This link came from an anonymous comment on another post on this blog. It is a little bit of satire you can spare 3 mins or so to enjoy and reflect on.
I know its anonymous and everyone know how much I detest anonymous comments. But OMG if they used their real names they would be thrown out of public political rallies by Harper henchmen as Harper ducks and weaves to avoid answering questions.
There here is the link - enjoy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWI9GHIBusM
Sunday, April 10, 2011
More Curiosity About Alberta Party
Here is a link to an interesting article in FFWD out of Calgary that will give you a sense of the recent history and amazing growth of the Alberta Party. The Alberta Party is doing everything at once. They have set up constituency organizations (44 in five months). They are gathering membership, over 1300 in five months. They are setting policy ideas in place on a citizen engagement model. Add to that the leadership search to find the right blend of practical political experience but with a leadership style that is inclusive and community based that will keep the shared sense of the purpose of the Alberta Party progressing.
This fledging revived and renewed political party morphed out of the desire of a group of progressive thinking Albertan who gathered in a citizen's movement called Reboot Alberta. People who wanted to start a new political party found each other at Reboot Alberta and the Alberta Party was born.
One of those progressive thinking Albertans at Reboot Alberta was Glenn Taylor, the three time Mayor of Hinton. He has now stepped up to run for the leadership of the Alberta Party and I am delighted to be working with him on achieving that goal. I encourage you to learn more about Glenn Taylor and see what a breadth and depth of elected political experience he has. He also has a realistic world view from a rich and diverse set of practical life experiences too. I believe he has much to offer to Alberta through the Alberta Party goal of doing politics differently.
You can also keep in touch with Glenn on Twitter @glenntalyr and on Facebook by searching GlennTaylorAlberta. Check out those opportunities to engage with and get to know Glenn too.
I hope you have also come to realize that we need a new political culture in Alberta. We need a government that reflects our true selves and not the mistaken myths and condescending caricatures that are imposed on Alberta these days.
We can change all that through a young vibrant enthusiastic political movement that is caring, compassionate and ready to take responsibility for more open, transparent, honest and accountable governance. This is all now emerging and getting ready to offer a serious viable progressive political alternative in the next election. It is called the Alberta Party. Join us and be the change you want to see in and for Alberta.
This fledging revived and renewed political party morphed out of the desire of a group of progressive thinking Albertan who gathered in a citizen's movement called Reboot Alberta. People who wanted to start a new political party found each other at Reboot Alberta and the Alberta Party was born.
One of those progressive thinking Albertans at Reboot Alberta was Glenn Taylor, the three time Mayor of Hinton. He has now stepped up to run for the leadership of the Alberta Party and I am delighted to be working with him on achieving that goal. I encourage you to learn more about Glenn Taylor and see what a breadth and depth of elected political experience he has. He also has a realistic world view from a rich and diverse set of practical life experiences too. I believe he has much to offer to Alberta through the Alberta Party goal of doing politics differently.
You can also keep in touch with Glenn on Twitter @glenntalyr and on Facebook by searching GlennTaylorAlberta. Check out those opportunities to engage with and get to know Glenn too.
I hope you have also come to realize that we need a new political culture in Alberta. We need a government that reflects our true selves and not the mistaken myths and condescending caricatures that are imposed on Alberta these days.
We can change all that through a young vibrant enthusiastic political movement that is caring, compassionate and ready to take responsibility for more open, transparent, honest and accountable governance. This is all now emerging and getting ready to offer a serious viable progressive political alternative in the next election. It is called the Alberta Party. Join us and be the change you want to see in and for Alberta.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Do Elections Actually Equal Political Accountability?
Back in 1993 Kim Campbell was excoriated for stating the obvious that elections are not the time to deal with complex issues. The reaction was swift negative and part of her disastrous electoral outcome. She was right however.
The sound bite journalism with the superficial horse race mind set of traditional media coverage back then persists today...even worse if you ask me. Add to that the social media maelstrom of comment and conflict and the poor voter is hard pressed to know what or who to believe...never mind trust.
The Hill Times has a terrific article by W.T. Stansbury entitled "Why general elections are pretty poor mechanism for accountability to citizens." It is a long and thoughtful article so don't rush through it. Let it sink in. Accountability along with Integrity and Honesty were the top three evaluation criteria Albertan's choose in some research we did last May through Reboot Alberta. It is a serious and central concern of citizens in this province.
