Hooray, another election! Okay, so not everyone is entirely thrilled (canada.com), but all two of my blog readers know I enjoy playing armchair (lownewulf.com) pundit (lownewulf.com). Sadly, this year my contribution is no more than commentary – I have exceeded the “five year limit” and am thus no longer eligible to vote by mail.
For the rest of you - DON’T VOTE CONSERVATIVE! Beyond platform preferences or overall political leanings, there is a fundamental issue of ethics – lack of accountability to the people, their elected representatives, longstanding traditions, or even the law of the land. I mentioned many of these during the 2008 election – including blatant violation of the very election and campaign finance laws that they helped pass! It’s only gone downhill from there, with parliament being prorogued TWICE (wikipedia.org) for political reasons, and the Government ultimately found in contempt of parliament (cbc.ca), which became the confidence measure that triggered the election.
The parliamentary system in Canada depends on separation of powers – any part of government that can ignore the will of the other parts can operate with unchecked supremacy. Given that the latest incarnation of the Conservative party has shown contempt to the only elected part of Canadian government, it is inconceivable that they can be even considered a legitimate democratic party, let alone ethically fit to participate in Government.
Rant over. On May 2nd, we’ll see if Canadians are paying attention, or even care. Until then, I’ll try to write a few posts on specific policy issues or data analysis, and keep the rhetoric to a minimum.
