to pay for keeping the Conservatives in check.
Since my riding is considered to be locked these aren’t really questions that I have to seriously ask myself. I have the luxury of voting how I want...secure in the knowledge that unless I'm voting NDP it may not be worth a damn. But what about those living in swing ridings, what’s going through their minds?
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Canadian Leadership Debate
FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF%ck yah!
Now this is a leaders debate!!!
Stephen Harper is getting dog piled from all sides. He's holding his own, getting in the little knife twists and rib digs where he can, but essentially he's letting all the other party leaders talk over each other and drown out his responses in a babble of noise.
It's great to see Elizabeth May at this debate, of the five of them she's the only leader with an effortless gift of gab. She's smart, witty, great with a sound bite and she knows how to make the most of the time she being given.
Dion is doing all right. His English is still spotty and unfortunately some of his points are getting lost in translation. But he's avoided the wrath of the group as a whole and he's had a couple oppurtunities to make some solid points on the national stage.
Jack Layton. Solid, effective debater. Attacks Harper more than he sells his party. Needs to push the NDP a little more.
Duceppe. Strangely enough he's doing a really good job at offering Canadian solutions and identifying universal Canadian issues. In the English language debate he's doing the smart thing of not making regional based arguements. If I didn't disagree with the entire basis of this man's party I'd be impressed at how he's handling himself.
In my mind. May and Layton have done the best at this debate. All the rest have held their own.
Now this is a leaders debate!!!
Stephen Harper is getting dog piled from all sides. He's holding his own, getting in the little knife twists and rib digs where he can, but essentially he's letting all the other party leaders talk over each other and drown out his responses in a babble of noise.
It's great to see Elizabeth May at this debate, of the five of them she's the only leader with an effortless gift of gab. She's smart, witty, great with a sound bite and she knows how to make the most of the time she being given.
Dion is doing all right. His English is still spotty and unfortunately some of his points are getting lost in translation. But he's avoided the wrath of the group as a whole and he's had a couple oppurtunities to make some solid points on the national stage.
Jack Layton. Solid, effective debater. Attacks Harper more than he sells his party. Needs to push the NDP a little more.
Duceppe. Strangely enough he's doing a really good job at offering Canadian solutions and identifying universal Canadian issues. In the English language debate he's doing the smart thing of not making regional based arguements. If I didn't disagree with the entire basis of this man's party I'd be impressed at how he's handling himself.
In my mind. May and Layton have done the best at this debate. All the rest have held their own.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Poli-ticky
There are a handful of people in this world that I can talk politics with, and on a really good day that number includes my wife. Which isn’t to say she’s not interested and informed in politics, she is, it’s just that given an opportunity to talk politics I’m likely to dominate the conversation with it until a) I get hungry or b) sleepy.
So, unless a particular issue is really sticking in her craw she’s liable to leave that topic of conversation alone, to preserve her sanity if nothing else.
But I tell you, with what passes for informed discourse these days I’m becoming more and more disgusted with the whole process.
It’s a point of pride with me that no one knows how I vote. Although my father likes to take the piss out of me by pretending that I’m some hard core left wing socialist I’ve never told anyone, ever, how I’ve voted in any given election. Part of that is because I don’t want to be pigeon holed as some sort of one party sycophant. Once someone identifies you politically in their mind, that’s who you’ll be to them forever more, despite how your political needs and opinions might change over time.
But I’ve wandered off topic here.
What spurred this post was my growing annoyance with the Toronto Star’s recent decision to allow comments on all their online new stories. Now every time a political story is run the comments section heats up almost instantaneously with idiots hiding under the guise of electronic anonymity, blasting writers and political parties simply for being ideologically different than they are.
Even the most objective information is blasted with partisan vitriol and hostility.
What the hell happened to mature debate? I’m old enough and mature enough to look at all the political parties out there and see something in each platform that appeals to me.
Green Party – Environmentalism
NDP – Urban Issues
Conservatives – Smaller Government
Liberal Party – Um. Environmentalism
I can respect a different point of a view from own, as long as it’s presented to me in a mature and grown up manner. It’s called life. Someone is always going to disagree with you, that doesn’t automatically make them the anti-christ.