His accountability theme expands on the fact that elections are too infrequent to make and irreversible to really make politicians accountable. He notes that we don't have any really effective and acceptable performance measures for politicians, especially given the complex and wide scope of government. He notes there is a sense that elections are mostly a referendum on the performance of the economy. If folks feel better off the economic management of the current government get applauded and likely re-elected. Harper is making misleading comments about the comparative strength of the Canadian economy as Jim Stafford points out in this Globe and Mail Commentary
This leads to Stansbury's next point; the Information Problem. Information to assess government performance is hard to collect get at and it is expensive to access. We see Access to Information policy thwarted more than enabled and recently we see it is inappropriately interfered with by Harper government operatives for political purposes.
There is more but you get the drift. Elections matter but we need to take them seriously as citizens as difficult as that is. It is made worse with the superficial political spin machines and the misleading messaging they push at us and the herd mentality of understaffed and under funded mainstream media who too often get suckered into be stenographers and not journalists.
Just another reason why citizens need to take back control of our democracy and punish poor political performance in government and on the way to get there.
The sound bite journalism with the superficial horse race mind set of traditional media coverage back then persists today...even worse if you ask me. Add to that the social media maelstrom of comment and conflict and the poor voter is hard pressed to know what or who to believe...never mind trust.
The Hill Times has a terrific article by W.T. Stansbury entitled "Why general elections are pretty poor mechanism for accountability to citizens." It is a long and thoughtful article so don't rush through it. Let it sink in. Accountability along with Integrity and Honesty were the top three evaluation criteria Albertan's choose in some research we did last May through Reboot Alberta. It is a serious and central concern of citizens in this province.
His accountability theme expands on the fact that elections are too infrequent to make and irreversible to really make politicians accountable. He notes that we don't have any really effective and acceptable performance measures for politicians, especially given the complex and wide scope of government. He notes there is a sense that elections are mostly a referendum on the performance of the economy. If folks feel better off the economic management of the current government get applauded and likely re-elected. Harper is making misleading comments about the comparative strength of the Canadian economy as Jim Stafford points out in this Globe and Mail Commentary
This leads to Stansbury's next point; the Information Problem. Information to assess government performance is hard to collect get at and it is expensive to access. We see Access to Information policy thwarted more than enabled and recently we see it is inappropriately interfered with by Harper government operatives for political purposes.
There is more but you get the drift. Elections matter but we need to take them seriously as citizens as difficult as that is. It is made worse with the superficial political spin machines and the misleading messaging they push at us and the herd mentality of understaffed and under funded mainstream media who too often get suckered into be stenographers and not journalists.
Just another reason why citizens need to take back control of our democracy and punish poor political performance in government and on the way to get there.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
An Oz View of the Canadian Political Culture
This opinion piece out of Australia, written by a Canadian is a terrific compilation of the sad state of the Canadian political culture and the decline of our democracy.
The essence of Canadian disengagement and the consequential political atrophy and decline of our democracy is captured in this paragraph:
Edmund Burke noted that all that was necessary for evil to triumph was for good men to do nothing. Canadians are certainly good and worthy folks, but they suffer an excess of civil obedience, politeness and lack of civic rage that could be harnessed to combat political atrophy. At a time when Arabs risk life and limb for political freedoms, Canadians seem largely apathetic about the erosion of their democracy.
We are in an election. They matter. The results determine how we will be governed and by whom. The results determine the quality of character of the leadership and by default, the country, both internally and to the rest of the world. The election results impact the daily lives or each and everyone of us. It will set a tone that directs and even determines the nature and nurture of our personal and national dreams and aspirations.
Elections matter.
Any conscientious and concerned Canadian must realize this and get informed and engaged in determining the outcome of this election. Reflect on the admonition of Edmund Burke above. Overcome your apathy.
Then take a few more minutes to read and reflect on David Akin's excellent column in the Sun newspapers today. "Bad Governments are Elected by Good People Who Don't Vote." Dust of your citizenship. Demand a country you can be proud of again and make it happen by electing people of character who see political like as all about public service not the pursuit and practice of personal political power.
The essence of Canadian disengagement and the consequential political atrophy and decline of our democracy is captured in this paragraph:
Edmund Burke noted that all that was necessary for evil to triumph was for good men to do nothing. Canadians are certainly good and worthy folks, but they suffer an excess of civil obedience, politeness and lack of civic rage that could be harnessed to combat political atrophy. At a time when Arabs risk life and limb for political freedoms, Canadians seem largely apathetic about the erosion of their democracy.
