Canadian Federal Election 2011

[Matt]

Results in general.

-m

[aeric90]

The results may be disapointing but it can hardly be called a travesty unless there was vote rigging. Almost 70% of eligable voters cast ballots. That's democracy in action. Just because it wasn't what you wanted doesn't mean it was some sort of injustice.

[Matt]

The results may be disapointing but it can hardly be called a travesty unless there was vote rigging. Almost 70% of eligable voters cast ballots. That's democracy in action. Just because it wasn't what you wanted doesn't mean it was some sort of injustice.

The injustice lies in the dire lack of concern demonstrated with regard to the actual process of governance of this country. Voters went to the polls this election, and proceeded to validate Harper's willful disregard for the constitutuion, parliamentary process and ethical governance.

His government was toppled for failing to play by the rules, and instead of penalizing him for it, we declared him the winner.

He broke campaign law on election day, for chrissakes.

This is a miserable outcome, and it illustrates a severe miscarriage of democracy. Our leder badly mishnadled his power, and 40% of this nation decided the appropriate response was to give him more.

The reasons for that are obviously much more nuanced, but the fact remains, we rewarded a man who has no regard, whatsoever, for the process by which he is given license to weild power.

All Hail King Harper.

-m

[Theremin]

Look, very little will probably change in practice.

You'll just have to get used to being a Harponian, citizen of the glorious frozen Rupublic of Harperland.

[Matt]

Look, very little will probably change in practice.

You'll just have to get used to being a Harponian, citizen of the glorious frozen Rupublic of Harperland.

Stephen Harper Presents: Stephen Harper's Canada™, A Stephen Harper Production.*


-m

*full disclosure: I got this joke from a friend

[CancerBottle]

"Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard." -- H.L. Mencken

At least in a monarchy, you can tell yourself that you and your countrymen don't really have a choice.

[zfubarz]

so what happens to england?

[elvor]

We give our monarchs a pat on the head occasionally and ignore them the rest of the time. And we have awesome stamps/currency.

Also we bitch about our country electing a conservative asshole.

[zfubarz]

heh

Oh and that campaign law thing reminded me, my riding's conservative candidate was standing at the door of my polling place when I left talking to people for a good long while. Is that actually allowed?

[Theremin]

I have no idea, but it's effing slimy.

[Matt]

heh

Oh and that campaign law thing reminded me, my riding's conservative candidate was standing at the door of my polling place when I left talking to people for a good long while. Is that actually allowed?

I would be incredibly surprised if it was allowed. i do know you are not permitted to campaign within 100ft of a polling station.

-m

[zfubarz]

mother fucker

he was inside the school gym where poling was taking place. that is most definitely within 100 feet, hell it's within 1 foot.

[Matt]

the question would be whether or not that counted as "campaigning".

-m

[zfubarz]

oh I'm sure it would not be counted since being on the radio is just fine in this day and age, but I was there for around 15 minutes, and he was there for most of that time and still there shaking hands and such when I left

Either way I'll send a complaint to elections Canada anyways, I don't think it can hurt anything. It honestly wouldn't surprise me if this was happening all over the country.

[aeric90]

I know you can't be in the polling station for sure. It he was inside, that was bad.

Matt, I understand all that but what could have been done about it? You can't educate the average populace on Parliamentary ethics and procedure within a campaign. Most average voters understood that they were at the polls because of a Liberal motion of confidence and obviously blamed them for it. Also instructing people to vote for 'Anyone but X' is a disaster (see Toronto's recent mayoral election).

We really have to look at the positives here. We have a stable government which the world and the economy likes. We have a strong and very vocal, young, and boisterous opposition with a more unified structure (thanks in no small part to the "death" of the Bloc) who sure as hell aren't going to let any shenanigans get past without the public knowing and who we know the public will listen to.

TL;DR version... blame the Liberals for their weak opposition and half assed campaign. Set eyes to the future.

[Matt]

It's true that not everythig out of this election was bad, and it was certainly historic in more ways than one.

But I have a really hard time putting a cap on the frustration and anger and disappointment that comes with this outcome.

It's election results like these that erode our ability to maintain an accountable and ethical government. Election results like these that teach politicains just how much of our freedom they can take.

One of the most important elements of the democratic process is creating a government that is held accountable to the people it governs. Without that we lose what little power our votes have.

I just drives me absolutely up a wall that we, as a nation, are so willing to throw that power to the wind.

-m

[Alja-Markir]

Throwing the power to the wind wouldn't be so bad if you could get it back again easily when people finally wanted it. The problem is, once it's gone it sometimes takes blood to get it back.

