14 November 2005

Why I'm Giving Up on Partisan Politics

I'm sitting here watching Duffy interview Goodale's parliamentary secretary, Monte Solberg, and some Dipper, when Duffy asks the Liberal guy what his prediction is for the forthcoming election. He predicted a fifth consecutive Liberal victory, and immediately, as if it were programmed into them, Solberg mutters "Liberal arrogance" and the the NDP woman blabbers "culture of entitlement." If someone asks a hockey player if the team going to win the big game, he's not going to say no, of course he's going to predict victory and hope for the best! It's not "arrogant" or indicative of a "culture of entitlement" to believe that your party is going to win the next election; he didn't predict a 200+ seat majority, he just said that the Liberals would win.
I loathe the extent to which our parliamentarians have it instilled in them to hit all the buzzwords and catchphrases of the day. Why can they not instead make something remotely resembling a constructive counterpoint? Why must it always be a race to the bottom?
This is the reason I don't really care to run for an elected position, I'd be much happier in a strategy room or at the higher levels of a government department. That way I could actually strive to make this country a better place without having to appease a mediocre leader who is more concerned with scoring cheap points than producing tangible results to keep Canada at the top of the heap.

1 comment:

deaner said...

"That way I could actually strive to make this country a better place without having to appease a mediocre leader."

Ummm - Richard? That's why it's called Parliamentary supremacy - to make sure that ambitious youg apparatchiks (even with noble heart and motive pure) have to answer to an elected leader. Even if he is mediocre.