E minus 40 Days

[dewline]

Now this platform announcement from the Greens looks interesting, even given that I'm not a party member:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-election-2015-green-party-platform-1.3220976

Full platform as voiced by the party's campaign team themselves (French edition also available):

http://www.greenparty.ca/en/platform

Comments

[spross.livejournal.com]

It's a pain that she's one of the most common sense reasonable candidates, and her party get's practically no attention.

[ponchik0.livejournal.com]

Ух ты!

[dewline.livejournal.com]

Did I just get cursed out in Russian?

[dewline.livejournal.com]

At least one friend of mine seems absolutely convinced that they're as ideologically-locked as the Harper Conservatives, and in as bad a way. Not sure what I make of that, as said friend usually makes more sense than not on other topics.

If only

[ed-rex.livejournal.com]

Were we not dealing with a slow-motion corporate coup throughout the Western world, I would probably vote for the Greens this time around. I'm not unfamiliar with casting a ballot on principal, knowing it will be "wasted".

But in a time when the ostensible (traditional) alternative to the governing fascists Tories claims to oppose bill C-51 while voting for it, I fill obligated to do my part for the NDP, which has become the only (major) party that seems to have any principles that don't pay blind obeissance to corporate rule.

Re: If only

[dewline.livejournal.com]

Here's a possible counter-argument:

Seeing as the NDP now has a decent chance of forming the next federal government, we're also going to need an Opposition that's as firm on its own principles as the governing party is hoped to be, and will challenge the government side to be at its best on a continuing basis.

Would the votes be wasted if they were intended to put a Green Party with such a platform into that role?

Re: If only

[spross.livejournal.com]

It's that whole strategic voting problem again. Remember the Ontario Election, Everyone was so scared that the Torys would win that they almost wiped out the provincial NDP (Admittedly Horvath didn't help much) and that crook Wynne got a majority.

Personally, I think it's important that whatever party gets in, its a minority government.

Re: If only

[ed-rex.livejournal.com]

Would the votes be wasted if they were intended to put a Green Party with such a platform into that role?

Absolutely not. Lord, I would love to see the NDP as the centre (or better yet, the right wing) of the Canadian political spectrum! My mum has said for decades that, should the NDP ever take power, we would need a new socialist party to be the nation's conscience.

If you (or anyone) votes Green out of conscience, you'll have my moral support (if probably not my vote); but if you vote Liberal to oust Harper, I'll tell you you're being fooled again.

Re: If only

[ed-rex.livejournal.com]

It's that whole strategic voting problem again.

I agree. If I weren't in a riding with a strong NDP incumbent, I'd seriously consider going Green. But as it is, in supporting the NDP, I'm not holding my nose in an anybody-but-Harper gesture, but voting for a party that I think is principled (and holding the right principles!) on many of the most important issues of the day.

Voting Plans

[dewline.livejournal.com]

Not planning to do that. Trudeau the Younger turned his back on the Charter, after all, with the C-51 vote.

And parachuting a "celebrity" candidate into my riding for his team didn't help matters, however competent in military/defence/peacekeeping issues that candidate may otherwise actually be. Certainly, General Leslie (retired) has a useful contribution to make to Canadian politics, but not in this fashion.

[dewline.livejournal.com]

And I still don't have an answer to my Russian language question.