Shhh, The Walls Have Ears

This is really, really creepy. I used to think Psycho Steve was like this guy, but now I think he is becoming more and more like this guy. Harper is at heart a Tsar. He is an autocrat and not particularly competent in any field save for running a fine internal intelligence network. Hat tip to the Jurist.

Recommend this Post

Biggest Story Of The Year

No contest. This will have consequences for all of us in the coming year.

Recommend this Post

On Accountability

Robopundit writes some good stuff about something that has been bothering me lately. He is worried about the decline in the idea that our elected representatives are responsible for making policy, preferring instead to let bureaucrats and "special panels" do the heavy lifting.

Once a parliamentary principle, the bargain that allows mandarins to speak truth to power from the shadows while ministers stand in the spotlight is so badly broken that few noticed when Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day left it to the border agency's Alain Jolicoeur to answer awkward questions about the how and why of the Vancouver airport Taser horror.

Sadly, Day's sudden modesty isn't an anomaly. Despite at least partly winning the last election on the strength of their accountability promise, Conservatives are accelerating the Ottawa tactic of passing the buck so often to so many people that where it stops is a mystery. More bureaucrats are appearing in public and the Prime Minister is making a habit of appointing panels answerable only to him to consider public policy issues that were once the purview of those we elect.

Short term, those methods work too well. Politicians can take credit and then bob and weave around public opprobrium while others carry the can.

Long term is entirely different. As Hillier is demonstrating to the Prime Minister's discomfort, the clout that comes with public profile is easy to loan, difficult to recover. Once established as marquee players, bureaucrats will bridle at recasting as docile supporting actors. With their own agendas to protect and careers to advance, they are sure to ad lib and their lines won't always please politicians.

I would extend this criticism to include "citizens' assemblies". As we witnessed in Ontario's electoral reform fiasco, the politicians love citizens' assemblies because they remove responsibility from their collective shoulders. Politicians can claim neutrality over the output of such bodies, thus freeing their proxies in the media and party to criticize (and organize opposition to) the assembly's policy proposals, should they be anathema to the party in power. After all, again as we saw in Ontario, the citizens' assembly has no infrastructure to use to refute the criticisms leveled at their proposals. They are sitting ducks, waiting for their inevitable clubbing.

The fact is, we have an extant "citizens' assembly". It is called a parliament. We citizens elect the members to that citizens' assembly and it is, at least theoretically, responsible to us. It should be up to our elected representatives to propose and adopt policy. Sideshows like citizens' assemblies just serve to muddy the waters over responsible government. Politicians need to step up and say "This is our policy. Judge us on it and no one else". In other words, we need politicians with spines.

Recommend this Post

Rest In Peace Oscar

Man, what I wouldn't give for a seat at this reunion gig in heaven today. Someone will have to sit in for Herb Ellis, but still a great lineup.

Recommend this Post

A Comedy Of Errors

John Filo explains why Buzz Hargrove and Anne Klein are clowns, for those who haven't yet figured it out.

Filo said the CAW strategic voting concept “was flawed from the beginning” because it called for members to vote for Liberals without asking for the Liberal leadership to endorse or promote NDP candidates in ridings where New Democrats had a good chance to win.

“It was a comedy of errors,” said Filo. “It was so naive to call for support of Liberal candidates without getting a reciprocal endorsement deal in the many ridings where NDP candidates traditionally do well...it’s what I call unilateral disarmament.”

Filo said he also would have revoked Hargrove’s membership after he so blatantly threw his support behind the Liberals.

Unilateral disarmament. That sounds about right. When Liberals tell New Democrats to put partisanship aside, what they really mean is vote Liberal. Period.

Recommend this Post

Merry Christmas Baby

To all the censors. Merry Christmas!

Recommend this Post

Ya Basta

It is no secret I am having difficulties with the NDP at the moment. I think they are becoming perilously close to a clone of the Liberal Party, willing to sell out principles to buy votes (particularly in Quebec). However, when I see articles like this, I blow a gasket.

Klein is another in a long line of aging "progressives" who wet their pants if the Liberals aren't the government in Ottawa. Never mind that the Liberals have a terrible record on the environment. Never mind that child poverty was still a major problem at the end of their term. Never mind that national daycare was a no show until it made a sudden "deathbed" appearance after 13 years. Never mind all of that. If it isn't the Liberals screwing the country over, then something is wrong with the universe.

Klein and her progressive pals (Maude, Buzz, James and the rest) always blame the NDP for messing up a good thing (the good thing being unending Liberal rule). They always, always, always want NDP voters to feel guilty about voting for the NDP. They always want NDP voters to "do the right thing" to stop the Tories. That right thing is, of course, to vote Liberal (With no strings of course. Don't ask Liberals to change the electoral system, Heaven forbid!).

Never, ever, do these champions of progressive politics stop to actually look at the Liberal Party. The Liberal Party is a centre right party that pretends to be progressive just long enough to sucker the gullible like Klein and her friends. The apparchiks of the Liberal Party know that if they whisper "Tory majority" into the right ears, they can cause a cascade of panic amongst the dimwits in the media who call themselves "progressives". This has to stop. Klein and her friends are going to really have to look at the political landscape in this country and ask themselves if we can't do any better than the Liberals or Conservatives. If all they have to offer is "Vote Liberal or a puppy will die", they might as well save their breath. No one is listening any more.

Recommend this Post

Psycho Steve Just Doesn't Understand

From today's Globe:

The Prime Minister also defended his government's position at the recent Bali climate change talks that all major emitting countries must sign on to a new greenhouse gas reduction deal.

"What I have trouble grasping is how you can have the kind of thing you had at Bali where everybody gets up and beats their chest and says it's a looming disaster and then virtually none of them are willing to actually endorse the principles that would lead to an effective international protocol."

Steve's confusion is understandable. As a conservative, Steve also doesn't understand why a guy who makes a billion dollars should pay a greater percentage of his income in taxes than a guy who makes forty thousand. For conservatives "fairness" means the rich and poor pay the same, regardless their abilities to pay. As with income, so to with climate change.

Update: Oh and don't you just love Steve's ominous warnings against those of us who want action on climate change? In his interview with Mansbridge, Harper had his usual smug smirk on his face. He said this:

"...Ask your viewers to think of that (costs of implementing climate change regulations) whenever they have other people out there saying we should be doing more, because once we start -- Really these thing start biting, the criticism we are going to be getting is we are doing too much."

It's like he is saying"You want action on climate change? Slap. There's you action on climate change!" Harper seems to relish the prospect of imposing hardship on his own people, rather than helping them through the tough times ahead and mitigating the worst impacts of his policies, as some kind of collective punishment for failing to see the "brilliance" of his argument against any action. (Don Martin sees this side of his personality up close and doesn't like what he sees).

Recommend this Post

Wise Words My Young Friend

Michael Cera (the most successful actor to have come out of Brampton in 10 years) tells us how to live our lives. Based on this classic.

Recommend this Post

Something To Keep An Eye On

To me, this is a good thing. I think equality rights should trump religious law (that's why I supported the Ontario government's decision to back away from religious family courts). I wonder though if the Blogging Tory community, usually the first to decry the subjugation of women in Islam, will embrace the Supreme Court's newfound muscular equality rights stance.

Recommend this Post

A Word Of Caution

For those out there who believe things will get better on the climate change file, once there is a new resident in the White House. I share Monbiot's skepticism.

So don’t believe all this nonsense about waiting for the next president to sort it out. This is a much bigger problem than George W Bush. Yes, he is viscerally opposed to tackling climate change. But viscera don’t have much to do with it. Until the American people confront their political funding system, their politicians will keep speaking from the pocket, not the gut.

Recommend this Post

Harper's Leadership Problem

If I was an opposition party researcher, I would hang on to this story. If the next election is to be run on "leadership", how could one do better than to use the following line:

"Harper runs into trouble when Harper runs out of script."

If I was in an opposition party's communications shop, I think I would be pushing that line as often as possible, until the writ is dropped. It seems to me, a case may be made that Harper is in fact a control freak for a reason. If Harper is not in total control of events, he quickly loses control of the issue. True leadership requires someone who can improvise when they are not in total control. Harper is just not up to the job.

Update: Thanks to the eagle eyed readers for the edit. :)

Recommend this Post

The New Menace: Christianism

While the Blogging Tories are still fixated on the threat of radical Islam, American conservatives have found a new threat, Christianism.

Recommend this Post

Baird's Turn On The World Stage A Critical Disaster

The reviews are in and Baird was a flop. My favorite line:

It is hard to argue that one is building bridges when they so obviously lead nowhere.

