Lesson of Federal Election: One Party on the Centre Left.

The election results may be a disappointment to a majority of Canadians who tend to be a little left of centre on the political spectrum. Once again, the Conservative party with strong capitalist views and a manipulative self-indulgent leader was returned with 40% of the votes, not much more than in the past few elections but with many more seats, because New Democrats with their charismatic leader and Liberals with an academic with no sense of political leadership split the votes of socially inclined voters allowing Tories to win several seats in close triangular contests. Apart from the emergence of a government with a clear majority after three minority governments, there are two other results which have long term consequences. Annihilation of Bloc Quebecois by NDP in Quebec means that the parties in the House of Commons can now truly work for all Canadians rather than be diverted by regional interests of a party focused on the perceived interest of the French speaking Canadians. However, this hope will only be realized if the residents of Quebec have truly moved away from separation mania and hand over a crushing defeat to Party Quebecois in the next provincial elections. If the provincial Liberals are weakened by the defeat of their federal brethren and PQ wins the provincial election, any federalist advantage gained from this election will be neutralized.

Now that he has a comfortable majority and a pliant caucus, Mr. Harper can rule with dignity without resorting to undemocratic practices of his minority days and can be honest with the Parliament and the Canadians. He can concentrate on what he wants to achieve without constantly focusing on keeping the opposition divided. This can only bring glad tidings to Canadians whatever the tinge of their political beliefs.

Even for diehard opponents of Conservatives there may be a silver lining in the dark clouds of Harper government which will last at least four years. This will give them time to reorganize and consider their options. Perhaps they can learn from the experience of their opponents. It was not all that long ago when a right wing split into newly minted Reform with its slogan of “West wants in” from the then ruling party resulted in the decimation of Conservatives, down from a majority government to two seats. Two elections later Reform party absorbed the Conservatives, adopted the established name of the vanquished and, with an agenda somewhere in the middle of the two parties, won the election and formed a minority government. While this election has not decimated the Liberals, it has reduced them to an ineffective third party with only 33 seats and given left of centre NDP a big boost, returning more than a hundred members in the new parliament.. As a result the erstwhile minor NDP is the party of opposition and the traditional governing party of Canada has been reduced to a minor role. It is a very similar situation that Mr. Harper faced as the leader of Canadian Alliance.

Many Canadians with socialist leanings now hope that the two opposition parties who shared the votes of 55% Canadians will have the sense to learn from Mr. Harper and Mr. Mackay and start a process for getting together. The idea is not so outlandish; two of the leaders of the Liberals were NDP premiers of their provinces before switching to Federal Liberals and there is more common ground between the parties than there was in Reform aka Canadian Alliance of Stockwell Day and Conservatives of Joe Clark. The party that emerges from such combination will be slightly to the left, somewhere in between socialist rhetoric of NDP and centrist Liberals. This is also an opportune time because the leader of the NDP is ailing and not far from retirement and Liberals can elect a young and ambitious leader who can mature under an experience mentor. The merger of the two parties, if it does take place, will give Canadians a clear choice between a party with business leanings and one that leans towards the interests of the consumers and the workers. In the meantime, Mr. Harper has a free hand and an opportunity to provide Canadians what they deserve, a good government for all Canadians, not just the one led by the fringe ideologies and the interests of the corporations who donate big bucks to help the reelection campaign and employ the retiring Tory ministers in senior positions.


Decline and Fall of American Empire!

Whether the United States is still a functioning democracy or merely a declining superpower or both is not for me to judge. But one observation can be made without much contest: The middle class that made that country great is shrinking very rapidly, mostly downwards.

Dramatic increase in poverty south of the border is not only financial; it is also intellectual; in level of competence, willingness to work hard, investment in social services and in future benefits like education. It is this all round poverty that should worry us. Financial hardship is merely a symptom of the basic problem; steep decline in a culture of hard work and social conscience that made that country great. Some may even doubt that when the roles are reversed with China, American workers would be able to make for export the likes of cheap and shoddy goods which they have been buying from China for last two decades and which have shifted irrevocably the balance in economy of the two countries.