See how many of Canada's Prime Ministers you can name. Check out the link below!
http://www.sporcle.com/games/canadian_prime_ministers.php
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Political Parties: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
As an employee of an MPP as well as a staunch critic of partisan politics, I tend to see both the advantages and disadvantages associated with political parties. While parties do provide the service of political socialization and organizing the political system, they are also the reason why our representatives so often get caught up in ‘playing politics’. Thus, political parties simultaneously bring us together while pulling us apart.
Political parties are not inherently a bad thing. Unfortunately it seems though that especially in the Canadian system, they are being applied this way. Rather that providing a haven for politically like-minded individuals to pursue their shared agenda, more and more we see political parties becoming overrun by fights and feuds of no consequence to public policy or the average Canadian citizen. For example, Question Period is meant to provide the opposition with the opportunity to ensure that their constituents are being properly represented. However, anyone who has watched more than a few minutes of Question Period will no doubt be quite aware that this is not what is actually taking place.
Beyond the endless and pointless bickering, political parties also manage to spend an unbelievable amount of money in their unending pursuit of partisan superiority. Ultimately, it is this motive in which the problem lies. The primary goal of the political party has become power, not the representation of the electorate which bestows it upon them. Unfortunately it seems there is little we can do. Our system is based upon their existence and that is never going to change, so the best we can is try and make sure our voices are heard. Political parties: we know we’re stuck with them, but that doesn’t mean we have to like them.
Political parties are not inherently a bad thing. Unfortunately it seems though that especially in the Canadian system, they are being applied this way. Rather that providing a haven for politically like-minded individuals to pursue their shared agenda, more and more we see political parties becoming overrun by fights and feuds of no consequence to public policy or the average Canadian citizen. For example, Question Period is meant to provide the opposition with the opportunity to ensure that their constituents are being properly represented. However, anyone who has watched more than a few minutes of Question Period will no doubt be quite aware that this is not what is actually taking place.
Beyond the endless and pointless bickering, political parties also manage to spend an unbelievable amount of money in their unending pursuit of partisan superiority. Ultimately, it is this motive in which the problem lies. The primary goal of the political party has become power, not the representation of the electorate which bestows it upon them. Unfortunately it seems there is little we can do. Our system is based upon their existence and that is never going to change, so the best we can is try and make sure our voices are heard. Political parties: we know we’re stuck with them, but that doesn’t mean we have to like them.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Majority vs. Minority Governments
After reading a recent poll that suggested that the Harper Conservatives are heading down the path to a majority, I decided it would be a good time to discuss what minority and majority governments mean for the Canadian political system.
After decades of being a majority driven country, Canada has spent the better half of the last decade in minority governments. Ultimately this has been met with mixed reviews: many have been critical about the slowed political process, though most political scientists praise the effect minorities have on democracy as more individuals can have a say in policy formulation. Overall Canadians have been displeased with the minority trend. Polls regarding electoral reform have shown that the primary concern of the average Canadian is implementing a system that produces definitive winners. This obvious backlash against minority politics provides clear evidence of Canada’s disdain for increased arguing in the House of Commons, as well as the greater frequency of elections that accompany minority governments.
That being said, are the democratic advantages associated with minority governments truly worth the accompanying hassles and annoyances? In short, no. The advantages to democracy tend to be only symbolic which ultimately does not resonate with Canadians. The average citizen is more likely to be concerned with pragmatism than symbolism which works against minorities. Thus, minority governments create a disconnect between the average citizen and the political system.
Unfortunately there is little point to this debate. Whether we have majority or minority governments is ultimately out of our control and we are pretty much stuck with whatever we get. According to this poll however, it seems this trend may be coming to an end.
For the poll that brought me unto this topic, check out the link below:
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/945363--conservatives-looking-at-a-majority-new-poll-shows?bn=1
After decades of being a majority driven country, Canada has spent the better half of the last decade in minority governments. Ultimately this has been met with mixed reviews: many have been critical about the slowed political process, though most political scientists praise the effect minorities have on democracy as more individuals can have a say in policy formulation. Overall Canadians have been displeased with the minority trend. Polls regarding electoral reform have shown that the primary concern of the average Canadian is implementing a system that produces definitive winners. This obvious backlash against minority politics provides clear evidence of Canada’s disdain for increased arguing in the House of Commons, as well as the greater frequency of elections that accompany minority governments.
That being said, are the democratic advantages associated with minority governments truly worth the accompanying hassles and annoyances? In short, no. The advantages to democracy tend to be only symbolic which ultimately does not resonate with Canadians. The average citizen is more likely to be concerned with pragmatism than symbolism which works against minorities. Thus, minority governments create a disconnect between the average citizen and the political system.