As for the fallout, there won't be any, at least in the short run. The reality is, Baird did his master's bidding and so will be more popular than ever with Psycho Steve and the Hothouse Gang over at the Blogging Tories. His run will only end when this road production of the Little Shop of Horrors leaves town.

Recommend this Post

Question For Stephen Taylor

Does Andrew Coyne work for the Liberal Party, too?

Recommend this Post

New Rules

Never play poker with a guy named "Doc". Never draw to an inside straight. Never depend on Europeans, in a negotiation, to stay strong.

The Europeans are gambling on regime change to save all our asses. The Americans and Canadians are gambling that science is just religion with lab coats. It's a tough call to decide who is following the riskier strategy.

Recommend this Post

Dimitri Soudas, Douche

"The minister's job is to provide direction, inspire leadership, and get things done," said Prime Minister Stephen Harper's spokesman, Dimitri Soudas.

Explaining John Baird's decision to skip an important meeting at the Bali summit, sending a low level bureaucrat in his place.

Recommend this Post

The Root Of Modern Conservatism

The author is writing about another conservative government, but it is truly the hallmark of all modern conservative governments, from Harris, to Bush, to Harper:

Thanks to a combination of incompetence and ideology—the governing principle of the Bush administration seems to be that the best way to delegitimize big government is to make sure that it functions poorly

As I have said many times before, if you are an anti-government party, governing properly is last thing you want to do.

Recommend this Post

Canada's Back

And the world is taking note. Feel proud yet?

Recommend this Post

From The Department Of Poetic Justice

Hire a separatist hack, aim him at the Liberals and receive a report that condemns your own government. Gotta love them Tories.

Recommend this Post

Shorter Brian Mulroney

Don't believe anything Schreiber says, except when he says I'm innocent.

Recommend this Post

Better Than Any Poll

This editorial by the Sun tells me that the public is not at all happy with Psycho Steve and his merry band. I never, ever, thought I would see the day when the Sun called anything John Baird did "shameful". The only reason I can think the Sun is putting this out into the world, is they are hearing from their readers and their readers are not liking what is going on in Bali.

Instant Update: Stephen Harper's paranoid rantings about Liberals on judicial bodies destroying the nuclear industry has trickled down and out to other corners of his dark empire. Yesterday, one of John Baird's security goons did the whole protection racket routine on youth delegates to the Bali conference. You know what I am talking about. He confronted a group of peaceful protesters and gave them the old "Nice protest you have here, too bad if you went to an Indonesian prison for it." Shameful. And then Harper's personal press flack did two things, first he tried to spin the threat as concern for the kids welfare and two tried to spin this as yet another case of Liberal "subversion". These guys are so fucking crazy it just hurts to watch.

Recommend this Post

The Return Of Psycho Steve

So, the PM, after attacking a regulatory body responsible for our nuclear safety as "Liberal appointed" (get out the barf bags, Ethel) and then in typical fashion threatened to blame parliament if it did not follow orders, rammed through a bill to force the reopening of a nuclear reactor. Never mind that the regulator gave the AECL a year to comply with its order for an emergency upgrade. Never mind that the health and safety of the communities surrounding the reactor are now at risk. The government was being criticized for something bad happening on its watch, so damn the risk and full steam ahead. God help him if there is an accident.

Recommend this Post

Stop The Tory's Copyright Law

Here's how:

Recommend this Post

Is Baird Losing It?

It is just bizarre that John Baird would continue to use the Liberals as his shield, even when the international community is criticizing his government's negotiating position. Everyone knows the Liberals were useless on the climate change file, but as an excuse, they are past their "best before" date.

Recommend this Post

Tories Make Funding Announcement On Global Warming

I think they should call it the "Shut Up And Get Used To It Fund".

Recommend this Post

Because It's Cold Outside

We need some heat.

Recommend this Post

What Are The Greens? Are They PC's? Liberals? What?

Take a look at this interview of Elizabeth May, with Garth Turner. She spends most of her time either boosting Stephane Dion or previewing the next version of the "Think Twice Coalition". Someday the Greens will move closer to the European model, and when that day comes I might consider voting for them. As long as the Greens are led by May, neither will happen.

Recommend this Post

Canada's Bali Position The Flat Tax In Action

The government's position in Bali that it will only accept binding targets if China and India are too, is an international manifestation of that old right wing chestnut, the flat tax. In a progressive system of taxation, the CEO is assessed a higher level of tax than the file clerk, because the CEO is judged to have a greater capacity to pay higher levels of tax. This is anathema to right wingers, like Harper, who see this as "socialism" and an attempt by the state to redistribute "hard earned" income from the rich to the poor. The flat tax proposes that everyone regardless of income will be taxed at one rate, so that a file clerk and CEO will be charged the same level of tax despite the huge gap in income.

This is, in essence what the Harperites are trying to impose on Bali. Harper is already on record as calling Kyoto a "socialist scheme" of income redistribution. His solution is to treat the effort to curb greenhouse gases like a flat tax on the world. Everyone, regardless their level of development will be forced to accept the same burden as the rich countries (who truth be told have dumped the vast majority of GHG's into the atmosphere while getting rich) or Harper will not play. Harper's plan should be seen for what it is, an attempt to use the reasoning behind a crazy tax scheme, for which there is no support nationally, to the international stage.

Recommend this Post

The Revolt Of The Polluting Class

If anyone wants some insight into the mind of our prime minister, on the subject of global warming, I would recommend reading Peter Foster, in the Financial Post today. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that our prime minister agrees that any move to regulate industry in any meaningful way is the equivalent of Marxism.

The Harper strategy is laid bare. Harper's plan is to "cater to the ignorance/alarm/hypocrisy engendered in their electorate"... "while keeping a firm hand on the nation's collective wallet". In other words, he and his "Environment" Minister, will cry and cry and cry again for the environment. They will tell us they believe something must be done to save us from catastrophe and then will work to sabotage any remedy that will include concrete, mandatory action. If Harper gets his way (and it looks like he is trying to gather a coalition of the unwilling), humanity as a collective (sorry, what a repulsive word except when it comes to tax cuts) is in trouble.

Update: The phrase "cater to the ignorance/alarm/hypocrisy engendered in their electorate" betrays a loathing of common people. It carrys with it the idea that the people are ignorant and so it is ok to treat them cruelly, because they are just stupid animals. This is the "spirit" that leads to view citizens as "sheeple". It is a malevolent cancer in conservatism and it must be expunged.

Recommend this Post

What's The Worst That Can Happen?

It is obvious to me this guy has never run into either Stephen Harper or the Blogging Tories. Denying reality is what they do.

Recommend this Post

Lifting The Veil On Stupidity

The Liberals are declaring their initial support for C-6 a "mistake", while the NDP is just saying they can't support the bill as written (My question to them is how can this piece of crap be rewritten to your liking?). I would say the Liberals have won this round in the Mea Culpa sweepstakes.

Recommend this Post

For A Change

There's lots of good news today.

Recommend this Post

Not So Fast

Before everyone walks on hot coals for dumping on the NDP, the party has to explain a few things. Was Godin freelancing or did he have reason to think the party was behind him? Why did they sit on this for over 24 hours? Where is Jack Layton? Usually he can't run to the microphones fast enough, why is he silent now? Why does Dewar say the party has not taken a final position on Bill C-6? Why not? Do they think they can somehow spin shit into gold? I think it is a bit rich too, for Dewar to say this bill was introduced for political reasons, when the NDP, the Liberals and the Bloc egged the government on with their craven attacks on Mr. Maynard. Trying to slam the barn door now is just a laughable attempt at damage control.

The sad fact is, I strongly believe some genius at NDP headquarters really, truly believed the party could jump on the Herouxville Express (and all those yummy, yummy, Quebec seats, my precious) and not get burned by associating with their poisonous bigotry. I'm sorry, but to come out now and say "Just kidding guys", is pretty lame. The NDP is going to have work pretty damn hard to get back both my trust and my vote.

Recommend this Post

Like A Giant Turd

The NDP is letting the veils vote float, without comment (as of 9 am this morning).

Update:Dr. Dawg has still not heard from Paul Dewar.

Update 2:Now the good doctor has heard something from Dewar, but doesn't yet have permission to tell the rest of us! Why don't the NDP just put it out there and be done with it? This is just nuts.

Update 3:As the doctor points out, his post is now up. My reaction? It is a pretty carefully worded letter -- much more carefully worded than is needed (Why include "To be clear, contrary to the above-noted article, our caucus has not taken a final position on Bill C-6.", for example?). To me this is a no brainer. This is a bad bill and the NDP should oppose it to the death.

