According to Reuters, voter turnout was an all time low at 58%. Frequency of elections combined with the table I've created below pretty much explain all that away in my mind.
As of 08:52 15-Oct-2008.
Clearly its difficult to choose what 'Other' candidates would gain seats being as so many fringe parties are included in these numbers, perhaps the highest nationwide percentages could also be brought in to play here. All I'm saying is the representation needs to start better following the population, instead of arbitrary geographical lines. Yes, a majority government may never exist under that format, but maybe then the politicians will be forced to work together for the long term, instead of looking 18-24 months down the road at the next election opportunity.
Showing posts with label Canada. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Canada. Show all posts
October 15, 2008
October 14, 2008
Election Watching
I may or may not update this as the election results come in. Popular vote in the Atlantic region has the Liberals and Conservatives down, and NDP, Green and Independents up...go figure. I have a feeling this will be a popular theme, and yet, I don't think the seats will change accordingly. I suspect after this election there will be even more calls for a change to the voting system to reflect the popular vote.
Its particularly telling that Rick Mercer is part of the CBC official election coverage. I sure don't foresee the likes of Jonathan Stewart or Stephen Colbert being on call when the results come in on Obama v. McCain.
21:44 EDT
Elizabeth May paraphrase 'If voters aged 5 and up counted, I would have won in a landslide'. There are positives and negatives to take from this.
Northern Ontario swinging past Liberal to Green and NDP? Oh wait, basing these claims on 30-200 total votes...One comment though, that the region depends on diesel and so is opposed to the Liberal carbon tax plan? I'm pretty sure 3 of the 5 big positive movers on those shitty markets today were mining/metals companies, the little man working for those companies has nothing to worry about. Not to mention that many of those metals are integral to the new 'green' technologies.
22:11 EDT
Counting the Prairies now, no shocks out there. Liberals are in some tighter than expected races, particularly in Toronto, where I think I heard Conservatives haven't held a seat in 20 years. Getting a little scared that the Cons could actually make a majority.
22:44 EDT
Interesting discussion on the local cable outlet for Rogers on why this election is even taking place. It hasn't gone so far as to suggest the waste of money should it come out as the predicted Conservative minority, but they have touched on Harper's motivations in declaring parliament 'dysfunctional'.
23:25 EDT
Apparently blogger is overloaded right now. One last comment on the use of Twitter on not just CBC, but any network when it comes to election coverage: cut it out. I'll be the first to admit that just about anyone can go out and create a blog. But it at least requires some ability to piece together ideas and thoughts.
Twitter updates are about on par with the text messages scrolling across the bar on MuchMusic vote in music video segments. They work for status updates...not for informed commentary. Get rid of them.
Its particularly telling that Rick Mercer is part of the CBC official election coverage. I sure don't foresee the likes of Jonathan Stewart or Stephen Colbert being on call when the results come in on Obama v. McCain.
21:44 EDT
Elizabeth May paraphrase 'If voters aged 5 and up counted, I would have won in a landslide'. There are positives and negatives to take from this.
Northern Ontario swinging past Liberal to Green and NDP? Oh wait, basing these claims on 30-200 total votes...One comment though, that the region depends on diesel and so is opposed to the Liberal carbon tax plan? I'm pretty sure 3 of the 5 big positive movers on those shitty markets today were mining/metals companies, the little man working for those companies has nothing to worry about. Not to mention that many of those metals are integral to the new 'green' technologies.
22:11 EDT
Counting the Prairies now, no shocks out there. Liberals are in some tighter than expected races, particularly in Toronto, where I think I heard Conservatives haven't held a seat in 20 years. Getting a little scared that the Cons could actually make a majority.
22:44 EDT
Interesting discussion on the local cable outlet for Rogers on why this election is even taking place. It hasn't gone so far as to suggest the waste of money should it come out as the predicted Conservative minority, but they have touched on Harper's motivations in declaring parliament 'dysfunctional'.
23:25 EDT
Twitter updates are about on par with the text messages scrolling across the bar on MuchMusic vote in music video segments. They work for status updates...not for informed commentary. Get rid of them.
September 04, 2008
Military Breeding Machine
I have caught a few minutes here and there of speeches and the like coming out of the Republican National Convention in the past few days. I tend to only be able to maintain my attention for those few minutes at a time before I become dumbfounded at how people so adamantly support such hypocrisy. I thought surely last time around there was no way they could possibly re-elect Bush, but then they did. And now despite all the negative response around the selection of Governor Palin for VP, I worry that the same thing could happen.
