Prorogation as a neo-conservative parlour game

Well, the Harperator is showing his political prowess to the full. We can only hope that somehow the electorate will wake up and recognize that, yes we can make some difference if we choose to.

I don't think public apathy is a new phenomenon, it takes time and effort to pay attention to the details of political intrigue and most folks haven't the resources or inclination - or don't think they do. In a society that is comfortable it is much easier to assume that, 'well, they won't harm me, so why should I make the effort'. The sad collorary to that is - sorry but they will come for you when he time is ripe. As has been said so many times - democracy takes effort, diligence and commitment to what ever level one individual can muster. Even at the very basic level of voting it can most often be enough.

From my own background in northern England there was no discussion in our working class family, we simply voted Labour. Why? Because we had always voted Labour. For the vast majority politics is about who will look after me and mine? The problem arises when the elites convince us that the party with which we have the least affinity convinces us that our interests are best served by that 'same party. This is nowhere more apparent than in the USA where people actually believe that private health care, massive militarism, prisons as an industry, unlimited economic expansion and the natural environment as a problem, are thought to be beneficial for society.

Harper is essentially a contemporary American politican and we need an Omaba miracle up here to break the destructive pattern. Sadly, only Elizabeth has the skills and charisma to provide this but she isn't the leader of a party with the power, history and resources of the US Democrats.  Then again Canada, unlike the US, is not traditionally a two party state and we are much more at home with the pluralistic European system. The log jam of course is the FPTP electoral system which often hands majority government to a minority party. I believe minority governments are far better than majority ones providing there is a sufficient diverity of parties to create a coalition that can really serve the country.

Harper will never give up his ambition for a majority and never consider a coalition since the ideology of the present conservative party is so far out of step with all other parties. He remains a Reagan/Bush ideolog even now that this type of thinking has been so discredited as to be a joke. Then again, perhaps I am speaking out of turn since the elites actually believe we can return back to the hyperdrive of the pre-meltdown days. It will probably take about a decade before the realty of the failure has truly sunk in and we will keep trying all kinds of stimulus packages and industry incentives to get us back to that capitalist Shangrila.