A coalition government but not necessarily a coalition.
Bloc support for Tories to avert election call (CBC NEWS)
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2009/09/15/bloc-election-motion.html
PM has new love for 'socialists': Ignatieff (CBC NEWS)
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2009/09/14/parliament-house-commons-vote281.html
The Canadian political scene reminds me of a disfunctional family. You have the arogrant self centered father-- the Conservatives. Heterosexist and set in his ways, the party calls for tradition and family values, specifically if he can control that family. The loud nagging mother, the Liberal party, is always saying "what about." What about women? What about aboriginal people? What about disabled people? What about multiculturalism? She's always onto the next project, not quite leaving anything completely finished. Sometimes her "what abouts" are really just gestures without any action to back them up.
The NDP and the Bloc would be the two children who take sides whenever they can get the most out it. I can image Layton and Duceppe giggling over their toys. "But mommy promised me increased rights for the marginalized!!" "But Daddy said that we could deregulate the economy!!" The kids are always the smart ones because they capitalize no matter how things go. The voters however don't.
Imagine that this political family lives in a house they do not own. This house is called Canada. Sometimes the family runs up the hydro too much, leaving the people who own the home (Canadians) to foot the bill. It is pretty understandable the the homeowners would be a little peeved with the family. Sometimes they make too many changes to the house. Maybe the homeowners aren't exactly ready for those changes. Sometimes change takes time.
When the mother and father fight, it can get a little violent. The father calls the mother something mean and the mother throws a plate at the father. It happens, right? Well the neighbours hear those words (which don't make the family look too good) and the plate hits a wall (which means new paint). In the end, the homeowner always ends up paying.
So who pays for the election? Harper could. He could lose his job, and that would suck for him. Ignatieff could if Canadians get too annoyed with elections. But do Canadians lose?
I'm not going to lie to you, I'm a pretty solid Liberal. I know they aren't perfect, but at least I get to marry whoever I want and I can keep universal health care. I think it's the way I grew up. I always sided with my mom over my dad.
I think everyone can think of a time when their parents said one thing and did the other. Well, I think I could handle a nagging mom versus a two-faced dad. Don't tell me one minute that the NDP are villianous socialists and affliation with them is like signing over your soul. If that's the case, I hope they find you a cool place in hell.
Ignatieff gets props in my book for standing on his own. This time around, good ol' Mikey is saying "We can take them all on our own." All the same, the NDP and the Bloc are like hangers on. They stick around while the getting is good and then they're off to their next meal ticket. I don't blame them but I don't much like them for it. Think of them as those adult children who hang around in their parents basement long after they should have left the nest.
So what do you think: Is it a wasteful election? Do the Bloc and the NDP deserve more credit? In the end, it doesn't matter if you disagree with me. Whether or not you are thinking about it is what really matters.
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I thought your analogy was great! I liked how you followed through with it and made comparisons on different levels. You didn't stop with just naming the political parties as family members, but went on to discuss the homeowners as Canadians as well. You were able to show a creative satirical viewpoint on real issues and I thought this was very well done, and super clever. Even though I'm not that big into politics, it was a well thought out and written analogy that kept me interested, and as you said at the end, "thinking about it". The only thing I could say is that ending seemed a little dis-jointed, it would have been nice to have seen the analogy integrated into your message at the end. All in all it seems like this would be a great idea for an essay, like there would be a lot of room to expand. Anyway great job I enjoyed reading it.
ReplyDeleteStacey, your blog was very interesting! At the beginning I was hesitant to read a blog about politics. I struggle to keep up with what is going on in Canada’s political system but after reading your insightful humorous blog I wanted to know more. I could hear a strong voice throughout the blog; I could feel the passion which made me want to feel the same passion for politics. This was very well written, Great job!
ReplyDeleteStacey, although I am interested in political news, I thought this was enjoyable to read because it was politics written for people who don't seem to be too interested in politics. Like Meghan said, the analogy was good. It made the story more interesting than the average (boring!) political article. However, I'm glad you admitted to being a "pretty solid Liberal" because otherwise the piece may have sounded too biased without the author admitting to it. I liked the ending line "Whether or not you are thinking about it is what really matters." I agree!
ReplyDeleteHello Stacey!
ReplyDeleteGreat post, I am involved a lot with politics so this was very interesting. The notion of Parliament as a quarreling family is definitely a great image to play on. I also liked the “average Canadian” tone of this post. We pay for elections as we must also pay the salaries of MPs who squabble on non-issues for most of question period.
Another good point of this piece is that you identify yourself and your own political ideology. It garners you the respect of the reader because you recognize the strengths and weakness of the Liberal party. You are not simply an ideologue writing to smear, but a Canadian writing about politics. Good job! I look forward to your next post!
- Jeremy