Recommend this Post

Let Me Explain It Dana

Since you have turned off your comments (a move I understand, well). You write:

Or why the Conservatives, who loathe everything the NDP has ever stood for, are more palatable than the Liberals, who've cooperated with the CCF and NDP on numerous occasions throughout the 20th century. Which cooperation has resulted in some of the legislation that the Conservatives would like most to do away with or change beyond recognition.

The answer is simple. NDP voters hate both the Liberals and Conservatives and want their own party in charge. You (and this is common among Liberals) think that the Liberal Party is interchangeable with the NDP. That is wrong (although Layton is doing things lately that may make that true in the future and not in a good way). The Liberal Party is seen by NDP supporters as the party of corporate Canada, par excellence.

You talk about history and how the NDP has changed, let me leave you with one thing to chew on. The Liberal Party of Dion is not the Pearson/Trudeau Party. That party is gone. The blues run the Liberal Party and have done so for a quarter of a century.

Recommend this Post

The Burlap Divorce?

Given the public spat over the seat redistribution and now this, it looks like the love affair between Harper and Quebec is over.

Recommend this Post

And Speaking Of Pandering To Fear And Racism, Warren....

This is seriously starting to get me angry. At least some Liberals are feeling guilty about their role in this farce. The NDP on the other hand, has no problem it seems scapegoating Muslim women. What is going on in this country? All of the parties are busy trying to exploit the fear of people rather than bringing us together as a people. If they think these kinds of actions will not have consequences for the health of our society, they are wrong. Treat people like they are the "other" and they will begin to act like the "other".

Update: Kady O'Malley has it right. NDP, hide your faces in shame. And Kady, it is ok to pick on the NDP when they act like a bunch of asses. If I want to vote for a party that stands for nothing, I will vote Liberal.

Recommend this Post

Election Post-Mortem And A Charge Of Racism

Warren Kinsella points to Robin Sears' analysis of the recent Ontario election. Warren is offended by Sear's portrayal of the Liberal campaign as subtly racist. I like Warren, but I have to side with Sears on this one. It's not like others did not point out the odious nature of the Liberal campaign, while it was unfolding.

Recommend this Post

Harper Finished Screwing The Earth, Turns Attention To Canada

Psycho Steve had better ask British Airways to bring a Concorde out of mothballs. He has a bit of a Quebec problem to deal with. It is easy for his thugs to tell Ontario to go to Hell (because Harper would like Ontario to fall through the Earth's crust), but Harper wants to hold Quebec close to his dark heart.

Recommend this Post

Just Shut Off Your Brain And Vote Liberal

I have the new Liberal slogan for the next election, "Vote Liberal you pigs, or you love Harper". The hysteria (and there is no other word for it) among Liberal ranks is pathetic. They just do not seem to have any ability to look around them and realize the Liberal Party is a morally bankrupt group, with nothing to offer the electorate than they aren't members of the Conservative Party. Not only that, but they seem to think the best way to attract progressive voters is to emotionally blackmail them. Nice.

Recommend this Post

Stephen Harper Is A Physicist -- He Loves Inertia

A diplomat from another Commonwealth country described Canada's position — that there's no deal unless everyone agrees — as a recipe for inertia on climate change.

Feel the pride, people. Feel the pride.

Recommend this Post

Canada Led The Way Of Being Isolated

So, Psycho Steve used the unanimity convention of the Commonwealth to get his own way on climate change. For those of you at home keeping score, a minority Prime Minister of a minority party, in a tiny country, is now the leading drag on action against global warming. We, as Canadians, should be proud.

Recommend this Post

At Least Mulroney Stood Up For South Africans

The thing I most admired about Brian Mulroney (probably the only thing), was his stance on South Africa. He bravely stood up to Margaret Thatcher herself on economic sanctions against the then racist regime. Mulroney was right to fight against racism and he did Canada proud. Our current PM (who sees himself as an heir to Thatcher rather than Mulroney) is now playing the role of Margaret Thatcher in the Commonwealth, stubbornly blocking any attempt to come up with a united front on GHG reductions. In the end, no matter what happens to Mulroney in the coming days, at least he will have the comfort of knowing he did at least one noble thing in his life. Harper, on the other hand, will always have his GST cut.

Instant Update: In other good, related news. Harper's fellow traveler from Australia is no longer there to back him up.

Instant, Instant Update: Harper is looking more and more ridiculous. His stance that Canada will block any attempt to do anything substantive on GHG reductions until he sees every last country in the world included, is being exposed for the self-serving nonsense that it is. The sad fact is, our government wants to talk this issue to death. It will be happy to talk until every last drop of oil, every last bit of coal and every lump of peat, is burned.

Recommend this Post

My Mother Is Better Than Your Mother

Kelly McParland in the Post, sums up the consensus about Mr Van Loan here in Ontario. "Not at all an impressive performance, overall". This seats flap is the most puzzling ploy by the Conservative Party yet and oh so unnecessary. I cannot for the life of me see any benefit to their electoral prospects by picking a fight with the province with the most seats in the House of Commons. It just seems to me to be a few pickles short of a barrel. Anyone have any theories about why the Tories would be acting so cavalierly toward Ontario voters?

Recommend this Post

Here's A Headline You Wouldn't See In A Canadian Paper

Afghanistan 'falling into Taliban hands' (And just to note, the article calls for more NATO involvement, not less).

Recommend this Post

When Barney's Attack

Peter Van Loan is calling Dolphin McGitbox "small" for fighting for rep. by pop. for Ontario. Maybe Mr. Van Loan would like to explain to his constituents, in that same province, why he wants to sell out his own people to the Lilliputians .

Update: Anyone who is talking to Mr. Van Loan, please ask him to explain the following sentences:

"McGuinty apparently opposed Ontario doing better, because the choice is not our bill or some hypothetical unreality. The choice is our bill or the existing formula – under which Ontario is badly shortchanged."

Ask him why those are our only choices? Bills are not received from God on stone tablets (although that thought must appeal to Stephen Harper). Ask him, who is blocking the third choice of adding more seats for Ontario?

Recommend this Post

It's Just The Way I am

I took the Political Compass test and look where I am. No surprise really. It does explain why I get so angry at the NDP over rights issues though.

Recommend this Post

More Relgious Insanity

Kinsella is right.

Recommend this Post

Time (Once Again) To Scrap The RCMP

When the peasants start to egg your cars and publicly call your organization a bunch of liars, you should seriously consider folding your tent and going home. The RCMP is rotten, from top to bottom and has been for years. It has lost its legitimacy in the eyes of a public that increasingly sees it as corrupt. We are not talking about corruption in the sense of being on the take, but a systemic rot caused by being an untouchable icon for over one hundred years. This is what happens when no one watches the watchers. The RCMP is beyond saving and should be scrapped. We need a national dialog about what needs to be done to replace this awful, awful police force.

Update: Read the following paragraph:

The driver had left the car, but police found him in a nearby wooded area and took him into custody, the statement said. While in custody, he "went into distress." He was taken to Sunnybrook hospital where he was pronounced dead. (emphasis mine)

I suspect the first question everyone will ask is "How did the driver go into distress? Was it taser related?" The Toronto police had better have some good answers.

Recommend this Post

Note To John Baird

I wish you would just shut the hell up. You and your government are doing nothing, absolutely nothing, to stave off what is most certainly the biggest man-made disaster in history. To continue to blather (in a very Liberal way, I must say) that you care about the planet, is nausea inducing. It matters not one whit if we have jobs but no water, or pump every last drop of oil but don't have access to food. Please shut up and if there is some humanity deep inside that black, partisan heart of yours, do something useful for the generations that will follow us. Thank You.

Recommend this Post

Another Election Tripwire?

Courtesy of Kady O'Malley, comes the news that the government is re-introducing legislation to kill the long-gun registry. No word over whether they will treat its defeat as a motion of non-confidence, but to my recollection, this bill has no support from any of the other parties. The only question I can come up with is why do the Tories think falling on such a bill is their ticket to majority government?

Update: The Tories obviously don't see this as a ticket to majority government, as Mr. "I can take a punch" has not made this bill a matter of confidence.

Recommend this Post

Representation By Population

On the other hand, the issue of representation by population is an issue that unites Jason, myself and all Ontarians. The federal government is deliberately excluding Ontario from correcting an already badly out of kilter system, in favor of his western base. This is completely unfair to Ontario and any Ontario MP who votes for this legislation should be held to account. I urge everyone from Ontario to contact their local MP and tell them to amend the bill to correct this injustice.

Recommend this Post

At Last The Fog Clears

After, what seems likes dozens of BS polls, comes one from the only polling firm I trust. The numbers are about what I thought. I wonder if Jason will highlight the NDP numbers in this one?

