MadHacktress
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John Murney (via RSS)Since we are now into the 'dog' days of summer, and the political treadmill is slowing down somewhat, I thought this might be an opportune time to reflect on the broad picture of Saskatchewan politics; where we have been, where we are at, and where we may be headed.
For the Saskatchewan Party, 2008 has been a very good year so far, and from all indications, the Wall Government's good fortunes should continue for the foreseeable future. The province is awash with cash and economic activity, thanks in no small part to Albertans and British Columbians moving to the province to buy cheap real estate, and to Ed Stelmach raising oil royalty rates in Alberta (and getting away with it, but when you have no credible opposition, this is understandable). While the real estate market appears to be peaking, the Saskatchewan economy as a whole is surging ahead, and there is every indication that this activity will continue, so long as the federal Liberals don't win the next federal election and impose their "Green Shi*t". The Saskatchewan Party has inherited a situation, where the government coffers are overflowing with oil royalty and other resources revenues. The Wall Government has made the decision to devote 50 percent of this windfall to debt reduction and 50 percent to public infrastructure. While on the surface this seems like a prudent decision, I still think public debt elimination is more urgent than extra investment in infrastructure. While a successful economy needs a solid infrastructure in place, I worry about the inflationary trend in Canada, and the upward pressure on interest rates. An increase of only a few interest rate points will be devastating to people with large mortgages, and to the Saskatchewan government with its gargantuan debt from the Devine era. The Saskatchewan Party Government has also bloated spending in this year's budget by 10 percent, and is asking the citizens of Saskatchewan what they think oil royalty windfalls should be spent on. This is a foolish notion that smacks of socialist government. We need to stop the trend of growing government and increased spending and increased expectations from government in Saskatchewan, and move toward a time and place where the size and scope of government are much, much smaller. However, the Sask Party is in a celebratory mood, and without a spirited opposition to worry about for now, Brad Wall and Rod Gantefoer are pretty free to make it up as they go along. Life is good right now if you are a Saskatchewan Party MLA.
The Saskatchewan NDP has been acting like it is still in government, and has not adjusted well to the opposition benches. While former Premier and Opposition Leader Lorne Calvert has been on cue and continues to sound reasonable, the same cannot be said for his colleagues. Attacks from the opposition benches on the government have been personal and nasty, with attacks on the Premier's daughter and the release of a 1991 video of partying Saskatchewan Tory legislative staffers marking new lows in Saskatchewan politics. At the same time, the opposition failed to stop the new government from passing labour legislation that gives the government the ability to take away the right to strike by union members, and saw the Station 20 West project funding pulled in favour of a larger community commitment. I get the sense that the socialists are waiting for Calvert to step down before any sort of party renewal effort can begin in earnest. While socialists are waiting for Calvert to resign, time is passing them by, and the window of opportunity to regenerate their party before the next election isn't going to stay open forever. To be sure, not all is gloomy for the NDP; the party won the Cumberland constituency in a by-election on June 25, albeit the result was almost too close for comfort. So, the socialists are not in a crisis yet; they are waiting to see whether Calvert will go or stay. I'm not in a position to predict what Calvert will do, but my own hunch is that there is no incentive for Lorne to leave, especially when there is a small chance the NDP could win power again in 2011. I say small, because if the socialists come up with another bogeyman campaign and no substance, I don't think voters will be too impressed with that. But, at least the Saskatchewan NDP has reason to be hopeful as the second half of 2008 begins in earnest.
The same cannot necessarily be said for the Saskatchewan Liberal Party. The Saskatchewan Liberals began 2008 without a Party Leader, a vision of the future of Saskatchewan, a clear identity, identifiable public policies, effective fundraising, basic organization, fighting spirit, a sense of reality, or hope. The party now has an interim Leader in Frank Proto until the leadership convention this fall, but little else has changed since the beginning of the year. I had the pleasure of participating in two "renewal workshops" for the party in May, one in Saskatoon and one in Regina. The one in Saskatoon was very productive, where the problems that ail the party were clearly identified, whereas the Regina meeting was dominated by people who are in denial that there are any problems in the Saskatchewan Liberal Party, and that the status quo is fine. I don't know where the 'renewal' process is headed next - I'm don't think the word 'renewal' is even appropriate here, given the dire straits of the party. What needs to happen is nothing less than a full revolution within the Saskatchewan Liberal Party. The party is currently dominated by many people who are oblivious to the party's past and current conditions, and to the state of the party in general. These people are federal Liberals who happen to live in Saskatchewan. If these people continue to dominate the Saskatchewan Liberal Party, then nothing within the party is going to change. The one leadership candidate who has stepped forward so far is Ryan Bater. Ryan is a bright, energetic and likable fellow who talked about free enterprise in his maiden speech, which is very encouraging. However, that message got trampled by his announcement about campaign finance reform. I don't know if there will be any other leadership candidates. However, the most important things that need to come out of the leadership race and the process of shaking the party out of its death spiral are a clear identity as a free enterprise party with a corresponding set of policies that reflect that identity, and a clear, unambiguous and complete split of the Saskatchewan Liberal Party from the federal Liberal Party. These changes must happen, especially in wake of the federal "Green Shift" fiasco and the deadening political effect this carbon tax will have on the careers of any Liberal politician in this province who supports this idea.
