What we have in Ontario today are three political parties that have moved to the right of the political spectrum. They will all tell you that there is no meaning to left or right wing politics anymore. They might be correct. And if they are correct, we can assume that their various political labels have also become meaningless.
This could be why so many of the labour unions in Ontario have moved their allegiance to the Ontario Liberal Party over the past decade. After the experience of Rae Days back in the 90s, they looked for new opportunities. They reasoned that there is more in it for them—and maybe their members—if they make a deal with the Liberals the same way as big business does. They have an advantage over business. The difference is that unions can offer the party a better deal. They bring workers who can help in elections. They can also bring third party advertising campaigns to help vilify Liberal Party opponents.
What it is really is corruption of the political process on a province-wide scale. There are no barriers to this corruption. All parties participate and all are discredited.
The Ontario Conservatives have lost all faith in the former Progressive Conservatives who were drawn from the elite and saw paternalistic governance as a responsibility and a duty. It took former Premier Michael Harris to show them the dog-eat-dog world of harsh ideological right-wing politics and nobody is bringing back the good old days of Bill Davis and Leslie Frost.
The Ontario New Democrats have become less of a conscience of the legislature and more of a centrist party looking for a reason for being.
At the same time, the Liberals see themselves in the role of the kindly gentry bringing governance to the masses. Their only problem is they have no understanding of those masses, their needs and wants. They try to create leadership with surveys and elitist committees and thinly disguised bribes for voters.
It used to be that you could more openly buy the votes with the voters’ money. You could pander to NIMBY’s who do not want a natural gas generating plant in their back yard, wind generators on the next farm or a Walmart down the street. The only problem is that nobody stays bought for long. It is alright if you no longer trust your politicians. It is obvious, they no longer trust you.
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Copyright 2014 © Peter Lowry
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