Recommend this Post

News Item

The RCMP is back on the Mulroney case.

Recommend this Post

Cue The Blogging Tories

Get ready for a denounce-a-thon. Amnesty International is calling on NATO to stop handing over prisoners to Afghan authorities. We should treat it as a drinking game. Every time a BT uses the words "pinko" or "commie", in association with this story, take a drink.

Recommend this Post

Can You Tell The Difference?

I can hear the Tories now "But,it's different when we do it!". Forget about the military/industrial complex. Canada is being run by the lobbying/political complex.

Recommend this Post

Things That Make You Go "Hmmmm"

What is one to make of a government that can somehow guarantee the security of parents of dead soldiers, in a war zone, provided the photo-op is right, but can't seem to do the same for the defense critic of the official opposition? I don't know about the rest of you, but to me it shows this government can do amazing things (or not), if has the proper motivation (or not).

Recommend this Post

Unintentionally Ironic Headline Of The Week

Greens Seeing Red (scroll down).

Recommend this Post

Shorter Susan Riley

Abolishing the Senate is too hard so let's not try.

Recommend this Post

Greg's Super Model Currency Index

The U.S. Greenback took a dive today on the Greg Supermodel Index. Said founder of the index, "If super models don't want your money anymore, you are in trouble". A spokesmen for the Federal Reserve was surprisingly upbeat "Sure Gisele has jumped ship, but we have plenty of other super models. Tyra's still on board, right? Right?"

Recommend this Post

Cardiff Is Not Boring

Mr. Warren Kinsella is dead wrong. Cardiff is not boring. It is where Dr. Who is filmed so, it is not boring. Q.E.D.

Recommend this Post

Priorities

Funny isn't it, that those who are criticising Layton for his priorities support a party that was in power for thirteen years and always found things to do besides enforcing Kyoto, stopping the privatization of Medicare, providing daycare for all children? Now that they are out of power these are all vital priorities, but when they were in power...not so much. And the fact they are also supporting a fundamentally undemocratic institution? As I said, funny.

Recommend this Post

New And Improved Warren K.

Now with permalink goodness. Now all he needs is a comments section.

Recommend this Post

What Color Is The Sky, Susan?

Susan Delacourt must have just come back from a Liberal Kool-Aid party. She seriously believes that removing Tory candidates in Toronto and Guelph will help the fortunes of the NDP? Really? Hands up Tory supporters who will now vote NDP as a result of those problems in Guelph and Toronto? In the real world, I suspect disgruntled Tories will either stay home or vote Green.

The NDP and Tories are just too far apart to make that leap for the vast majority of its voters. The myth of an NDP/Tory conspiracy makes for a pleasing story though, for Liberals who just can't understand why everybody just doesn't shut the Hell up and vote Liberal.

Update: Speaking of pleasing stories, it didn't take long for the Liberal blogging community to jump on this one.

Recommend this Post

Crossed Wires On The Death Penalty

Of all the statements made by this thug government on the death penalty issue, the one I find most odious is this one uttered by the PM himself.

"The reality of this particular case is that were we to intervene, it would very quickly become a question of whether we are prepared to repatriate a double-murderer to Canada. In light of this government's strong initiatives on tackling violent crime, I think that would send the wrong signal to the Canadian population."

Wrong signal? That we take care of our own? That we clean up our own messes? That we don't believe in capital punishment and are willing to pay a price for that belief? It's not like we are going to bring this guy home and give him a job in the Prime Minister's Office. He would end up in maximum security for the rest of his life. The only signal I get from the PM is it is cheaper to let the Americans execute one of our citizens than to take him on as our responsibility. Talk about wrong signals.

Recommend this Post

Deconstructing Steve

The PM said this yesterday:"

I think this call by the Liberal Party is really extraordinarily dangerous. Do they really want to say that I, as prime minister, should have a free hand to launch inquiries against my predecessors?" he said in Halifax, where he was addressing an aboriginal conference.

English translation: We might have a problem in the Conservative Party with corruption, but so might the Liberals. If they know what's good for them, the Liberals had better drop this and fast. It is not too late for both parties to watch each other's back on this issue.

Update: This story is starting to get some play. I suspect PM Smarty Mouth is glad the House is off next week. Calling Warren Kinsella. Does this government deserve a good kicking or what?

Recommend this Post

Stupid PM Tricks: Talking Out Of Both Sides Of His Mouth Simultaneously

Our PM says he doesn't want to set a precedent by starting up inquiries into past administrations. If that is the case, why did he hire a separatist to look into Liberal government polling practices? Mr. Harper, you have already let that horse out of the barn. What is your real reason for threatening the already cowering Liberal Party?

Update:Kady O'Malley asks a good question. Just where is the report from that separatist, anyway? It was due on October 11, but no one has seen it yet -- at least no one outside of the PMO.

Recommend this Post

As Spock Would Say

Fascinating and on so many levels. I agree with Kady O'Malley that the idea the Harperites would deliberately throw a bi-election to help destabilize Dion is not so far fetched. I am also intrigued by the idea that Mark Warner may be reborn as a Liberal. If he is, that would make, what, five Liberal/Conservative trades (Stronach, Emerson, Khan, Turner and maybe Warner) in the last four years? It kind of confirms Layton's charge that the two "big" parties are really one big dysfunctional centre-right family, doesn't it?

Recommend this Post

The Liberals Might Be Cowed

By stuff like this:

“Would the Liberal party for instance like me to launch an inquiry into Mr. [Jean] Chretien’s interests in various golf courses, and hotels, and the actions of the federal Business Development Bank? Would the Liberal party like me to have an inquiry on Canada Steamship Lines [Paul Martin’s family company] and decisions that may or may not have been made by the Department of Finance?”

“I think this is very dangerous and I talk about things that occurred while these individuals were in office, not while they were private citizens.”

But, I am not. Go ahead. Find out anything you can. It goes to show what kind of man we have as PM when he implies wrong doing on other people's part to deter them from asking too many uncomfortable questions about someone else ("Nice Party you have here. Too bad if the RCMP came after it, eh?"). Maybe next he will send Revenue Canada after members of the Liberal Party. Then his transformation into Richard Nixon will be complete.

Recommend this Post

Hang'em High (If You Are Judged Worthy)

Supporting the death penalty for Canadians abroad will bring cheers from the boys down in the saloon, and it will solidify Tory support at 33%. The had better pray there are no Junior Marshalls or Guy Paul Morans sitting on death row in Texas. If it ever came out that an innocent Canadian was murdered by the state, the Conservatives would be chased out of Ottawa and back to the hinterland, forever.

Recommend this Post

But Is It A Good Thing?

That is the one question Mr. Goldstein doesn't answer and it is the only one that matters, in the end. Global warming is real and just because people want to deny the consequences because they are going to be really bad, does not absolve governments for enabling that denial. If leaders do not lead, what the Hell good are they?

Recommend this Post

Whew

Thank God Ontario rejected MMP, or else we could have had parties dumping locally chosen candidates in favor of those blessed by all powerful central committees of party hacks. Dodged a bullet there.

Recommend this Post

I Wonder

If the Liberals keep giving the green light to Tory policies, when will the merger talks between the two parties begin? There are many advantages to such a merger as it would consolidate the centre right in this country once and for all (and would give them for the time being, a solid majority of popular support). It would also lead to an end to confusion for "progressive" voters, come election day.

Update:Jason Cherniak appears to agree that Liberals and Conservatives are moving closer together:

The Liberal answer? My suggestion would be to say that most of the tax cuts are the implementation of Liberal policy. We disagree with the GST cut, but minority Parliaments are about compromise. How can you vote against something where you agree with 95% of it? We should vote for it, take ownership and make it clear to the media that this is a combined effort by Liberals and Conservatives to lower taxes.

Meanwhile, we can hit the NDP and BQ over the head with the fact that they oppose tax cuts if they choose to take that route.

Update 2: Neil Reynolds is positively giddy at the dawning of the "Dion Flaherty Accord".

Recommend this Post

Credit Card Conservatism

Well, the Tories are over the moon (although some are cautious) with the latest round of tax cuts. However, there was not a hint of cutting expenditures in this mini budget. Even a socialist like me knows you can only offer services if you have the money to do so. If the economy takes a sudden downturn and the money coming in is suddenly reduced, we could very easily be back into deficit spending and very quickly. So, enjoy the good times while you can (and the 10 or so extra bucks on your pay stub), because the Tories just took out our credit card and spent the wad. The don't-tax-but-spend party is in charge now. Meanwhile, Toronto is broke, the roads are falling apart and there still aren't any daycare spaces.

