Party Politics
I just resigned from the NDP executive committee of my riding. Party politics in Canada is interesting to say the least. Outwardly, it appears to be very, very boring. Behind the scenes, there is a lot going on.
In general, Canadians question things. For example, in 1993, after the Progressive Conservatives used dirty campaign tactics, Canadians roundly voted them out of office. By that I mean they went from making up the government of Canada to having 2 seats in parliament. Yup, from ruling the country to non-existent. This is the type of thing that Canadians do. The '84-'93 domination of the Conservative Party in Canada was an anomaly anyway. Canadians mostly vote Liberal.
I'm not going to get into how I feel about the Liberals right now. The point is that even the current incarnation of the Conservative Party of Canada, the party furthest to the right in Canada, is a somewhat socialist party. At worst, they try to reduce, rather than eliminate, social services. No party in Canada is really that bad. Unless you believe that parties, in general, exist for the sake of their own power rather than the citizenry of Canada.
I've had enough of parties and party politics. My choice is usually the NDP; I consider them the best of the worst. Earlier this year, I joined the party. I hate joining organizations because I don't feel that any one organization represents how I feel. After joining, I showed up at one meeting and after opening my big, fat mouth and asking a couple of questions, I found myself of the executive committee.
I tried, people. Really, I tried. In the end I realized that just like any other party, the NDP isn't interested in answering our questions - "our" being the citizens of Canada. Like the other parties, they are trying to gauge the way that we feel so that they get elected to office. They believe that Canadians are generally socialist and they may be right about that. But, I have questions about how they plan on implementing their agenda. Unilaterally? Are they open to disagreement or modification? I sought to uncover how they deal with the party membership. I discovered that they respond with silence. I sent many questions to the federal and provincial branches of the NDP. Nothing. Nada. Rien. No response. And I sent them some pretty heavy stuff. I figure if they aren't willing to answer to the party membership, they won't respond to the electorate in a suitable fashion. Just like the Conservatives. And the Liberals. And the Bloc.
In general, Canadians question things. For example, in 1993, after the Progressive Conservatives used dirty campaign tactics, Canadians roundly voted them out of office. By that I mean they went from making up the government of Canada to having 2 seats in parliament. Yup, from ruling the country to non-existent. This is the type of thing that Canadians do. The '84-'93 domination of the Conservative Party in Canada was an anomaly anyway. Canadians mostly vote Liberal.
I'm not going to get into how I feel about the Liberals right now. The point is that even the current incarnation of the Conservative Party of Canada, the party furthest to the right in Canada, is a somewhat socialist party. At worst, they try to reduce, rather than eliminate, social services. No party in Canada is really that bad. Unless you believe that parties, in general, exist for the sake of their own power rather than the citizenry of Canada.
I've had enough of parties and party politics. My choice is usually the NDP; I consider them the best of the worst. Earlier this year, I joined the party. I hate joining organizations because I don't feel that any one organization represents how I feel. After joining, I showed up at one meeting and after opening my big, fat mouth and asking a couple of questions, I found myself of the executive committee.
I tried, people. Really, I tried. In the end I realized that just like any other party, the NDP isn't interested in answering our questions - "our" being the citizens of Canada. Like the other parties, they are trying to gauge the way that we feel so that they get elected to office. They believe that Canadians are generally socialist and they may be right about that. But, I have questions about how they plan on implementing their agenda. Unilaterally? Are they open to disagreement or modification? I sought to uncover how they deal with the party membership. I discovered that they respond with silence. I sent many questions to the federal and provincial branches of the NDP. Nothing. Nada. Rien. No response. And I sent them some pretty heavy stuff. I figure if they aren't willing to answer to the party membership, they won't respond to the electorate in a suitable fashion. Just like the Conservatives. And the Liberals. And the Bloc.
posted by Laurelle St. Laurent at 9:43 p.m.
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