This past Thursday witnessed a discourse between two of our nation’s most celebrated political biographers during the latest edition of the outstanding Kagawong Lecture Series. (Full disclosure: this newspaper sponsored the event, but it was the drive and persistent determination [and credibility] of Old Mill Heritage Centre’s Rick Nelson that brought it all together.)
That discourse highlighted one of the most dangerous trends to ever threaten our western liberal (that’s small l) democracies—that of political actors sliding from civil debate on the issues concerning most Canadians into incessant personal attacks and rhetoric that has left much of the electorate, especially the younger elements that are making up a growing portion of the voting public disillusioned and, worse, utterly disengaged.
Prosecutor and political analyst arthor Mr. Milnes summed it up pretty much perfectly in describing his own current location on the political spectrum when he said, “a pox on all their houses.” That viewpoint echoed the perspective of one of the youngest individuals in the audience who admitted that sentiment was most likely the one to be heard amongst her peer group gatherings.
There seems to be no place for a centrist viewpoint in today’s ultra-partisan and polarized political arena—this despite most Canadians remaining staunchly near the centre—whether of “right” or “left” leaning temperament.
It has often been said that you could not wedge a nickel between the policy positions of the two main parties that have most often helmed both Ontario and Canada’s governments—truth be told the main “third” party has rarely strayed all that far from centre ice when handed the reins of power. So, what gives?
In a word—passion. Not so much the issues of the day, or policy platforms of competing parties, but a tribalism that has arisen, initially sparked by social media anonymity bringing out the very worst in us, but fueled to today’s raging bonfires by a steady diet of politicians pandering to the extremes in their increasingly shrinking tents.
Passion brings out the cash donations that feed the modern political machine, passion brings out the volunteers to canvas, to hammer signs on lawns, and passion brings out the very worst in us. GOTV is an acronym for “get out the vote” and refers to backroom strategies aimed at enticing (or nagging) voters to go to their polling stations to mark a ballot in favour of the party, and nothing quite gets out the vote more than the passion generated by extreme viewpoints.
The Liberal government of Justin Trudeau first came to power promising “sunny ways,” a promise to “do politics differently,” and inherent in that promise was a return to civility—a focus on peace, order and good government, not character assassination and negative spin on an opponent’s position. According to the two largely unbiased observers presenting at the Lecture Series, that promise has gone unfulfilled—no party is free from the partisan poison infecting our body politic.
We can blame politicians for this political dilemma, a situation where none of us, even long-time political actors and partisans, can find a comfortable roost amongst the current flocks of party faithful. We are facing a situation where none of the choices being presented on the ballot plate are palatable to the vast majority of the electorate. Therein lies the most dangerous threat to our democracy, when none of the above is the preferred ballot choice.
That is the problem. What is the solution?
It is long past due that centrists in all parties retake the field. The red Tory, the blue Liberal (a Mulcair NDP?) to reassert themselves in the ranks. Instead of disengagement, set fingers to keyboard, set pen to paper, pick up the phone, drop by a constituency office and let your feelings be known.
When a politician makes a disparaging attack on an opponent or a policy without any substance or offering a substantive alternative, don’t just walk in lockstep with your tribe because that is the route you have always followed, don’t shake your head and walk away—shake them up! Rattle their doors, ring their bells. It is time for centrists to find their passion. Our democracy depends upon making our voices heard—we must rise above the extremist din.
In a paraphrase of an old political saw—now is the time for all good people to come to the aid of our polity.
