Tag Archives: political decline
The Age of Monochrome
So, the Christmas lights at the Parliament buildings are blue and orange this year. Gone are the historic red bulbs that had always been part of the mix. One of my old friends who works on the maintenance staff in … Continue reading
The Slide From Wonderment to Bereavement
I spoke to a highly respected Canadian on the weekend who had told me six months earlier that he was strongly considering running federally in the next election. Then things changed. “When I told others I was considering running, I … Continue reading
Perhaps George Washington Was Right
The following is my recent Huffington Post piece on the use of negative ads and their unintended consequences. It was the cause of significant debate during my sojourn in Parliament: do we respond in kind to the Conservative attacks ads? … Continue reading
A Government Eating Its Young
The following is a piece I penned for the Huffington Post, laying out the sad story of how one government MP, for a brief moment, attempted to hold politics to a new standard and ultimately was felled by the old … Continue reading
The Call is Ours
Democracy isn’t always a clear winner. Traditionally its method of reaching decisions by voting has created the general impression that the majority is right. We count heads when we wish to see a matter settled. In the days of kings … Continue reading
A Hill to Die On
It all ended so badly – the tone perhaps worse than the ultimate decision. Following 10 years of diligent effort and compromise, a citizen’s group from London, Ontario learned in harsh finality that, for all the trumpeting of the need … Continue reading
Tribalism, Canadian Style
“Things seem a bit better, eh?” The observation from a Conservative colleague as we fought our way through the cold winter blast along Wellington Street this week stuck in my craw. He believed MPs were treating one another better during … Continue reading