Cooperation in politics...

It is not easy to chart a new course. Unquestionably it is far easier to do the same old things over and over. In Canadian political terms, the old and safe route is to beat up on all the other parties (constantly) while pointing out that only your party is virtuous. It shows the proper team spirit. My team versus your team. Sports analogies abound. It is a nice simple message. The party members love it. The problem is the voters do not like it. Voters know it is a lot of stuff and nonsense. Voters, the public, are not very likely to be members of political parties. In fact, in recent surveys, more than 80% of Canadians have never belonged to a political party. What those voters, the majority of Canadians, would like is a way, despite this dreadful first past the post system, to see their views and values reflected in the House of Commons that gets elected. There is a new book out called Two Cheers for Minority Government by political scientist, Peter Russell. In it he makes the case that Minority Governments are a more democratic option than "false majorities" – those governments with a majority of seats, but a minority of the popular vote. He also makes the case against the growth of the Imperial Prime Minister’s Office. On both counts, it is a book worth reading. He also reviews the few halting efforts at cooperation in Canadian politics and the many examples internationally. It is in descriptions of international cooperation that the Green Party gets most frequently mentioned. These efforts are quite stable and produce good results. We need to find a new way of doing things in Canada despite the limitations of first past the post. It will not be easy. The easy route, the team mentality, is not an option for me. I know what will happen -- increase in divisive politics and leaders who cannot win the trust of the public. If we keep doing the same thing over and over, why would we expect a different result? The different result is only possible if we actually do things differently. The result I want is real action to address the climate crisis before it is too late. I want a new approach to peacekeeping and international security that puts nuclear disarmament at the top of the priority list. We need a democratic government, made up of all the MPs and not one Imperial Prime Minister. We need a parliament that will respect human rights, women’s rights, and make social justice a priority. We need Greens in Parliament. But not so much that we should trade off on the real goals of survival. Taking a new approach implies risks. We can never compromise our principles. We can never accept something less than real reductions to avoid a global concentration of 425 parts per million of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Some limits are political. Others are real and irreversible. The team mentality is an anachronism. The voters see it as a useless vestige. Members of all political parties need to examine the utility of blind partisanship. Democracy requires that we leave it behind.