When it comes down to selling your campaign on grabbin' yer guns and upholding some notion of Christian law, apparently votes quickly swing your way. The Republicans have only managed to shift gears slightly since last time around, slightly fewer references to the dreaded 9/11 (except those by GW himself), and endless more references to McCain's POW experience. Sure the guy is a hero in that regard, but so are countless other vets slipping further into senility, and under-assisted by aid and health care programs. I don't see how this becomes such a strong selling point in marketing the President of the USA.
As usual these days, its basically been put on satire shows like The Daily Show and Colbert Report to reveal the hypocrisy of the actual halfway relevant talking points, and they've done a hilarious job. The speeches themselves would be funny, if it wasn't so scary, what people are willing to believe.
The two most prominent platforms in the speeches so far seem to be the 'protection of human life', and the 'resolve to get the job done in the war against terrorism'. In that juxtaposition, I've finally realized some of the 'logic' in Republican thinking. The life of children must be protected, until such age that they are fit to suit up in camo and carry an M16, no matter the costs to the mother bearing them, or the perhaps young father, who has nowhere to turn but to the military to earn money to support the child. Two birds with one stone right?
Sure we have our own imminent election coming up in Canada, and it has its implications for conflicts overseas as well, but it all seems to pale in comparison to the problems faced south of the border, and in reality, the world over, should the Republicans steal another 4 years.
When it comes down to selling your campaign on grabbin' yer guns and upholding some notion of Christian law, apparently votes quickly swing your way. The Republicans have only managed to shift gears slightly since last time around, slightly fewer references to the dreaded 9/11 (except those by GW himself), and endless more references to McCain's POW experience. Sure the guy is a hero in that regard, but so are countless other vets slipping further into senility, and under-assisted by aid and health care programs. I don't see how this becomes such a strong selling point in marketing the President of the USA.
As usual these days, its basically been put on satire shows like The Daily Show and Colbert Report to reveal the hypocrisy of the actual halfway relevant talking points, and they've done a hilarious job. The speeches themselves would be funny, if it wasn't so scary, what people are willing to believe.
The two most prominent platforms in the speeches so far seem to be the 'protection of human life', and the 'resolve to get the job done in the war against terrorism'. In that juxtaposition, I've finally realized some of the 'logic' in Republican thinking. The life of children must be protected, until such age that they are fit to suit up in camo and carry an M16, no matter the costs to the mother bearing them, or the perhaps young father, who has nowhere to turn but to the military to earn money to support the child. Two birds with one stone right?
Sure we have our own imminent election coming up in Canada, and it has its implications for conflicts overseas as well, but it all seems to pale in comparison to the problems faced south of the border, and in reality, the world over, should the Republicans steal another 4 years.
May 23, 2008
Right to a Fair Trial, Whenever It Suits You
I suppose when you're an aging white woman who can cry on demand, you are afforded more privileges than an Arab-Canadian who has lived out his teenage years in captivity. Of course, like the schoolyard bully in gradeschool, Canada was in more of a position to throw its weight around, and move Brenda Martin out of the country where she was actually afforded a fair trial, bring her home, and bail her out. But when the other bully on the playground is bigger and older than you, you just sit back and do what they tell you so you can keep up your rep.
The U.S. is at the point now where they have to keep theirwar-criminals prisoners of war 'enemy combatants' (the first two terms would seem to have actually given those people rights on an international level) locked away just to keep those who used to in fact just go about their lives taking care of their families and livelihoods from going and perpetrating acts of revenge against a nation that has locked them away for years with no recourse of any kind. I know I'd lose some of my passivity if I were locked away for 6 years with no just cause, and no way of defending myself.
I'm not saying these people need to be handed get out of jail free cards, as some of them may have indeed had ties to terrorist organizations, but the President of the United States in January, whether it be Obama, Clinton, or even McCain need to stand behind some kind of policy to deal with the prisoners like those at Guantanamo to expedite the trial process, and come into line with signed international treaties on the treatment of prisoners of war, as well as the treatment of child soldiers, for argument's sake, like Omar Khadr.
The U.S. is at the point now where they have to keep their
I'm not saying these people need to be handed get out of jail free cards, as some of them may have indeed had ties to terrorist organizations, but the President of the United States in January, whether it be Obama, Clinton, or even McCain need to stand behind some kind of policy to deal with the prisoners like those at Guantanamo to expedite the trial process, and come into line with signed international treaties on the treatment of prisoners of war, as well as the treatment of child soldiers, for argument's sake, like Omar Khadr.
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