The Saskatchewan Green Party is the 'little train that could'. The party is looking to broaden its appeal to liberals in the province, and is on a mission to replace the Saskatchewan Liberals as the province's third party. There is no evidence to suggest that the Greens have won over any liberals in this province (with the exception of Party President Kelly Patrick - hello Kelly!). But that won't stop the Greens from trying, I'm sure. Time will tell whether the Greens ever gain serious traction with Saskatchewan voters.
There is every indication that Stephane Dion will fight the next federal election campaign on the "Green Shift". Dion's line in the sand is still reverberating across the Saskatchewan political landscape. In the event of a fall election, I am sure the Conservatives will make a full sweep of all 14 seats in the province, including Ralph Goodale's Wascana fortress. Having a full contingent of Saskatchewan Conservative MPs will have a profound effect on politics in this province. Assuming the Harper Government is returned with a majority government, which is not unreasonable given the "Green Shift" fiasco that is unfolding, I think voters will finally demand to hear more from their MPs and see evidence that Saskatchewan is benefiting in some way from being solidly on the government side of the house. We don't see the same kind of expectations now because the Harper Government is in a minority position, and Saskatchewan voters are still basking in the novelty of not having a Liberal Government in Ottawa. However, I doubt this long honeymoon between Saskatchewan voters and the province's Conservative MPs will last forever. Any change of fortunes for the Conservatives in Saskatchewan in the long run will have consequences for the Saskatchewan Party Government.
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RedFlagDeals.com Freebies (via RSS)Just last week Google launched their free 411 service Goog-411 in Canada with full Canadian listings. How does it work? You simply call 1-800-GOOG-411 from any phone, tell them the location and type of business you?re looking for and using voice recognition they?ll respond with a number of listings. You can then choose to be connected directly with that business for free, even if it would regularly be a long distance call. It?s perfect for when you?re travelling, looking for the phone number of a restaurant you?re headed to, or if you just want to play with another one of Google?s free services 
Have fun!
Find more Canadian deals at RedFlagDeals.com
Source: RedFlagDeals.com Fabulous Canadian Freebies
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RedFlagDeals.com Freebies (via RSS)Disney launched Pirates of the Caribbean Online last October as a free massively-multiplayer game in the vein of Everquest, but with Pirates. Here?s their synopsis:
Set sail on the vast blue waters of the Caribbean in search of adventure, fortune, and fame in the world of the infamous Jack Sparrow and the evil Davy Jones. Create and customize your own pirate, build and outfit your own ship, and assemble a crew of your fellow rogues. Set your own course, your own adventure, and truly live the Legend!
It?s totally free to sign up and play but there are ads and certain limits on what you can do within the game world. If you get really into it, you can pay to unlock everything and remove the ads. Reviews of the game are lukewarm, but hey, it?s free and works on a Mac too, so maybe if you need a diversion?
Find more Canadian deals at RedFlagDeals.com
Source: RedFlagDeals.com Fabulous Canadian Freebies
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December 12th, 2007 - MadHacktress
So Stephan Dion has been leader of the Liberal party for a year. What is your appraisal of his performance?
Would you vote for your member if they crossed the floor?
- Maybe, it would depend on the reason. (79%, 23 Votes)
- Absolutely NOT! (21%, 6 Votes)
- Yes, of course. (0%, 0 Votes)
- Only as an independant (0%, 0 Votes)
- I don't vote (0%, 0 Votes)
Total Voters: 29
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Posted in Federal | 1 Comment »
December 11th, 2007 - MadHacktress
Six and a half years.
Not nearly long enough.
Oh well, here’s hoping he ends up penniless, too.
Posted in In The News, Pure Opinion | 7 Comments »
December 11th, 2007 - MadHacktress
In yesterday’s Toronto Star there was a quote from Norman Augustine, the CEO of the former Martin Marietta, the Martin part of what is now Lockheed Martin. The quote is: “Why are there more flies in Cairo than lobbyists in Washington? Cairo got first choice.”
I love this quote.
I hate lobbyists.
Well, not so much the lobbyists themselves, but the lobby in general. I disagree with the use of a few high-paid well-networked individuals to sway the decisions of elected officials. Special interests are not and should not be any more important than the general interest. In fact, the term special interest itself should just disappear.
Posted in Pure Opinion | 1 Comment »
September 30th, 2007 - MadHacktress
The Kingston Whig Standard, my local paper, today wrote a delightful little article exploring the MMP system and attempting to give some point-counter-point between it and our current electoral system. The article is here, headlined: Electoral Reform: Do you get it?.
It isn’t really a bad article inasmuch as it does outline some of the pros and cons of the two elections styles. It does lay out some facts and an benefits to the current system as well as list of pertinent concerns of the new system. However, I don’t think that it goes far enough to really explain how profound a change this could make it our government.
I have been shocked and dismayed at the lack of play this particular issue has received in mainstream media - and we’re really getting down to the wire now. I am not concerned that the referendum is going to pass. I am quite certain that it will not receive the two-thirds majority that it requires. But I am nonetheless wary and aware that this is a possibility for our future.
I am not fond of the idea that the number of ridings in the province will be reduced from 107 to 90. That means that 17 ridings will disappear in an instant - that is not a good harbinger of success for a supposedly proportionally representative system, in my opinion. Riding sizes will increase, the power of the individual will be lost immediately.
I dislike, too, that the balance of the seats will increase the size of the legislature by an additional 22 members - at minimum. If the electoral math cannot be worked out within the framework of a 129 member body, the legislature is within its rights - according to the MMP principal - to increase its own size for the duration of the term of office in order to reflect the electoral math set down by the voters.
I am dismayed that, at least in the Whig article, this is being proposed as a way to bring more diversity to Ontario politics. Two reasons for this are, firstly, that diversity for the sake of diversity helps no one. I don’t want a woman in politics if there is a man who is more qualified for her position who would be passed over. Perhaps that shifts my political views to the right somewhat, but I don’t care. Secondly this diversity relies on the parties themselves stepping up and supplying lists with diverse candidates on them. In other areas of the world where the MMP system is used many parties simple run the same candidates on the list as those who are running in local elections - with a few differences for persons eminent.
Most governments in Ontario - and indeed in Canada - are elected with a minority of the popular vote. While not exactly the same, the popular vote is basically correlative to the MMP party vote. This means that the MMP system is more prone to minority governments than our current system. And, more likely than not, the MMP system is apt to turn up minority governments on a regular basis. Proponents of the system would tell you that this leads to coalition building. In all its history Canada and Ontario have seen only one coalition government - in 1917.
I fear the that MMP system could fracture our political party system as the parties learn that smaller parties are more viable for coalition building. The huge parties are unlikely to ever come to an agreement on policy such that they would be able to form a coalition and so, out of necessity, smaller parties - parties that don’t even exist yet, to be sure - will be the ones that swing the tide.
The article would have you believe that these coalition government are more stable than the shaky issue-by-issue coalitions that minority governments form nowadays, but I have my doubts. Canadian politicians are notably my-way-or-the-highway and thus there is nothing to stop them from breaking ranks and bringing down a government and forcing an election due to lack of confidence in the government. The MMP system has no check or balance to force the membership of a coalition to continue working within the framework of the coalition. The MMP system may give the appearance of stability on paper, but what we will see in the legislature could be very different.
I am convinced that this is not a step in the right direction for Ontario. I will be voting NO on MMP in October, and I encourage you to research the facts, form your own opinion and vote on the issue as well - hopefully the will of the Ontario people will be heard.
Posted in Provincial, Pure Opinion | 6 Comments »
July 1st, 2007 - MadHacktress
Today is Canada Day here in the Dominion of Canada. It is the day that we celebrate our Canadianness.
I have often found Canada Day - or Dominion Day, which I prefer - to be in stark contrast to make other “independence-type” days in other nations. Friends of mine who know my activist spirit who are from nations other than Canada (read: the U.S.) have asked if I attend protests on Canada Day.
Hardly.
Perhaps it is due to the fact that we didn’t really fight for our independence from Britain, rather we asked and they said “cheerio” - or something equally as British.
Whether tomorrow we call ourselves native, French, Ontarian or Western-Canadian, today is the day when we are all Canadian.
Posted in Pure Opinion | No Comments »
