I’m sure that all progressive bloggers are disheartened and bedeviled by the devolution of democracy in Canada. Not only has it been under consistent and sustained attack by the Harper regime, but it has also (perhaps as a result of those attacks) seen a substantial rise in the number of
Continue readingTag: democratic participation
Politics and its Discontents: Let The Sun Shine
Like the vampires of fiction who cling to the darkness as they carry out their nefarious, life-depleting ravages on their prey, the Harper regime best operates in the dark, away from the light of public scrutiny as it continues to suck the vitality out of our democracy. (Sorry for the
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: On Encouraging Political Participation
The other day I wrote a post on John Cruickshank’s TED Talk about the low level of political participation among young citizens. His thesis was that as a society, we are losing our news-reading and news-watching habits thanks to the myriad options offered by our current technologies. Asserting that news
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Why So Much Ignorance In This Age Of Technology?
I have always thought it ironic that in this age of interconnectedness, when we have almost unlimited sources of information at our disposal, so many of us are abysmally ignorant of the things that should matter. The level of civic disengagement in North America, for example, has facilitated the devolution
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Tragedy In The Commons
I know that I am hardly alone in sometimes thinking that the insights and observations of progressives have a Cassandra-like quality to them; we think we can see patterns auguring ill for our country and our democracy, but warnings are largely ignored by a quiescent or alienated proportion of the
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: True On Both Sides Of The Border
Substitute parliamentary democracy for republic and Bill Maher’s words are a stinging indictment of apathetic Canadians. Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: All It Takes Is One Ant
H/t Occupy Canada Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Judgemental? Yes
But true nonetheless: You can read more about our perilous state here. Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Food For Thought
H/t Canadians Rallying To Unseat Stephen Harper Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Citizenship on the Sidelines
Being on holiday has induced in me a certain mental torpor, so please forgive me if this post states the obvious. Those of us who write politically-oriented blogs are, of course, engaged intellectually and emotionally in the machinations of those we elect. And I suspect it is to our regular
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: On Our Democratic Deficit
These Star readers, whether you agree with them or not, have some interesting perspectives to offer: Re: Growing disconnect between Canadians and Parliament, May 2 Democracy is just a mirage, Letter May 5 Al Dunn is essentially correct in his characterization of democracy as it is generally practised today. But
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: What Is Democracy?
The other day I wrote a post on the decline of democracy under the Harper regime. Included was reference to Bob Hepburn’s recent piece on the same subject. Although I am not quite as cynical as the letter-writer, Star reader Al Dunn of Kingston, in responding to Hepburn, expresses the
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: The Dominoes of Democracy – Part 2
What is one of the chief effects of the Harper regime’s preference for an ideologically-based policy model over one premised on logic, facts and empirical evidence, as explored in my earlier post? The decline, perhaps even the demise, of a healthy democracy in which citizens are engaged and informed participants,
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: The Dominoes of Democracy – Part 2
What is one of the chief effects of the Harper regime’s preference for an ideologically-based policy model over one premised on logic, facts and empirical evidence, as explored in my earlier post? The decline, perhaps even the demise, of a healthy democracy in which citizens are engaged and informed participants,
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Canada and Egypt: A Study in Contrasts
My wife, well aware of my anguish over the disengagement with democracy of so many Canadians, made a comment this morning that has inspired this post. She observed the sharp contrast that exists with Egypt, where the notion of democracy is still more a dream than a reality, a dream
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: The Perilous State of Democracy in Canada
Over the past year I have written several posts on the woeful state of democratic participation in Canada, a state I am convinced is at least in significant part due to the debasement of our traditions engineered by the Harper regime. Contempt of Par…
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Resistance Is NOT Futile
In the various incarnations that the series Star Trek has enjoyed, The Next Generation was my favorite. Starring the well-known Shakespearean actor Patrick Stewart, whose regal commands propelled The Enterprise into inter-stellar adventures each week, …
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Why Do Those With So Little Prize Democracy So Much?
As I am sure is the case with most passionate political observers, our increasingly dismal turnout at electoral polls is a source of great personal dismay. While our political ‘leaders’ are busy taking us down an increasingly dark path that promotes …
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Democratic Renewal
I just got back from my Algonquin trip, so just a very brief post. In skimming today’s Star, there is a very interesting piece by Bob Hepburn on efforts at democratic renewal in Canada to combat the ongoing Harper attack on citizen engagement and voter participation. Small seeds can yield
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: The Uphill Battle to Save Democracy in Canada
At the risk of appearing tiresomely repetitive, I am posting once again on the problem of political disengagement. The fact that only about 30% of Canadians bother to follow politics, as if it is a sphere of activity totally separate from the lives they live, is troubling, and one that
Continue reading