~Alja~

[Matt]

Throwing the power to the wind wouldn't be so bad if you could get it back again easily when people finally wanted it. The problem is, once it's gone it sometimes takes blood to get it back.

~Alja~

Thus, you know, the frustration.

Once the power is gone, it's gone for good.

-m

[Alja-Markir]

Well, not always.

Reforms do come about. People do come to their senses. And leaders do change to competant and ethical ones.

That's the supposed strength of regular elections with a maximum number of terms. A single person can only dominate the country for so long, at least directly.

~Alja~

[Matt]

No limitation on the number of terms a Prime Minister may serve in Canada.

-m

[Theremin]

All hail King Steven I?

[Gollom]

He prefers to be called Dear Leader.

[aeric90]

There's a hole in your platform
Dear leader, dear leader
A hole in your platform
Dear leader
A hole

[Matt]

There's a hole in your platform
Dear leader, dear leader
A hole in your platform
Dear leader
A hole

Win.

-m

[empath]

Dammit; I vow to take a break from this place for multiple reasons, and THIS HAPPENS.

Fuck you, Canadian electorate - taunting me such topics for discourse!


....okay, one last hurrah.

Firstly:


With 61% voter turnout (which if I recall is actually up, more's the pity), Canada followed Steve-o's directive above.

The big problem was mentioned already: the Cons and the Liberals are essentially the same thing, only with different colors. Because Iggy and his Libs were the Opposition, the Harper Government™ could deflect all the bad press about lying, cheating, bypassing democratic process, influence peddling, going back on signed agreements and Accords, eroding freedom, and all manner of evil shit as just 'a smear campaign by the opponents'. And the idjits bought it.

Harper's blaming the Liberal party worked; Iggy didn't really connect with anyone, and his voter base defected; mostly to the NDP, but enough stayed within 'The Old Boy Network' to give Steve-O a 'muah-ha-ha-HA, now I can do whatever I want!' majority government. Similar results happened to the Bloc Quebecois; apparently La Belle Province are tired of isolationism; the bulk of them seemed to go to Layton's New Democratic Party, and still a few defections to 'the other blue party'.

But Jack Layton and the NDP are the silver lining in this - this is a HUGE step up for them. The Canadian electoral map is Azure and Gold and that 'accent color' is pretty prevalent, and cause for hope - a surprising number of voters have turned their backs on the 'same church, different pew' crap from the Libs & Cons and backed a party that preaches something different than the career politicos. They voted for the same party that "The Greatest Canadian" belonged to; the man who pioneered many of the governmental policies like universal healthcare that make Canada what it is today.

...and that's why I haven't contacted the UK High Commission to see about changing my country of residence yet.

I, for one, also take evil pleasure in the fact that Iggy and Giles are the only party leaders that failed to win their own ridings - even The GREEN PARTY managed that


But don't rule the Liberal Party (or the Bloc) dead just yet - maybe politically ineffective for the next decade or so, but the Conservatives themselves ended up with TWO SEATS in 1993, and Harper himself worked with others to bring the old blue beast back by partnering then absorbing the Reform party...


Oh, and

I do not think the Conservatives are going to do anything too outrageous. They want to be reelected remember.

HAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

You mean unlike the crap they pulled during their minority government?!

I could start listing things off, but I'll just direct anyone wondering why "The Harper Government™" and the federal Conservative Party are so fucking evil to: http://conssayyes.tumblr.com/

---

We give our monarchs a pat on the head occasionally and ignore them the rest of the time. And we have awesome stamps/currency.

Also we bitch about our country electing a conservative asshole.

S'funny; that sounds exactly what we do here (right down to bitching about the elected conservative asshole)

---

The results may be disappointing but it can hardly be called a travesty unless there was vote rigging.

See breach of election laws regarding election day campaigning.

Almost 70% of eligible voters cast ballots.

Really? REALLY? At last count, Elections Canada received ballots from 61.4% of eligible electors; that's not 'Almost 70%'.

And Matt? It's not as bad as you feel: 39.6% of those 61.4% comes out to just under a quarter of eligible electors decided how this would turn out; there's hope for the rest of us...except the ones who couldn't be bothered to vote (the ones who listened to the phone calls, went to the wrong polling stations and thus never got the chance to vote are gullible but salvageable)

---

But if there's one thing we should all take from this, it's that negative advertising WORKS.

http://www.ignatieff.me/






So what did we learn today, kids?

Yes, that's right; it doesn't matter how bad you are or what you do, as long as you make someone else look worse.



And with that, I'm off again; gotta get to work; wish me luck with this.


(and yes, I swear, this time for reals! )