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Ed Seymour's avatar

What does one want from politics? Integrity , a code of ethics and a willingness to talk with people instead of at them would be a good start. We have little of that today from any political party. Here in Canada things have certainly changed since the Conservatives merged with the Alliance and became them. We have political candidates, adults , who have to ask party back room honchos for permission to attend all candidates meetings or even to speak to the press. Many, most notably the Conservatives are unavailable to the press and go far as to limit reporters to one question or none at all,, when they are available. When they make themselves available it is generally in very controlled situations . Instead they issue press statements long after a question is asked, issued from some back room, with no opportunity for follow up. Much of the real political information comes not from the politicians themselves but through freedom of information requests. In 1968 I ran as a candidate for the NDP. In that election in addition to myself, there was a Liberal and a Conservative as well as an independent. Not one of us had to ask for permission to attend an all candidates meeting or to speak to the press. To a person we responded because, despite our political differences, we all we all believed it was our civic responsibility to do so. If a candidate for any party ask to ask permission from anyone to do any of the above, before they win office, of what good are they going to be in advancing the cause of democracy after they attain office. At present Pierre Poilievre appears to be headed to the Prime Ministers office. This a man who has been in Parliament since 2004, a Cabinet minister and now leader of his party and one is hard pressed to name even one thing this man stands for. We know what he is against but we do not know what he stands for. We should demand better, but it is men like him that deter people from becoming politically active or involved let alone run for office.

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Roy Brander's avatar

They could try replacing sham democracy that's really plutocracy with actual democracy:

“The preferences of the average American appear to have only a miniscule, near-zero, statistically non-significant impact upon public policy.”

Gilens & Page, Perspectives in Politics

https://act.represent.us/sign/problempoll-fba

Of course, we pontificate upon these theoretical issues in a world where there ARE political parties that want to provide people with those policies that are so popular - I just finished Nora Loreto's book on what I call the "Social Floor" (hate "safety net") , and it's always popular - how could an open ER be unpopular? But the guy who will cut doctor's salaries and close more ERs is riding high in the polls, way ahead of the party with the popular *policies*.

That's the conundrum. Why are parties with the popular policies, not in office?

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