Canada’s Debate

I did this “place in the world” quiz, and the answer surprised me. Normally I don’t place too much stock into an internet quiz, but an intriguing result is an intriguing result. (See bottom of post.)

Anyways, for some reason the quiz turned my thoughts to the book 1984, and the upcoming election. It has been amusing (and pretty depressing) to watch this past week or so as all three major parties attempt to somehow manufacture human nature. Now I’m not suggesting that any of these parties are neo-fascist organizations a la The Party or anything; but there are some striking similarities. The use of fear/rewards and a control of information has been an essential part of electioneering for over a century, but it’s becoming more and more apparent that this campaign has been about manufacturing a reality that doesn’t really exist. Now, Karl Rove and the Bush team perfected this during the last election year, of that there is no doubt, but something similar is happening.

Let’s take a look at Harper’s campaign first. He started off “well,” releasing major policy initiatives on an almost daily basis to start the campaign. Since then, he has disappeared from the campaign almost entirely. Instead, the last three weeks have been given entirely to scaring Liberal voters, without really saying “vote for the Conservatives instead.” (Continue reading…)

Anyone else getting sick of those “choose your Canada” ads? I know I am, not because they put me on the spot however. Rather, I’m ticked off because everyone is making the wrong choices… that, or they’re making their choices for the wrong reason. Honestly, it’s appalling and frustrating.

Regardless, the election is going to happen, the Conservatives will win, and Canada will move further away from the great country I grew up in; which is a shame.

In the spirit of the election, I have created three new Canada’s Debate themes. Each one uses the same layout and graphics as the new format I introduced here a few weeks ago, I’ve just created three different versions for the three major national parties. (Continue reading…)

I know that a lot of people have made up their mind to vote for Stephen Harper, and I know their reasons. There is no disputing that Paul Martin’s leadership of this country has been ineffective and in cases downright incompetent. There is also no disputing the fact that the Liberal Party has suffered tremendously under his watch. What amazes me though is that people are marching straight into the Conservative groupthink so eagerly, as if they will be some sort of panacea for our good-government crisis.

I read a lot of boards, blogs, forums and emails (not to mention newspapers) and one thing that amazes is that nobody wants or cares enough to defend Harper’s policies: policies which I know for a fact some people who are voting for him reject outright. (Continue reading…)

Ok, so it’s debate time. I skipped the opening statements because they’re boring beyond compare. So lets watch shall we. I’ll be sticking with the same format as before.

8:07 Good question from the moderator. “Do you have any evidence?”

8:08 Toronto Waterfront? What’s Harper getting at here. I should be fair and say that he effectively went after Martin however.

8:10 Duceppe once again has the best (at least in terms of honesty and practicality) response: there should be appearance of controversy.

8:12 I like the idea of direct confrontation… but it only took 30 seconds for Martin to turn on it and attack Layton directly. (Continue reading…)

Well we’re rapidly approaching crunch time as far as the election is concerned, if the Liberal blogger emails I’m getting for some reason are any indication:

This week has looked bad in the polls. However, I hope you have all noticed that the Conservatives have been gradually losing their lead in the past few days. The election is far from over and I expect that each and every one of you will continue to support the Liberal cause on your personal blogs and Progressive Bloggers.

(Continue reading…)

So, what’s more depressing than a 24 year old unemployed pseod-student? A 24 year old unemployed pseudo-student who has to vote in the upcoming election.

Ok, I admit it, I’m not actually depressed, or depressing. I’m actually feeling quite good after buying some nice clothing today. Normally I wouldn’t be completely enthralled by the trappings of material purchases, but the fact is that I look good in a red shirt and sports jacket. Regardless, I’m faced with a tough dilemma, as is everyone with an ounce of political insight. (Continue reading…)

Some quick hits as I am watching and listening to the debate, colour coded by party. I wish I had started this right at 8pm, but I was playing Scrabble with my grandmother. Ok, I’ll have detailed responses to the debate tomorrow.

8:53 - Jack Layton needs to stop sucking Ed Broadbent’s cock on national television. Seriously, this borders on the absurd. He’s trotting out good old Ed every chance he gets, and all he’s accomplishing is reminding people that he remains an unknown quantity as a party leader.

8:57 - Jack Layton just answered a question about parliamentary decorum by saying his party has more women. Where is he going with this? Either he’s completely off base, or he’s suggesting that women are by nature more respectful and docile… and he’s being an ass no matter which is the case.

8:58 - Good god, Paul Martin just agreed with him that women are more pleasant. My hat is off to you sir. (Continue reading…)

I think we can all agree that watching this election has been incredibly boring. I mean, there have been no outrageous screwups, no evident scandals (income-trust leakage notwithstanding) and no real bell-ringer issues… at least not yet. Perhaps I’m just experiencing fatigue because this campaign started about a year and a half ago. Regardless of why, I have never felt less motivated about a political campaign, and you’re listening to a guy who is too lazy to get out of bed in the afternoon to turn his computer on so he can read his email.

Whether I’m apathetic, cynical, or just a schmuck, I’ve decided to channel my energy towards a slightly different project. While I still encourage everyone to vote (I will), I am making it my goal from here on in to make every voting Canadian resent their party for forcing this shitty election on us. (Continue reading…)