Recommend this Post

Paul Wells Ponders

This afternoon:

Back in the mid-'00s, we used to enjoy a chuckle whenever the Paul Martin crew would come up with some extraordinarily contrived sideshow in an attempt to bury an embarrassing headline. But even that PMO would never have thought it could get away with announcing tax cuts on 24 hours' notice, simply to bury an auditor general's report.

I used to work at a newspaper that, if it spotted such a transparent dodge -- at least from a Liberal government -- would have buried the tax cut on Page 4 and monstered the AG report. But there is no newspaper left in Canada with that kind of self-confidence, is there?

Is there?

Well, let's see which is higher up on the web sites, the tax cuts or the Auditor General's Report? It looks like the MSM has swallowed the bait. The denizens of the PMO must be popping the corks right about now. BTW, it looks like the Star gets the prize for having the most obscure placement of the AG story.

Recommend this Post

Poor Dion

Can't even get a date on his own. He is the "friend with the nice personality" who tags along because he has nowhere else to go. His candidate from Central Nova is making him look like a bigger loser than usual.

Update: Memo to Politque Vert. The NDP tried to work with the last Liberal government, but the Liberals weren't interested.

Recommend this Post

Required Reading

Today's editorial from the Globe and Mail, about the government's (with an eager assist from the opposition) attempt to scapegoat Muslim women, who wear veils to the polling station.

This is a bill meant to appeal to a sentiment expressed vociferously in Quebec that Muslim women should not be voting from behind face veils. On the surface, the sentiment seems reasonable; a country should not weaken the integrity of the vote by allowing voters to conceal themselves. But look at the facts. Voters are not required to show photo identification, largely because many people do not have photo ID. Two pieces of government-issued ID approved by the Chief Electoral Officer are enough. Alternatively, a voter with ID may vouch for another voter without. Beyond all that, a voter may mail in her vote from abroad. Without photo ID, showing a face proves what? That the bearer has a face?

It is a good editorial but it misses the point. Making veiled women show their faces (even though this has never, ever been reported as a problem) proves who has the power in this society and who is second class.

Update: Others have started to come to the same conclusion. This whole farce is designed to do two things: Chase after the white sheet vote in Quebec (and other rustic areas of the country) and show Muslims who's boss. This is totally, totally disgusting and Layton should be standing on his head to oppose it. The fact that so far he is not, is a sad reflection of how visions of power (or at least official opposition status) is clouding the judgment of the NDP brain trust.

Recommend this Post

Canada And Iran Not That Different

When it comes to arms sales transparency. Canada has not released any arms sales export figures since 2002 and has not tracked sales to the U.S. since the 1940's (and has no figures at all on third party sales from that location).

The prolonged silence by Ottawa has now become an international embarrassment, said Ken Epps of Project Ploughshares, an arms control watchdog and peace group founded by the Canadian Council of Churches.

Epps cited a recent report by the Small Arms Survey, a Geneva-based monitoring group, which dropped Canada's transparency rating on arms controls to just above that of Iran.

"Canada's rating is 11 on the scale out of 20 this year and the rating for Iran is 10.5," Epps said. "What does that say to you?"

It tells me there are some folks in our government who would be embarrassed if the information was made public.

Recommend this Post

Daycare, Smaycare

If this doesn't get Greg Staples back to blogging and away from Facebook, I don't know what will. The Tories have stonewalled the release of the study done on the feasibility of company run daycare knowing, as everyone else in the world, that business isn't interested in providing daycare to workers. So, the sad fact is, the need for daycare spaces keeps growing. Who needs that kind of embarrassment? There is no mystery why the Tories have a problem appealing to women. You just have to follow the policies.

Recommend this Post

Veiled Threats

Before anyone goes off on the government's anti-Muslim veil legislation remember, none of the parties will do a damn thing to stop this legislation. They are all guilty of pandering to the lunatic fringe, while chasing public opinion (and seats) in Quebec. Every last damn one of them.

Update: Jack Layton asks a good question.

NDP Leader Jack Layton suggested that the proposed changes were not the most pressing issue, arguing that there were a million people who were unable to even get on the voting list.

“The so-called problem of the veils is not even a question raised by the Muslim community,” Layton said. “So why didn’t the government choose to settle a big problem that leaves a large number of people in rural communities and the North, for example, off of the (electoral) list, without the possibility of voting?”

Maybe it's because Steve is feeling emboldened since he knows when push comes to shove, you will roll over and let him off the hook.

Update 2: This is the least surprising story of the day. This insanity is going to end badly. Mark my words. This is just so wrong that there will be many unintended and unpleasant consequences. Too bad the opposition (all of you and especially Jack Layton) have sold their political souls for a shot at a few more seats. It isn't too late for you to make a choice for freedom, but feeble protests about the "need" for such a law, won't cut it.

Recommend this Post

The Manley Commission

Is doing exactly what it was designed to do --- act as a human shield against questions about the mission.

Recommend this Post

The Sounds Of Silence

Thanks to the Galloping Beaver, I was directed to this article. The first two paragraphs tell the story:

There is no military solution to the struggle against Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan, according to Britain's most senior armed forces leader.

Air Chief Marshall Sir Jock Stirrup said: "There is a common misperception that the issues in Afghanistan, and indeed elsewhere around the world, can be dealt with by military means. That's a false perception."

That sounds familiar. I wonder, as does the Galloping Beaver, why our media is ignoring what our allies are saying about the prospects for a military solution.

Recommend this Post

Setting Layton's Record Straight

As a public service for Liberal Bloggers who are feeling hard done by because Jack Layton is picking on them, I present a couple of quotes from the man himself.

Jack Layton in 2005:

"This idea of coming to Ottawa only to sit on your hands when the most important vote comes up, why doesn't Mr. Harper have the courage to stand up and simply vote for the budget because that's what he's doing in effect," NDP Leader Jack Layton said. The Toronto Star 03-10-2005

Jack Layton yesterday:

"They decry the Harper agenda but then they sat out the vote and effectively gave him the majority government they say would be a bad thing," NDP Leader Jack Layton said last night.

"They've made it very clear that they're not willing to stand up for their principles." Toronto Star today

Seems pretty consistent to me. You're welcome.

Recommend this Post

It Just Goes To Show You

That stupid and ridiculous "arguments" are not confined to the good people at NOMMP. This country is in trouble my friends, big trouble. The inmates are starting to take over the asylum.

Recommend this Post

Arctic Snow Job

Harper thinks he is on to a winner by emphasizing Canada's Arctic sovereignty. However, some bright spark is bound to point out at some point, that the only reason the issue is becoming more urgent is because the government is doing nothing to stop climate change.

Recommend this Post

Though I Disagree With Kinsella

About the almost everything, I agree this is a fair question:

Memorandum to Messrs. Harper, Dion and Layton (and all those who rushed to declare an ethnic "nation" within Canada):

What say you now?

Recommend this Post

Thought For The Day

I wonder what would happen if Turkey invoked Article 5 of the NATO Charter?

Recommend this Post

Spine Of Jello

Brave Mr. Dion pledged to block any "anti-environmental" legislation. Just one problem, I heard on Question Period this afternoon that the Tories are going to be handling the environment by regulation, rather than by legislation in order to avoid bad publicity. Nice thought though. Kind of like the guy who is going to "kick some ass", after the fight is over.

Recommend this Post

Harper's Little Buddy

Wow, when even the Liberals' house organ begins jumping on this meme's bandwagon, you know Dion is screwed. Meanwhile, the Conservatives are introducing legislation designed to play up the idea that the Liberals are divided (which they are) and that Dion is so weak he can't even keep his caucus in line (which he can't). Layton will have a field day when (not if) the Liberals bend over and let the Tories get away with all kinds of attacks on our rights. Liberals across the land are warming up their "But, but, but" responses.

Recommend this Post

Don't Think Twice, It's Alright

Bob Dylan sings about blogging. ;)

Recommend this Post

Liberal/Democrat SOP

Paul Krugman writes in today's NY Times:

Right now all the leading contenders for the Democratic nomination are running on strongly progressive platforms — especially on health care. But there remain real concerns about what they would actually do in office.

Here’s an example of the sort of thing that makes you wonder: yesterday ABC News reported on its Web site that the Clinton campaign is holding a “Rural Americans for Hillary” lunch and campaign briefing — at the offices of the Troutman Sanders Public Affairs Group, which lobbies for the agribusiness and biotech giant Monsanto. You don’t have to be a Naderite to feel uncomfortable about the implied closeness.

I’d put it this way: many progressives, myself included, hope that the next president will be another F.D.R. But we worry that he or she will turn out to be another Grover Cleveland instead — better-intentioned and much more competent than the current occupant of the White House, but too dependent on lobbyists’ money to seriously confront the excesses of our new Gilded Age.