Unfortunately there is little point to this debate. Whether we have majority or minority governments is ultimately out of our control and we are pretty much stuck with whatever we get. According to this poll however, it seems this trend may be coming to an end.
For the poll that brought me unto this topic, check out the link below:
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/945363--conservatives-looking-at-a-majority-new-poll-shows?bn=1
Thursday, February 24, 2011
The Political Spectrum: Where I Fall
Recently I took an online political questionnaire in order to see where I fall on the political spectrum. I have taken one such quiz before, but not since I was in high school, and was surprised to discover that I remain in roughly the same position I did then. After answering the fifty or so questions that composed the quiz, I was ultimately placed within the Libertarian Left (the lower left quadrant), falling in the same general area as Gandhi. In my opinion this may be a slight exaggeration of my political views as I tend to consider myself slightly more centrist, but overall it is a reasonable evaluation.
As depicted by my placement on the spectrum, I tend to value strong social policy in conjecture with a relatively free market (however not completely unregulated). I find that the quiz I took likely provides a more accurate representation of economic interests (represented on the vertical axis), as the social questions to tend to be polarizing. For example, statements such as “I believe my own race to have superior qualities” will likely result in strong responses (whether in the negative or the affirmative). Questions about the amount that the government should intervene in the actions of multilateral corporations however may not result in such extreme responses. Thus I found the vertical axis to be more precise.
Ultimately taking such a quiz is of little value to me, but it may be useful for someone who is less politically informed in understanding their beliefs and what they mean. If you would like to take the political spectrum quiz that I took check out the link below and let me know how you found it.
http://politicalcompass.org/index
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
My Introduction to Politics
Earlier this semester Prof. Leone suggested we use the blogging assignment to discuss our own political socialization. Subsequently I would like to take this opportunity to look at my own first political memories.
My first introduction to the world of politics came from my parents. I remember watching political satire programs such as Royal Canadian Air Farce and This Hour Has 22 Minutes with them as a child and learning about some of the various players and positions in the Canadian political system (though in only a humorous fashion). My first introduction to an actual political issue however, came from the actions of the Harris government in Ontario which lead to a province-wide teachers’ strike while I was in elementary school. This presented the first instance in which I felt directly affected by political action, and through my parents I became aware of how and why it had taken place.
At this point I was yet to formulate any of my own opinions on the political system though. I recall this first occurring when the same sex marriage debate started to gain national attention. I remember thinking it was absurd to deny any individual such a basic human right, and saw little difference between that and racial or ethnic discrimination. This issue has continued to impact my political beliefs even today as I remain unwilling to ever vote for a party which opposes extending this right to gay and lesbian couples.
Finally, I decided that I wished to pursue post-secondary studies and ultimately a career in politics because of my father. Having been very involved in the South African anti-apartheid movement in the early 1990’s, he taught me about the value of political discourse and political leaders such as Nelson Mandela and Bishop Desmond Tutu. It is because of the success they achieved that I have faith in politics and believe that no matter how frustrating it may be, it is ultimately the gateway to change in society.
Religion and Voting
In regards to the PO 240 lecture on political socialization, I would like to discuss one of methods of political socialization which Prof. Leone lectured about: religion.
In discussions of electoral behaviour, religion is often one of the first topics to arise in regards to what impacts the actions of the electorate. The question remains though as to whether this is truly a cause of change or merely a related factor. There is no question that religion is significantly associated with voting habits, but does it truly dictate one’s ideology?
In discussions of electoral behaviour, religion is often one of the first topics to arise in regards to what impacts the actions of the electorate. The question remains though as to whether this is truly a cause of change or merely a related factor. There is no question that religion is significantly associated with voting habits, but does it truly dictate one’s ideology?
Studies tend to show that overwhelmingly individuals will vote with their religion on key issues. It is for this reason that topics such as abortion are often avoided by politicians as they tend to have a polarizing effect on the voting public. When looking at the American system, it is certainly intriguing to discover that John F. Kennedy is the only non-Protestant US President to ever be elected. This certainly provides some evidence that religion trumps ideology in electoral behaviour, otherwise there would have been a greater balance in representation by other major religions.
Furthermore, religion trumps a variety of other methods of political socialization as they are often directly related. For example, family is one of the greatest means by which the average citizen shapes their own political views and interests, but seeing as most families tend to hold consistent religious ties then there should be little deviation between the two. Also, faith-based school systems have a similar effect as they also link religion to other major methods of political socialization: education and peers.
This is not to say that religion ultimately dominates all other facets of political interest, but it is clear that it has a very significant impact, especially in tandem with the other previously mentioned associations.
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