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May 13

Static Democracy and Changing Ideals

by Chris Billows in Political Ponderings 0 comments tags: Change of Mind, Political Opinion, Poltical Party Corruption
An interesting (and personally changing) result in the May 12 Referendum held in BC. The proposal to switch the existing system (First-Past-the-Post) to the single transferable vote electoral system (BC-STV) proposed by the Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform was defeated. The results were 38.82% in favor of switching, which was far away from 60% they needed. They did not even come close to reaching the second referendum requirement, capturing only 7 of the 51 required ridings. In the spirit of full disclosure, there is a part of me that is disappointed with the outcome. I was involved in the Voting Reform movement back in its beginnings in 1995. I believed that by changing the way our leaders are elected, that we would change the outcome, which would lead to better government. That idealism has been steadily eroded over the years to the point I am now distrusting of political parties, ideological purity, and democracy. I remain interested in politics, but more from the perspective of leadership and how that leadership is developed. This will be a huge blow to Fair Vote Canada, as the result demonstrates the complete lack of political and democratic imagination possessed by BC voters. I would […]

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Dec 14

A Voters & Democracy Mismatch

by Chris Billows in Political Ponderings 0 comments tags: Change of Mind, Political Opinion, Poltical Party Corruption
The problem we just had in Ottawa is more than just lying and ambitious politicians. It also has to do with our democratic system. Polls (if you believe them, I personally am skeptical) say that Canadians want to elect their governments. They do not agree with the Liberal-NDP-BQ coalition taking power from the Conservatives despite having more seats and more votes. Huh? That hardly makes sense. More Canadians voted for non-Conservative parties than the Conservatives. You would think that they would be happy with the coalition. Yet, I read that Canadians believe they should elect their governments and not have them formed by politicians. The problem is that Canadians are fully ignorant about their democratic institutions. They have never voted for governments. They vote for individuals who belong to a political party who may be able to form the government. Its kind of like how Americans vote for their president – they actually vote for Electors who in turn vote for the President. There is an added layer of democratic administration in both situations. When we vote for any MP, MLA, or City Counsellor, they are just a piece in the puzzle. They are not the government. That question is […]

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Dec 03

A Pack of Lying Dogs

by Chris Billows in Political Ponderings 0 comments tags: Political Opinion, Poltical Party Corruption
Well, I have been fascinated by the scandal in Ottawa with the Conservative Government being on the cusp of being overthrown by the Liberal-NDP-BQ coalition. It has been riveting to see Harper stick it to them and then see their reaction. Its like watching people poke each others eyes out. Sickening and riveting at the same time. What sticks in my eye is the complete lack of integrity our politicians are demonstrating. Nobody has escaped this scandal unscathed with the ironic exception of the BQ. They at least are consistent in their goals – get as much for Quebec as they can. The media has unearthed how the Conservatives, Liberals, and NDP have absolutely no credibility to protect Canada’s interests. The Liberals and NDP have no problem joining with the BQ now, while the former Conservative Party operating as the Canadian Alliance courted the BQ back when it was the opposition. Each accuses the other of betraying Canada. The hypocrisy demonstrates why politicians are so lowly regarded. Its as messy as a dog’s breakfast. The hyperbole and vitriolic positions taken by each party also shows how the institution of political parties fails to serve the nation’s citizens. They are ideological, […]

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Nov 05

2008 American Presidential Election

by Chris Billows in Political Ponderings 0 comments tags: Human History, Poltical Party Corruption
Well, history has been made. The first black man has been elected as President of the U.S.A. Very interesting to see how Barack Obama handles the pressure considering there is going to be huge expectations of him to fix everything. There is no doubt the man is an excellent orator and has charm, but that does not make for intelligent decision making ability. Its amazing how a single election of a single person changes everything. The world media and many people believe that with Barack’s election a new era has been ushered in. I remain skeptical just because I don’t see politicians being as useful as they used to be. I hope Barack proves me wrong. I came across this link while I was doing some searching on previous presidential and house elections. Dave Leip’s Atlast of U.S. Presidential Elections Enjoy!

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Jul 30

A World Beyond Political Parties?

by Chris Billows in Political Ponderings 0 comments tags: Comprehensive Analysis, Political Opinion, Poltical Party Corruption
In my previous post I listed a ranking of political parties from the frivolous to the functional. Despite their ideological and practical differences, they all function for the same purpose: To gain power and to use this power to make the world a better place according to their principles. My experience in the Green Party which I consider to be the most egalitarian and sensitive political party is that the very nature of party politics brings out the worst in people. The people in the Green party believe that they are being inclusive, sensitive, and egalitarian. In fact, they use those concepts in as ideological weapons to silence those who do not agree with them. Inclusiveness becomes pandering to special interest groups, sensitivity becomes political correctness, and egalitarianism becomes communism. The problem is that the Greens share the same corrupt social structure as the other parties. They are held together by ideology which is used in the worst way to silence those who do not agree with those in power. In my earlier blog Ideology vs Philosophy, the biggest problem in politics is the abdication of personal responsibility to blindly follow party ideology. So what’s the solution? In doing a […]
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