Conservatism may not be my thing, but it is for a lot of other people, and I grieve for their sake that the party they have invested so much of their hopes in has turned to such warm beer. And all Canadians, whatever their leanings, should wish for more balance and diversity in our political choices.
I disagree with Coyne on a number of things but on some issues he is dead on.
As much as I loathe the HarperCrites and question the intelligence of their supporters, I don't want to see Canada without principled political representation for Canadian conservatives. Just as I don't want to see so many social libertarians continuing to be left abandoned in the political southwest wilderness.
The x axis in the image above represents the economic; the y axis the social. Since the shift of the HarperCons and Iggy's coronation, the two parties have shifted toward each other. The CPoC no longer is as far right, while the LPC has moved both up and to the right.
ALL Canadians should be represented in our political institutions. Which means, of course, that we need proportional representation, another issue on which Coyne and I agree.
And we need PR urgently.
BC is about to have another go-round on PR - on May 12. We'll be voting in a referendum to change our electoral system to the Single Transferable Vote.
All PR advocates, including those who support MMP, should rally to the cause. With a PR system in place, advocates for any other model will not be ignored but instead receive the attention they deserve from provincial politicians and candidates running for office. Under the present non-proportional system we have politicos can, and consistently do, ignore the majority of voters. After all, it's the minority which lands them their jobs.
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