We are in an election. They matter. The results determine how we will be governed and by whom. The results determine the quality of character of the leadership and by default, the country, both internally and to the rest of the world. The election results impact the daily lives or each and everyone of us. It will set a tone that directs and even determines the nature and nurture of our personal and national dreams and aspirations.
Elections matter.
Any conscientious and concerned Canadian must realize this and get informed and engaged in determining the outcome of this election. Reflect on the admonition of Edmund Burke above. Overcome your apathy.
Then take a few more minutes to read and reflect on David Akin's excellent column in the Sun newspapers today. "Bad Governments are Elected by Good People Who Don't Vote." Dust of your citizenship. Demand a country you can be proud of again and make it happen by electing people of character who see political like as all about public service not the pursuit and practice of personal political power.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
CBC Vote Compass Worth a Visit
Here is the link to the CBC Vote Compass survey. http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canadavotes2011/votecompass/
I really encourage you to take the survey. What political party mostly aligns with your values and beliefs this election? I was surprised - but not unpleasantly - when I turned out to be more Green than Liberal. I was not surprised to find myself the farthest from the Harper Conservatives.It is a good conversation starter - especially with ones self. Where does your political alignment fit this time around. What political party is the closest to your sense of what is important, at least in terms of the questions asked.
By the time I post this I expect over half a million Canadians will have taken the Vote Compass survey. That is an interesting expression of citizenship engagement in itself. It indicates to me that at least CBC types are prepared to participate in a meaningful conversation about politics - even if only with themselves. It also takes us away from the less meaningful left versus right sense of being political these days. The issues and the value trade-offs we have to make between competing issues can't be conveniently packaged as left or right any more. Most people don't know what it means to be left or right any more and those of us who do understand the dichotomy find the classification less useful or accurate in capturing the basket of values that any one individual actually has and holds these days.
I hope we will get some aggregate data released out of the CBC on the Vote Compass responses perhaps by province and cities - even by ridings if there is a large enough sample to be meaningful - since they asked for postal codes. How many Greens are there in Calgary for example. How many Canadians feel the oil sands environmental concerns are exaggerated? There are a lot more things we can focus on from this data to get a sense of where Canadians are at
Any insights and analysis will not be a statistically valid random sample but it will still have value to provide insights on those who took the time to participate. On-line communities form function and fade around issues and events...including an election. This Vote Compass vehicle creates an opportunity for Meet Ups and Tweet Ups to happen between like minded or contrary minded people to discuss explore and even reconsider positions in conversations with other citizens.
This kind of exchange of opinions and ideas in face to face respectful conversations are so much more meaningful for citizens than partisan hype spin or "messaging" of traditional tedious and tendentious campaign events.
The CBC brings so much of Canada together through radio and television programming. Now it might consider doing the same thing but in a much more participatory way. By using the Vote Compass device as a way to spark some significant sense of citizenship in communities and even across the .country around issues of importance - not the superficial stuff like the coalition baiting we see being covered these days.
I really encourage you to take the survey. What political party mostly aligns with your values and beliefs this election? I was surprised - but not unpleasantly - when I turned out to be more Green than Liberal. I was not surprised to find myself the farthest from the Harper Conservatives.It is a good conversation starter - especially with ones self. Where does your political alignment fit this time around. What political party is the closest to your sense of what is important, at least in terms of the questions asked.
I hope we will get some aggregate data released out of the CBC on the Vote Compass responses perhaps by province and cities - even by ridings if there is a large enough sample to be meaningful - since they asked for postal codes. How many Greens are there in Calgary for example. How many Canadians feel the oil sands environmental concerns are exaggerated? There are a lot more things we can focus on from this data to get a sense of where Canadians are at
Any insights and analysis will not be a statistically valid random sample but it will still have value to provide insights on those who took the time to participate. On-line communities form function and fade around issues and events...including an election. This Vote Compass vehicle creates an opportunity for Meet Ups and Tweet Ups to happen between like minded or contrary minded people to discuss explore and even reconsider positions in conversations with other citizens.
This kind of exchange of opinions and ideas in face to face respectful conversations are so much more meaningful for citizens than partisan hype spin or "messaging" of traditional tedious and tendentious campaign events.
The CBC brings so much of Canada together through radio and television programming. Now it might consider doing the same thing but in a much more participatory way. By using the Vote Compass device as a way to spark some significant sense of citizenship in communities and even across the .country around issues of importance - not the superficial stuff like the coalition baiting we see being covered these days.
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