This sounds like something that could be written about the Liberal Party. The whole run left/rule right is the Liberals' stock in trade. Progressives here need to seriously think about that reality. Fortunately unlike our U.S. counterparts, we don't have to put up with Liberal BS. We have an alternative.

Recommend this Post

Voting Under Examination

They will be talking about the decline in voting, on the Agenda tonight. I predict that the guests will go round in circles ending in a "Well, what can you do?" moment. I suspect they will accuse the people of having a lack of civil consciousness and of being too selfish to vote. The establishment doesn't want to open up the box marked, "Gamed Electoral System" and so reform will be raised and dismissed very quickly (The odds of someone on the panel saying "Well New Zealand has MMP and their voter turn out is going down" while neglecting to mention turnouts are still 30 points higher than in Ontario, are 100%). I also will bet that mandatory voting will get at least some play in the discussion. I may still watch, but there will be nothing new there.

Recommend this Post

Can We Drop The Pretense?

Harper wants an election and he wants it badly (not that there's anything wrong with that). Mr. Clever is even stripping opposition amendments to the crime legislation in order to get them to vote against it (then going whining to the electorate that the meanies hate victims of crime). Man, if I wasn't addicted to politics, I would really be turned off by this crap.

Recommend this Post

Throne Speech Reaction

It was very, very, boring. There was nothing really new in it either. Overall, I would give it a "meh". The only section that got a rise out of me at all was climate change. I agree with Elizabeth May (believe it or not) on this one. The government is probably right that we can't get to our 2012 targets. But, and this is a huge but, the 2012 targets are just the beginning of the process in any case. We should still try to get as close as we can to the targets under Kyoto and take any penalty we get for not reaching the goal. The important thing is the process. Harper is making it clear that not only do we not accept the goals of Kyoto, but also the process.

After hearing the government's position, I think I have a grasp of where they want to take us. Harper agrees that climate change is a problem but will not commit Canada to any hard targets until every last one of China, India and the U.S. also commit. Harper is willing to talk until the end of the world, if necessary, to see this happen (or not). It is the Liberal plan, but on steroids.

Update:When I wrote I agreed with Elizabeth May, I meant her analysis, not her conclusion. Unlike May, I think it is worth bringing the government down over. I think her convoluted logic leading to "no election" over Kyoto comes more from political debts owed to the Liberal Party than anything else.

Recommend this Post

When You Act Like A Sneak

People suspect your motives. Paul Wells on last week's press conference at the National Press Theatre.

Stephen Harper has now been caught scoping out at least two venues to pursue his media-control neurosis: the former US embassy, and a Sparks Street shoe shop. (See Kady's blog for more.) That's a fairly hefty number of millions of your tax dollars to spend because he's got a thing about scrums. I now believe he held that presser in the National Press Theatre last week because he knew the access-to-information request from the Star had gone through and he was about to look like a very odd fellow for empire-building on your dime when there was already a perfectly good venue in place. So, finally caught, he used the perfectly good venue for the first time. Funny: he used to say the Liberals only do the right thing when caught.

Harper used to condemn the government for holding too many votes of confidence too, but times change I guess.

Recommend this Post

Tory Astroturf

Well this is a big surprise. Not content with the Blogging Tories, the cult of personality known as the Stephen Harper Conservative Party has launched its own Astroturf website. Now you don't have to go searching for Tory talking points on the web, you can just tune into any radio program, or read the letters to the editor. How convenient for us all.

Recommend this Post

Vote Splitting Federally

Chantal Hebert may be right about vote splitting, but so be it. If we get Tory "majorities" for the next 3 or 4 elections, too bad, so sad. The Liberals' first call will be for a merger. The NDP and Greens should give them the finger. The Liberals are not a left wing party (and neither are the Greens) in any case. Eventually, maybe after sixteen or so years of Tory "majorities", I suspect even the Star will be calling for reform. Funny that, eh?

Recommend this Post

Credit Where It Is Due

To the Globe And Mail for including this in their post-election editorial:

Mr. McGuinty, meanwhile, did not wait long to offer his assessment of Ontario's referendum on electoral reform. Voters' rejection of a proposed system of mixed-member proportional representation (MMP), he appeared to suggest, meant they had definitively endorsed the current first-past-the-post system. "No, we've had that debate," he said Thursday when asked if there would be further referendums on electoral reform. "I'm glad and proud we've presented an option to Ontario voters. They've rejected it."

But Ontarians were not given a fair chance to reform the system; nor was there the full "debate" that Mr. McGuinty claims. Rather, a flawed model was put forward in a referendum that was barely publicized until the campaign's final days. By claiming the result settled the matter once and for all, Mr. McGuinty lends credence to claims that the referendum was intended only to reinforce the status quo.

It certainly does. I will contend until the day I die that McGuinty could not sell electoral reform to his own party and so set up the process to fail. If Liberals think this is over, they can forget about it. This is just the beginning.

Recommend this Post

More Thoughts About Harper And Manley

So, as I said yesterday, the press is eating up the Manley appointment with a spoon. To me, this is just Stephen Harper needing to be seen to be clever. He is a showboat who wants everyone to tell him how brilliant he is. The press may be impressed with this maneuver but I'm not. All it tells me, and I suspect everyone else is, Harper has made up his mind we are staying in Afghanistan and is trying to embarrass Stephan Dion into going along. Cynical? Yes. Clever? Only by Ottawa press gallery standards where it is all about "the game".

Out here in the boondocks, it is just so much BS. If Harper wants us to stay in Afghanistan, he should just hold a real debate in Parliament and let the chips fall where they may. If he has a brilliant argument, maybe he will even win. But, he won't chance that. In the world of Ottawa (and Canadian) politics, democracy is only a good thing when the game is fixed and the outcome is assured.

Recommend this Post

Thank You Andrew Coyne

A public thank you to Andrew Coyne. He was the only pundit in Ontario who did not let his partisan leanings cloud his judgment over MMP. I feel better now after reading his latest. Reform will triumph in the end!

Recommend this Post

Enough Despair

Let's dance.

Recommend this Post

Harper Is Taking A Page Out Of McGuinty's Book

By appointing John Manley (the bluest of blue Liberals) to head a group tasked with giving recommendations on our presence in Afghanistan, Harper is pulling a McGuinty. He is pushing a problem down the road and every time he is asked about it either in parliament or on the campaign trail, he can say "Well, let's wait and see what the commission says". The press of course, will eat this up, because with them, it's not about whether an action is justifiable, only whether it is "politically smart".

Recommend this Post

And Just To Emphasize The Point

The Star's editorial board adds its two cents:

Supporters of proportional representation have had a fair chance to make their case. They should accept the will of the vast majority of voters and resist the urge to demand another costly referendum.

Now let's never hear any more talk of this ever again, you stupid peasants.

I predict this will be the line from the Family Compact and its faithful hounds in the press for the rest of my life. I hope you all like first past the post, because the Family sure does and that's all that matters. All this talk of democracy is too wasteful an exercise. Leave it to us, we know what's best.

P.S. When the voter turnout gets below 50%, I predict the Family will react in two ways. First, it will scold the people for their laziness. Second, it will move to tinker with the system without any mandate whatsoever (mandatory voting is my guess, but it will be something that does not threaten its position in any way).

Update: Note to Murray Campbell, we are not walking away from the electoral process, we are being pushed. You try being told for thirty years that your opinion doesn't matter and then come and talk to me. As you yourself wrote:

Political scientists have reasoned that people will only vote if they believe the time and effort necessary are outweighed by a feeling of civic duty mixed with a belief that they can affect the election outcome and improve their society.

Well, I and 47% of Ontarians no longer have the "belief that they can affect the election outcome and improve their society". Soon it will be a majority and not some fake majority created by an anachronistic voting system, but the real thing.

Recommend this Post

A Message From The Family Compact

Brought to you by Ian Urquhart. I will summarize:

Those who voted "no" in the referendum based on the premise that you could get something better than MMP, forget it. Thank you for your support, but reform is now officially dead. Any attempt to revive the issue will be crushed by the Family and its loyal messengers in the press. Now go back to your little lives and let your betters run the province. Once again thank you for your support. Suckers.

Recommend this Post

Coyne Gets It Right

In his column today. He points his finger at one of the underlying messages of the no side in this campaign -- vote for MMP and you will get Muslim extremists calling the shots.

Much the same hysteria surfaced in the accompanying referendum on proportional representation: the first thing those opposed were likely to call to mind was, what if a Muslim party started up?

