Canada is a very free country, but unfortunately not a very democratic one. Not when our electoral system consistently gives us governments that most of us don’t choose. For example, during the decade of the Harper government, the Conservatives never even managed to get 40 percent of voter support. The
Continue readingTag: voting systems
Views from the Beltline: Calling all democrats
Every Canadian concerned about the quality of democracy in this country frets about the inability of our electoral system to do the thing it exists for—create a government that represents the people. We currently have a federal government formed by a party that only received the electoral support of a
Continue readingA bad night for politicians, but not so bad for the country
It was not a good night for political parties. Clearly, the voters were not about to commend the Liberals for their four years in power. And just as clearly, they weren’t about to replace them with the Conservatives. Or anybody else. The only party that came out smiling was the
Continue readingMy Relulctant Strategic Vote
Here’s an irony. I’m forced to vote Liberal (again) because Justin Trudeau betrayed me. No, it doesn’t make any sense and, furthermore, it pisses me off. But that’s just the way it is. In his 2015 campaign, Justin promised that that election would be the last under the grievously undemocratic
Continue readingthe disgruntled democrat: Democraphobia Runs Rampant in North America
The fear of democracy has a long history. Plato was mistrustful of the demos, believing it would be subject to bullies and to tyrants. In England, the storming of the Bastille in France by the sans-culottes during the French Revolution was dismissed as a regrettable manifestation of “mobocracy”. According to Thomas Jefferson,
Continue readingthe disgruntled democrat: Democraphobia Runs Rampant in North America
The fear of democracy has a long history. Plato was mistrustful of the demos, believing it would be subject to bullies and to tyrants. In England, the storming of the Bastille in France by the sans-culottes during the French Revolution was dismissed as a regrettable manifestation of “mobocracy”. According to Thomas Jefferson,
Continue readingWhy a referendum on electoral reform would be a very bad idea
The need for electoral reform in Canada has never been more stark. We have just endured nine years of government by a political party that over sixty per cent of us opposed. That is simply not democratic. We have an electoral system, but we don’t have …
Continue readingthe disgruntled democrat: Hey Canada, Step Into the 21st Century: Stop Outsourcing Governance of the Nation
I get the Empire Loyalist thing. The way we go about running our society is firmly anchored in our colonial past. Canada is a proud member of the British Empire. Well, the world has changed a lot since the demise of our historical progenitor. The UK is no longer a world
Continue readingthe disgruntled democrat: Hey Canada, Step Into the 21st Century: Stop Outsourcing Governance of the Nation
I get the Empire Loyalist thing. The way we go about running our society is firmly anchored in our colonial past. Canada is a proud member of the British Empire. Well, the world has changed a lot since the demise of our historical progenitor. The UK is no longer a world
Continue readingthe disgruntled democrat: Hey Canada, Step Into the 21st Century: Stop Outsourcing Governance of the Nation
I get the Empire Loyalist thing. The way we go about running our society is firmly anchored in our colonial past. Canada is a proud member of the British Empire. Well, the world has changed a lot since the demise of our histori…
Continue readingElectoral reform—PR is not a voting system
Observing debates about electoral reform online and elsewhere, I notice one error cropping up consistently: the notion that proportional representation, like first-past-the-post, is a voting system. It isn’t, of course. It is a goal, something you try to achieve with your voting system. They are two different things and the
Continue reading