Glenn Mitchell
Mitchell’s Musings
Another election dawns on Monday and it’s time to take stock on what this campaign has brought us Canadians so far.
Locally, it’s certainly brought us lots of colourful signs dotting the landscape. This used to bother me a lot as signs on private property used to stand for something as residents revealed their true colours and actually promoted who they thought would be the best candidate.
Nowadays, that’s pretty rare as people don’t seem to want to alienate neighbours in these divisive times, or we’re just gutless, take your pick.
But what does a plethora of signs at the roundabout (public property I might add) behind Safeway mean, other than party workers have made a political rainbow of sorts that’s semi-attractive and proves that democracy is alive and well and living in the roundabout at least?
Does more signs on public property mean more public support? Do bigger signs mean more concentrated or heavier support? And do the most signs win the popularity contest so if you want to be on the winning side you better vote accordingly?
I know advertising works, everywhere and anywhere, but in this case I think the big winners are the sign makers, and unless these signs are cleaned up on Tuesday the environment is the loser.
I vow right now, before God and my 9.5 faithful readers, that if I ever run for political office that I will not put up signs, on principle, and because I’m a cheap son of a gun.
Anyway the winner, locally, is going to be Mel Arnold and the Conservatives. Not because he put up the most signs or even conducted the best campaign, but because the Tories almost always win here unless there’s Trudeaumania or a very strong local candidate based in Vernon, or both.
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There’s a strong senior contingent here and they tend to be conservative (I tell my kids that wise saying “that if you’re young and not liberal you don’t have a heart, but if you’re older and you’re still liberal you don’t have a brain” is mostly true) and the young aren’t being inspired by Justin Trudeau this time, or anyone else for that matter.
So they may just stay home. If trends and polls count for anything (and believe me they aren’t always right, thankfully, and there’s still a weekend to go) we may have a Conservative government led by Prime Minister Andrew Scheer and our MP will be on the government side this time.
One bit of advice this time though Mel, see if you can stay out of the top 10 MPs for travel expenses for wives, a whopping $121,138.05 to take fourth place in the country, just missing a bronze medal.
I’m sure it’s cold and lonely in Ottawa and it’s kind of romantic and all having your wife there, a lot, but go to a couple Senators games or something, heck get a season’s ticket, or two.
I’m sure it’s a write-off and it will save us taxpayers a lot of money. Either that or a hot water bottle. No thanks needed, you’re welcome. And congratulations.
Although I think the change is due to people voting out parties and personalities more than voting parties and leaders in (see Stephen Harper and the Tories after 10 years), a change has got to be better than the current regime, forgetting, perhaps, that it’s much easier to criticize than to actually govern.
Add in the fact that the bloom was off the rose for Trudeau, several missteps including black face/brown face which made him look silly and hypocritical at the same time, and opened up the door for the uninspirational Scheer, who left his own screwups, Bill 21 and same-sex marriages, on the table without explanation.
Of course wanting change is how the world ended up with Trump. I’m not saying Scheer is Trump. Of course not, Scheer is much younger. Ha.
But apparently we do know that Scheer was voted most likely in his high school grad class to be leader of the Reform Party one day, and that’s come true, and so much for being an idealistic youth out to save the world (not to mention being somewhat of a dweeb and possibly heartless, see earlier quote).
He became an MP at age 25, so it appears he hasn’t had a real job unless you count insurance broker which he put on his resume but then admitted during the campaign he really wasn’t one officially.
Kind of like the dual citizenship he carried that he has denounced others for in the past.
Oh well, he smiles a lot and seems like a nice guy, which you definitely can’t say about his apparent mentor, Stephen Harper. But then a wannabe Stephen Harper with a smile sounds a bit sinister too.
So, a new, raw, young, untested rookie prime minister with dubious qualifications sounds interesting if not very familiar.
Right, it’s 2015 all over again.
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