Never mind that the entire Muslim population of Ontario, at 3% of the total, would have to vote for the Muslim party -- and only one -- to get over the 3% threshold the proposal entailed. This was Ontario's version of Quebec's "reasonable accommodation" hearings, and Ontarians, it was clear, were not in a mood to be particularly reasonable.

The only thing Coyne leaves out is such thinking assumes all Muslims are extremists and will vote as a block for an extremist party.

Recommend this Post

What A Night

Well that was a bit of a disaster, wasn't it? Needless to say, that was my last vote in an Ontario election. I will still vote federally, since the parties get money for the votes they collect (thanks Jean!), but I won't vote again provincially as long as we keep FPTP. I live in a Tory riding and I have better things to do with my time.

Andrew Coyne is right.

Update:The voter turnout was about 50% in this election. Good luck convincing people to show up to the next one.

Recommend this Post

Yippee I Got To Vote (Now If It Only Meant Something)

I just got back from voting. The polling clerks had a real ritual they had to go through this time. It was like kabuki without the white makeup. I had to show my registration card, my driver's license, confirm my address without looking at the registration card, mark my ballots and then reconfirm my name when I gave the ballot over to the clerk before putting in the box. It seemed quite overboard if you ask me and it lent an air of mistrust to what had previously been a lighthearted, greet the neighbors kind of event. I suspect all this new concern for security will do is suppress the vote even more. Speaking of which, I talked to one of the other clerks and she said the turnout was down from 2004. It will be interesting to see the final numbers.

Recommend this Post

Back From The Darkness, Screaming

I have been off line all day due to technical difficulties. Just as well. Anywho, one thing I heard this morning, really made me scream. CBC had a piece on the morning news about the voters' ignorance about MMP. All was well until the reporter said, no joke, that the new system will involve 39 "appointed" MPPs. Who can blame the voters for being ignorant, when reporters for our national network are that misinformed about an issue on which they are supposed to be clarifying? That level of stupidity makes baby Jesus cry.

Recommend this Post

Not Unexpected News

The Ontario PC party has blitzed the province with an anti-MMP email. As one pro-MMP person is quoted as saying:

"MMP is great for party bosses? If it was, how come they're fighting it so hard?"

If the backroom boys of the Conservatives and Liberals hate this new system this much, it must be good.

Recommend this Post

Two Signs MMP Is Doing Better Than The Elites Would Like

1. The Star has attacked it again this morning.

2. Strategic Counsel has it defeated.

Recommend this Post

Why You Should Vote For MMP

Tomorrow is election day in Ontario. Once again the people of Ontario will be faced with the prospect of a "majority" government elected with a minority of the popular vote. It will be an unappealing resulting from an unappealing electoral system. If we pull together, this will be the last election created by the vagaries of the First Past The Post System. There is, as some of you know, an alternative system under examination during this election. In the next few paragraphs, I will outline my reasons for supporting that alternative, MMP.

First, what is wrong with the status quo? The First Past The Post system was developed to do one thing and that is to create majority government. In theory, when there are two parties running in an election, in a geographically compact area, FPTP is a perfectly adequate system. It measures the will of the population quite accurately. The party with the most votes will, in the vast majority of cases, have a majority in popular vote. If however, you introduce more parties into the mix, the FPTP system continues to deliver a majority of seats for the government, without a majority of the popular vote province wide. This has been the case for Ontario, for most of the last 70 years.

Majority government without majority support is a recipe for alienation, apathy and cynicism. If, election after election, people see that more people voted against the government than for it, they will rightly conclude that their vote does not matter.

FPTP distorts the popular will by rewarding parties that are regionally based, rather than appealing to the province as a whole. That's so because FPTP reliance solely on ridings rewards concentrations of support in a small area. Pity the Dipper in Oxford, the Liberal in Welland, the Conservative in downtown Toronto. They will go to the polls (if they bother), knowing absolutely that their vote is useless and will have no bearing in the outcome of the election.

Worse still are the supporters of the Greens and NDP, who are told constantly that not only will their vote not matter overall, but that by voting their conscience, they risk "helping to elect" Conservatives through vote splitting. This leads to the distinctly Canadian phenomenon of "hold your nose" to vote for another party to stop someone else.

How will MMP correct these defects? MMP is designed for a multiparty system. It more accurately reflects the voting intentions of the population. It keeps local representation in tact by keeping the riding system, but also uses a party vote to gage political opinion, province wide.

I hear a lot of talk by the no side about the party lists. This is in my opinion a red herring. It is effective however because it projects the worst aspects of FPTP (fixed local nominations, insta-members, appointed candidates) on to the lists. All four of the main parties have stated publicly that they will use democratic processes to create lists. If one of them is lying then no one will vote for their lists in the next election and they will suffer as a result.

The lists will, if the experience of the other jurisdictions using this system are duplicated here, give parties representation from all parts of the province. Those parties without riding representation in the North for example, will use the lists, if they are smart, to elect members from those areas of weakness, to prove they are pan provincial parties.

MMP is superior to FPTP in that it breaks up the monopoly of regionally based parties and rewards parties who are able to garner support from all parts of the province. The party vote will be taken at a province wide level (that is the second vote on all ballots from now on). This will encourage parties to think of the whole province when creating policy, rather than handing out plums solely to its regional base.

MMP in other jurisdictions has created much more stable government than FPTP. Germany has had few federal elections than Canada since WWII. This seems counter intuitive give the fact that no party gets a majority government in the German system without a majority of the popular vote. Why then have they had fewer elections? The difference is in the nature of minority government in FPTP and MMP.

In FPTP, a change of a few points in the polls can mean huge changes in the seat outcome. In MMP, you get what your poll numbers say you will get and so a shift from 35% to 40% is no incentive to pull the plug on parliament and run for that "majority". This means more stability.

A word about the most insidious argument put forward by the no side. That is the "tail wagging the dog" argument. This goes that it is ok to ignore the voters of the smaller parties because if we let their voices be heard in the legislature, they will somehow come to dominate. Again, you have to look at the histories of Germany and New Zealand to see that this is just not the case. The major party in the coalition governments still sets the agenda in the government. But, and this is crucial, it cannot run roughshod over the opinion of the other parties in the coalition. It has to be remembered that the bigger party may be bigger but it is not a majority. It will have to craft its policies in such a way to get majority support in the province. Never again will a "majority" government be able to ram through bills, unless it is supported by the representatives of a majority of the population. It will lead to a more thoughtful legislature.

The FPTP system is an anachronism whose time has come and gone. Tomorrow, we have it in our hands to usher in a new era of pan-Ontario politics. Don't be afraid. We may not create paradise on earth, but Ontario will still be better for the change.

Recommend this Post

The Most Bizarre Analogy I Have Ever Seen

I found this paragraph in today's Globe:

We also regard the arguments about “wasted votes” under the FPTP system as overblown. To take an illustration from another context, the Stanley Cup goes to the team that wins a majority of the contests played in a series, regardless of the total number of goals scored by each team. Similarly, there is nothing inherently unfair in asking the party that wins a majority of electoral contests provincewide to form the government.

I realize Patrick Monahan and Finn Poschmann are academics, but do they know nothing about hockey? No hockey game I have ever seen has had 5 teams on the ice all trying to score goals at the same time. Nor are hockey players trying to represent issues on behalf of the people of their province (other than "My team is better than your team and so we are better than you.").

Recommend this Post

Dear Toronto Star

While it is true that FPTP can deliver strong, stable governments that work, I wouldn't call it particularly democratic (your first paragraph essentially proves that point) . If you are just looking for strong and stable government, look to China. If you want to add democracy to that list, you will have to reform our electoral system with MMP.

Recommend this Post

A Word Of Caution

For those of you out there who are saying "Let's wait for STV". You should read the following paragraph carefully. It will become the template for opposition to that plan, if and when it ever emerges here.

The “citizens' assembly” that arrived at the proposed new model came much closer to getting it right than a similar panel did in British Columbia before that province's last election. There, the alternative on offer was an absurdly convoluted preferential voting system in which British Columbians would have required a political-science degree to figure out how to cast their ballot – and which, more important, would have severely weakened the party system such that effective and accountable government would have been impossible.

The high priests of the status quo will not like STV any better than MMP. The arguments will change but the underlying fear, smear and misrepresentation will remain. The truth is, the elites in this province (and their minions in the corporate press) like the way things are now and do not want any meaningful change to the the system. Why should they? They have all of the power now and by God, they are not going to share it without a fight. Don't be lulled by their reassurances that if you help them defeat MMP, they will turn around and give you something else.

Recommend this Post

For Dan

Life is short, but it is also beautiful. I am with you, big guy.

Recommend this Post

Deconstructing The Case Against MMP

The Record (which is owned by the Liberal house organ, Toronto Star), came out against MMP this morning. Let's take a look at their editorial and examine the reasons behind their decision.

