The political fault, dear Brutus
Margaret Wente (Yup, It’s Still Old-Style Politics – Jan. 12) presents the perennial columnist’s lament that political parties continue to practise “old-style politics” and wonders why things can’t be different.
The answer: because it works! (And because “old-style newspaper columnists” love it and thrive on it, but that’s another story.)
We’ve been given many opportunities to accept “new-style politics” by public figures who’ve tried to provide constructive discourse or avoid simplistic and destructive ads, but we’ve found them too boring (Audrey McLaughlin, Alexa McDonough) or too awkward (Stéphane Dion, Joe Clark) or too cerebral (possibly Michael Ignatieff). We insist our political leaders be entertainers first, pugilists second and, possibly, a very distant third, policy formulators. We, the public, and especially the media, seek political leaders who elicit conflict and drama, who entertain and amuse us. Heaven help the leader who tries to talk to us like grownups about serious issues in a manner that is “boring” or “geeky” (the regrettable but highly respectable Mr. Dion comes to mind).
So “old-style politics” thrives because: (1) it works; (2) the public demands it, while claiming otherwise; (3) columnists like Ms. Wente would savage the poor politico as “boring” who tries anything different.
“The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars but in ourselves.”
Habib Massoud, Ottawa
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When confronted with a letter from more than 100 university professors condemning his party’s prorogation of Parliament, Industry Minister Tony Clement responded to a reporter by saying that “It may not be what the chattering classes want, but we’re not here to govern on behalf of the chattering classes.” Perhaps Mr. Clement needs a refresher on his own background: degrees in political science and law, counsel to a national law firm, business owner, MPP in Ontario, MP, various cabinet positions and, most ironically, he acted as a Visiting Fellow in the Faculty of Law at the University of Toronto.
With this in mind, I have a suggestion for Mr. Clement, an ultimate member of the so-called “chattering class”: Stop chattering to the media and get back to work in Ottawa.
Graeme Bock, Victoria
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Although it’s very nice to know
That Tony thinks I am elite,
It comes as somewhat of a blow
To think he’s made me so effete.
Dick Hamilton, Gabriola Island, B.C.
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I’m one of the more than 170,000 Facebook users who joined the Canadians Against the Proroguing of Parliament group. Some government ministers and members of the media seem to find it easy to dismiss this protest as somehow being meaningless simply because it is online. The days of signing paper petitions are going the way of the dinosaur; those observing these activities would be wise to realize protest and dissent will continue to be expressed in different ways.
I have written letters to the Prime Minister, Governor-General and my MP, and I will be at the Jan. 23 protest rally in Toronto. These are not everyday activities for me. As a full-time working mother of two, I don’t have a lot of time.
Despite my concern about the prorogation of Parliament, I doubt, without the Facebook group, that I would have become nearly as engaged or taken these extra steps.
Loretta Ryan, Toronto
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It is instructive to see the outrage of liberals of various hues at Stephen Harper’s prorogue ploy. It is a ploy, of course, but it is hypocritical of his critics, who were silent over Jean Chrétien’s prorogue fest.