And yet the bashing continues as if anyone who thinks differently is a criminal of the worst sort. If you identify online with one political party, then a free for all dog pile of hate, scorn and public shaming begins. It’s impossible for anyone to engage you like a human being. It’s not just the anonymous yahoos either. Or political leaders, our so-called role models, routinely bash each other or any special interest group they deem unlikely to support them.
Take a look at the sustained Conservative attack on Ontario. Feeling unlikely to win many seats in the province the Tories feel like its open season on our politicians, our policies and our province. The only way they can make themselves look big is by knocking around someone else who can’t compete with them at the same level.
I’m not naïve. I know that politics is a blood sport, built more around political parties staying in power, as opposed to a nobler calling. It takes a strong stomach to wade into the mess and separate the wheat from the chaff, finding parties and policies that work for you, rather then just picking one party and sticking with it – cause, you know, it’s easier to do that than put any real thought into what’s happening around you.
I just can’t help but feel like this sustained e-bashing is designed to make the whole experience even more exclusionary, driving the moderates and the mature into the shadows, unwilling to take on the ravenous partisan appetites of those who troll the internet looking to make a point. And that’s a shame, because democracy is about hearing from all voices, espeically the ones you don’t like.
So, unless a particular issue is really sticking in her craw she’s liable to leave that topic of conversation alone, to preserve her sanity if nothing else.
But I tell you, with what passes for informed discourse these days I’m becoming more and more disgusted with the whole process.
It’s a point of pride with me that no one knows how I vote. Although my father likes to take the piss out of me by pretending that I’m some hard core left wing socialist I’ve never told anyone, ever, how I’ve voted in any given election. Part of that is because I don’t want to be pigeon holed as some sort of one party sycophant. Once someone identifies you politically in their mind, that’s who you’ll be to them forever more, despite how your political needs and opinions might change over time.
But I’ve wandered off topic here.
What spurred this post was my growing annoyance with the Toronto Star’s recent decision to allow comments on all their online new stories. Now every time a political story is run the comments section heats up almost instantaneously with idiots hiding under the guise of electronic anonymity, blasting writers and political parties simply for being ideologically different than they are.
Even the most objective information is blasted with partisan vitriol and hostility.
What the hell happened to mature debate? I’m old enough and mature enough to look at all the political parties out there and see something in each platform that appeals to me.
Green Party – Environmentalism
NDP – Urban Issues
Conservatives – Smaller Government
Liberal Party – Um. Environmentalism
I can respect a different point of a view from own, as long as it’s presented to me in a mature and grown up manner. It’s called life. Someone is always going to disagree with you, that doesn’t automatically make them the anti-christ.
And yet the bashing continues as if anyone who thinks differently is a criminal of the worst sort. If you identify online with one political party, then a free for all dog pile of hate, scorn and public shaming begins. It’s impossible for anyone to engage you like a human being. It’s not just the anonymous yahoos either. Or political leaders, our so-called role models, routinely bash each other or any special interest group they deem unlikely to support them.
Take a look at the sustained Conservative attack on Ontario. Feeling unlikely to win many seats in the province the Tories feel like its open season on our politicians, our policies and our province. The only way they can make themselves look big is by knocking around someone else who can’t compete with them at the same level.
I’m not naïve. I know that politics is a blood sport, built more around political parties staying in power, as opposed to a nobler calling. It takes a strong stomach to wade into the mess and separate the wheat from the chaff, finding parties and policies that work for you, rather then just picking one party and sticking with it – cause, you know, it’s easier to do that than put any real thought into what’s happening around you.
I just can’t help but feel like this sustained e-bashing is designed to make the whole experience even more exclusionary, driving the moderates and the mature into the shadows, unwilling to take on the ravenous partisan appetites of those who troll the internet looking to make a point. And that’s a shame, because democracy is about hearing from all voices, espeically the ones you don’t like.
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