There's only one good reason to dump the way Ontario voters have elected provincial politicians for over a century. There's only one good reason to gamble on a new system of selecting the government that leads and rules this great province. That reason is democracy -- the government of the people.

So far, so good, that is exactly the reason we should dump FPTP. It creates false majorities out of regionally concentrated minority voting blocks. Such a system is undemocratic because it ignores the wishes of the majority of voters province wide.

If the electoral reform being offered in next Wednesday's provincewide referendum can strengthen democracy, if it can transfer into the hands of the people of Ontario more political power, more authority over their lives and their land, then they should embrace it. But if the change being proffered fails this most important test, if it does not demonstrably bolster the health of Ontario democracy, if, in fact, it threatens to vitiate that democracy by granting more power to political cliques, then the proposed electoral reform should be roundly rejected.

Here is where I begin to get off the train. The editorialist is implying we have a democracy to "vitiate", when in fact we live in a four year dictatorship of the minority, punctuated by elections. Also, it is impossible to grant more power to "political cliques", as all power in this province is already concentrated in the office of the premier. Any reform that would cause power to flow away from that office, would be an improvement. Any system that would cause the ruling party to negotiate with the other parties to get legislation passed would be a step forward in our democracy.

So how does the system being proposed -- mixed-member proportional -- stack up? Ontario voters will, as is their right, make up their own minds. But for our part, we at The Record have concluded that democracy would suffer badly under a mixed-member proportional system because such a system would quickly and inevitably cede political power to political parties and their unelected elites, at the ongoing expense of ordinary people.

I will leave alone the idea that we live in a democracy, but the second point that power will flow to parties needs examining. In our present system parties control the political process. Voting no will not change that fact. Political parties are not in and of themselves bad things (as this editorial implies). Political parties are the collective expression of voters with differing ideas and nothing more. Furthermore, they are not going away any time soon. Is the editorialist suggesting that in his vision of reform, there will be no parties? An interesting thought, but I doubt it.

If Ontarians choose mixed-member proportional, the number of members of the provincial legislature (MPPs) elected to represent geographic ridings will fall, from the current number of 107 down to 90. Meanwhile, there will be a new class of MPPs -- 39 members who are not directly elected by voters but are, instead, appointed by political parties to the enlarged, 129-seat legislature.

Ah, the big lie of the no side finally appears. In the first place, the list MPPs will be elected province wide in the general election and will in no way be appointed. In the second, all four of the main parties have declared that their lists (which by law will have to be published before elections) will be created by transparent and democratic processes.

The laudable goal of the mixed-member proportional system is to have a legislature that matches as closely as possible how citizens actually vote. And it is true that under our current first-past-the-post electoral system, political parties that capture far less than half of the popular vote typically win elections.

At last he says that the goal of MMP is laudable and he admits that the present system is undemocratic. Does this change his position? Does he now reconsider his rejection of reform now that he has had an epiphany about the undemocratic nature of our present system? Not on your life. In fact, that is last you will hear about the ridiculousness of FPTP. Why? Well, you would have to ask the editorialist, but the answer to me is self-evident. The present system cannot stand up to even the most cursory of analysis and so he concluded that the best line of defense is a good offense.

Critics of the status quo say it lets a minority of voters enthrone a majority government that rules with total power. And that smacks of unfairness. Advocates of a mixed-member proportional system praise it as more fair because the number of seats a party gets in the legislature reflects as closely as possible the number of party votes it receives. There would be two votes on the ballot, remember, one for a local representative, one for a party.

We don't just "say" that a minority of voters enshrine a majority government", that is the reality. Again, the fairness of MMP is not just a claim, but a fact. Unlike FPTP, every vote will be used to create a legislature reflective of the wishes of the voters.

The 103 Ontarians who joined the Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform and proposed adopting this mixed-member proportional system deserve applause for their hard work, thoughtfulness and civic responsibility. However, our respect for them does not diminish our strong opposition to what they recommend.

This is what we call a pat on the head/slap in the face. Afterall, what do 103 of your neighbours who spent 8 months studying electoral reform know, compared to an editorialist who spent a long half hour reading the no mmp website? Silly Citizens Assembly, the elites of Ontario know what's best for you. Thanks for your service now go away and let them run the province like they always have and always will.

A mixed-member proportional system would hurt democracy because it would reduce the number of directly elected MPPs by more than 15 per cent. There would be significantly fewer ridings in Ontario and they would be bigger. Riding MPPs would be responsible for thousands of more constituents. It is easy to see how this would impede the direct access of constituents to their representative as well as their ability to influence that representative.

MMP will not reduce anything. All MPP's will be directly elected by the voters. The number of ridings will go down but if the experience of New Zealand is any guide, the 39 list MPP's will be drawn from all areas of the province and give voters even more options for interacting with their government. The bottom line is we will have more representation rather than less under MMP.

Then, there is the troubling matter of the 39 non-riding or at-large MPPs. Directly elected by no one, they would be directly accountable to no one -- at least to no one outside of the party cadre that put them on a list. True, the parties would offer some explanation for their slates of potential appointees. But it would be difficult in the extreme for voters to examine the many names on a slate for an ever increasing number of political parties.

This is the "democracy is too hard" argument. Firstly, all of the parties have now agreed that their lists will be created democratically. Second, the editorialist is suggesting that if people have to put any effort into voting, it just isn't worth the bother. And he is supposed to be defending democracy? Give me a break.

It is questionable how much legitimate campaigning such potential appointees would do in future elections. But what would that matter? Once installed in the legislature, they would be beyond the reproach or touch of voters. Future legislatures would be home to two classes of MPPs, one the traditional riding representative, the other, in all but name, a senator. Spare us this.

These MPP's will, by and large be running in ridings as well as on lists. They will campaign just as hard as anyone else. Again, using New Zealand as a guide, list MP's are not seen as second class MP's, in fact they tend to take on issues of wide importance to the country at large. Finally, when was the last time you got to vote for a senator? There is no analogy to be found here. If the Record wants to talk about an elected senate, fine, but the list MPPs will be elected province wide and are in no way appointed.

In the past 22 years, each of the three major Ontario parties has managed to win one or more elections, govern and then be evaluated by voters under the first-past-the-post system. Governments have been stable and often accomplished much, but they have also, out of necessity, been forced to heed the wishes of the people.

The majority of voters wanted nothing to do with Bob Rae. We got 5 years of unopposed rule from him anyway. The majority wanted nothing to do with the "Common Sense Revolution" and all of the upheaval that went with it. We got ten years of that rammed down our throats. Finally, the majority wanted nothing to do with Dalton McGuinty, but we are on the verge of having him rule over us like a king for 4 more years. Hey that sure is some system we have here, where the majority don't want the government they have, but have to endure it anyway. What do we call it anyway, because it sure isn't democracy.

To contemplate mixed-member proportional system is to consider a future of instability, of fragmented and only partially accountable legislatures fumbling their way under the leadership of perpetual minority governments. It is also a future in which political parties, including party hacks, hangers-on and failed politicians, would gain in influence and power as the already limited authority of ordinary voters wanes.

This is the "pulling it out of the air" portion of the editorial. Is New Zealand unstable? Is Germany unstable? No, but who cares because the editorialist isn't worried about reality, but fantasy. If the editorialist is worried about party hacks having influence, he should be going after the present system, which is completely dominated by those hacks. And when he says that voters have limited authority in the present system, he means they get to cast votes every four years knowing that the will of the majority will be ignored and distorted by a system of voting created before his great grandfather was born. To contemplate retaining a system is to look forward to the continuation of undemocratic rule by the self-satisfied elites in the Premier's office and their allies among the corporate press. Sure its not as messy as democracy, but let's not pretend it is democratic either.

To be sure, the way Ontario elects MPPs today has flaws. It could be improved and perhaps, after this election, Ontarians should continue searching for a better system. But mixed-member proportional is, in the final analysis, not a better system. On Oct. 11, please, say no to this proposed reform.

Finally, the biggest of the big lies in this referendum. Vote no and we will get it right next time, they say. Well, I have a prediction for you. If we vote no this time, the next time will not come in our lifetime. The elites in this province will proclaim loudly (especially if McGuinty gets his false majority) that we have tried it and "the people" rejected it and besides it is much too expensive to go through this process again, while there are taxes to cut and other such lofty priorities to prioritize. Why endure another 40 years of undemocratic rule? We have it in our power to seize control from the elites. Let's do it.

Update: Go read the Dawg. He and I are on the same wavelength this morning.

Update: I changed the title of this post because there are some Liberals who are truly trying to change the system.

Recommend this Post