On Corruption and Political Disengagement

Last night I had a long telephone conversation with my good friend Dave, who lives in Winnipeg. Like me (and probably more so), Dave has a keenly developed sense of justice and fair play, and when those values are violated, he is outraged. Last evening, as he was telling me about the latest developments in what seems to be a deep well of corruption, cronyism and conflict of interest infecting Winnipeg municipal politics, I asked him how the malefactors, who barely seem to be making an effort to conceal their nefarious deeds, escape civic accountability.

A good part of the answer, and the part I feel I can discuss here, is voter apathy and disengagement.

I have written previously on the problems our democratic traditions are experiencing these days under a federal government that displays egregious contempt for what the electorate thinks or wants. My own theory is that the Harper regime is doing everything it can to disillusion and estrange citizens from participation so that only the true believers (right-wing ideologues, for example) turn out at the polls while most others remain at home. That surely explains, at least in part, what happened in the last federal election when a minority of Canadians gave Harper the majority he so long coveted.

And it explains Harper's refusal, to take any responsibility for having lied to the public about the true costs of the F-35 jets. Equally damning and shameful, he refuses to require any ministerial responsibility, in this case from the incompetent and dishonest Minister of Defense, Peter MacKay.

However, this is one small speck of light on the horizon, as explained by Bob Hepburn, who writes about Harper’s cynical assault on democracy in today's Star. I hope you will find the time to read his piece.

Appreciation of Small Pleasures

In this life, filled as it is with so many vicissitudes, I firmly believe that we have to enjoy small pockets of pleasure that come our way, whether it is a sumny day, a walk in nature, a good book or, in this case, the return of David MacFarlane to the newspaper. MacFarlane, a gifted writer, once had a regular column in Canada's self-proclaimed 'newspaper of record', but like countless other incomprehensible management decisions of the Globe's past decade, was terminated several years ago, a fate he shared with the likes of Heather Mallick and Rick Salutin, both of whom now have permanent places with The Toronto Star.

It is also where you will find MacFarlane's new weekly column, debuting in today's edition. Although he is ostensibly writing on the arts, if this is your first exposure to him, after reading today's piece, you will realize that he is writing about much much more, something I always appreciated in his past work.

Witty and gifted, MacFarlane's writing is not a bad way at all to start off your Thursdays from now on.

How Concerned Is The Harper Regime About Your Safety?

If you are one of those people who regularly eats, apparently not too much.

The Sad Tale of the Bumbling, Prevaricating Defense Minister Continues

I was feeling just a tad depressed today until I read this story.

Would You Buy A Used Car From This Man?

The above question, first asked about Richard Nixon as he ran against John Kennedy in the 1960 Presidential race, was designed to underscore the seemingly untrustworthy nature of the candidate - his shifty, evasive gaze, heavy perspiration, and his 5 o'clock shadow all seemed to suggest a man hiding something.

In the half-century since that race, we rarely feel the need to ask that question anymore, our assumption being that politicians by and large can't be trusted, that they are in fact hiding a great deal from those whose electoral support they are seeking.

Thomas Walkom's excellent column in today's Star takes a look at Stephen Harper's abuse of the public trust, suggesting that once it is lost, it is very very difficult to regain.

After all, would you trust this man to buy an F-35 jet for you?

How Long Before This Lynch Mob Mentality Comes To Canada?

As someone who is a regular visitor to Cuba and has seen both the good and bad of its society through friends that we visit there, I know that it has very real problems, but also very real benefits, under its dictatorial communist system. However, I can't help but wonder how long it will be, thanks to the reactionary dictatorship (aka the Harper regime) we in Canada are currently chafing under, before we adopt the 'lynch mob' mentality evident here.

Linda McQuaig on Harper Austerity

In case you missed it, today's Star has Linda McQuaig's latest column in which she opines on the Harper austerity program, juxtaposing the P.M.'s insistence that we live in challenging fiscal times and thus must cut spending with his government's apparently cavalier attitude about the extra $10 billion that they now admit will be part of the true cost of the F-35 purchases.

She mentions a certain picture at the beginning of her column, which I am reproducing below: