Tag Archives: partisanship
Bring On the Lunatics
Today we start a new series concerning the end of growth and how to learn to live with the new normal. Really it’s about stasis – ancient Greek term meaning “to stand still”. Most of us have been sensing this … Continue reading
Identity – United We Fall
At some point you have to stick up for yourself. That is especially true in politics, where countless people come after you with their own agendas. If you don’t, you might lose their vote. And if you accede to what … Continue reading
Identity – Out-of-Place
“To be honest, I’ve just given up. It seems likely everything good-hearted people attempt in politics has to be wrapped up in some kind of coloured package, and the moment you select one such colour, the others are automatically against … Continue reading
Identity Politics
With the Speaker of the House seated beside me, I addressed a group of my fellow MPs in as frank a manner as I could: If our politics were united around our commonalities and centred in consensus and compromise, political … Continue reading
Hyper-partisanship – The Steroids of Politics
It’s become all too common and unfortunately has resulted not only in the fall of grace of numerous individuals but a corruption of the overall system. I’m talking about sport here, not politics, but the similarities are more than troubling. … Continue reading
The Scarlet Letters
It wasn’t the kind of visit I expected on a Sunday afternoon. A well-dressed gentleman knocked on our door on his way from the service at the Cenotaph and handed me a piece of paper. “I just want you to … Continue reading
What Now?
It’s all over but the complaining and the cheering. Barack Obama won in a tight race and Mitt Romney put up a spirited campaign. But what now that it’s over? Just the same old bitterness and decline? There are some … Continue reading
Inside/Outside, Offside/Onside
Last week Andrew Coyne, a writer I have much respect for, posted a comment on Twitter that, despite its cogency, stayed with me like few other things he has written. It said simply: “The real political divide is not between … Continue reading
The Biggest Obstacle In Running For Politics
You want to run politically – locally, provincially, or federally. You might think that your greatest challenge will be the uber partisanship that has destroyed so much of the political legacy of compromise in Canada, and you’d have a point. … Continue reading
How Politics Changes Us (3)
It set us back for a minute. The email message had come in from someone in the riding that I used to represent as an MP and who was a member of another political party. The words were harsh, claiming … Continue reading