When Arguing Politics Ceases to Be Fun

[dogriver]

I wrote the following to a talk-show-host friend of mine yesterday. I
have found out since then that the intended coalition is seeking an
eighteen-month term. It's better than the four or five years I'd feared,
but a lot of damage can still be done in eighteen months:

Thank you for what you said at the beginning of today's [program]. I'm
trying not to let my fears rule me at this point. It's tough, though,
because I am witnessing a government forming power that wheeled and
dealed its way in with total disregard for democracy. I still can't
believe they can just do this. I've never seen anything like it in my
life, and I have trouble sharing your optimism that Canada will survive
... but again, I'm trying not to let my fear rule me. One of the things
you've told me often over the years is not to allow myself to get ruled
by my emotions, and you'll tell me that again if I don't say it first,
and you'll be right. But it's tough, ... it's really tough, because this
is all so very new to me. It used to be fun arguing politics. I loved my
righteous indignation. I didn't even realize at the time how much I
enjoyed it. It's not fun any more. Now it's my future, I'm a big boy now
and what goes on affects me, and I know it. They can hold onto power for
four years, maybe five, and who knows what they can put into place in
that time to thwart democracy? What can the people do? What rights do we
have as citizens? I was always told that we elect our government.
Obviously we don't. What recourse is there for us? We can't threaten
them with our vote, they can just circumvent that. I'm scared. I'm
trying not to be, but I am.

Comments

[arinoch.livejournal.com]

Harper is Canada's Bush, plain and simple. The only reason he's still in power is because just about everyone west of Ontario votes almost exclusively conservative. As screwed up as a lot of the American ways of doing things actually are, they've at least done that much right.

[(Anonymous)]

Bruce,

Though I don't have a clear idea of how our political system functions, I know that confidence motions are extremely important to the workings of our democracy. As someone pointed out, Harper is Canada's George Bush. Neither he nor the conservatives have my confidence at all, and only a small percentage of Canada's population actually turned out on election day and put these sorry excuses for leaders into power.

What with increasing our troops in Afghanistan and ruling from a very religious point of view, the conservatives, I feel, have done quite a lot of damage to our country in the last few years; in fact, Canada is becoming more hated in a worldwide context than it has ever been before.

I therefore feel that this confidence motion will, in fact, *help* Canadians. I feel incredibly optimistic that the damage the conservatives have done to our democracy can be repaired, and I think it's time you stop acting like an immature conservative and maybe have a few more Cokes - you're maybe running low on caffiene.

[masterofmusings.livejournal.com]

I'm not going to argue idiology with you, whoever you are, because the situation is too grave for argument. Yes, nonconfidence is a good thing providedit can be put to the people. If the opposition wanted to force an election, it would make me grumpy, but at least the people could be given a say in its result. Democracy is completely and utterly ignored and usurped in this situation, we will soon have a bunch of separatists in a hugely powerful position with respect to running the country they would see destroyed, and that fuels my fears.