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Ron
Thornton's |
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Big Tents, Big Hopes, Big Deal? As the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative leadership seek a new accommodation, as others seek to keep each entity independent from the other, I wonder if the final result will matter much to people who are not already on the Liberal gravy train. There are political parties in this country that stand for nothing other than gaining and maintaining power, and there are those that are ideological, principled, and perpetually stuck in the opposition. In a nation as diverse as this one, any successful party seeking power has to be "big tent", which apparently means it stands for whatever the leadership directs it to stand for in its quest for votes. It probably seeks a middle course down the stream rather than coming too close to either bank for long. Giving people what they want, and not necessarily what is best for them, the nation, or our society, is the path to electoral success. It is like giving kids ice cream for breakfast; they will love you for it but they will end up suffering in the end. Instead of standing for something, for having some courage, we fold like big cheap tents. By the time such folks end up in power, they no longer have the political will to be of much good to us. It explains why the PC tent imploded in 1993, why the Liberals have ruled for so long since 1896, and why Reform could not transform its popularity in the west into similar support in other parts of the country. Since the 1960's, we have promoted this nation to be a diverse one, actually celebrating those things that divided us instead of focusing in on what unites us. Unfortunately, we have been very successful at this as we drift further and further apart emotionally within what has become a financial union of convenience. We promote multiculturalism, with the price being that we no longer have a distinct Canadian culture or a shared value system. We hand out freedoms like Halloween candy, but ignore the restraints of responsibility and accountability. We can not even look at our own country and agree as to what we are. Quebec views itself is an equal with the other nine provinces combined. The view from the west was that Quebec was an equal with each of its sister provinces; equal with British Columbia, equal with Alberta, equal with Saskatchewan, and yes, even equal with Prince Edward Island. Forget the concept of a Triple-E Senate, for to ignore Quebec's view would mean any party doing so would need to win two-thirds of the seats in the rest of the nation to claim simple majority. That will not happen, for to ignore Quebec is to rock the unity boat, and Ontario voters won't allow that to happen, at least not in regards to Quebec. Regional parties that fail to have disassociation or independence in their quiver, as we have seen with the Reform Party, will never hit the bull’s-eye, will never achieve their hopes, and will perpetually be ignored as long as they stand alone. That fact is undeniable. Unless the people of any province or region are willing to contemplate such a step, then they must be content with the status quo and return to a "big tent" party in the hopes such an entity can win power and will offer up some crumbs in compensation for its inability to deliver what some truly seek. Parties, especially on the federal level, must either be "big tent" in makeup in order to compete for power, or work with other parties that are also regional in makeup, that do not compete directly against one another, in the hopes of each gaining enough support so that they might form some kind of coalition. The only other option is to be content with the current system that renders ideological parties totally impotent in opposition to what has been termed ‘a friendly dictatorship.’ It is a system where the Prime Minister rules supreme, where ordinary government backbenchers are easily coerced into compliance, where the people are fed "ice cream" in order to gain their acquiescence. It is a sick system, with a sick result, and no hope of it ever improving. No wonder the true electoral participation rate in Canada, as measured according to those eligible to vote rather than those who have their names on the voting list, has plummeted down to American levels of involvement. Still, there are some positives to having an alternative "big tent" political party reemerging on the federal scene. It provides a threat for those in power that the people might actually take away their positions, their perks, and toss them aside in favor of a fresh group not yet sullied or corrupted by years at the trough. It is for this reason real democrats do not advocate us all gathering in one big humongous political tent. Who would wish to live under a system where one leader would need to agree with who your representatives would be, who would have the sole power to appoint the judges to your courts, and where even those who might investigate abuses of power find themselves reporting directly to such a leader? It would seem that Canadians do, at least when given the present choices placed before them on election day. We can hope a renewed "big tent" Conservative Party might at least eventually provide us with a government-in-waiting, a viable alternative to those who have already been allowed to grasp the reins of power for far too long. However, that might be all we can hope for. Is it enough? For those who seek power, to form the federal government of this nation under this system, it will have to be. Sincerely,
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