Ahira's Hangar

Yeah...seems the Americans begin campaigning round about the time the election ends.

--A

Oh no kidding!

Maybe Moonwatcher can drop in and explain the shoe thing in Canadian parliament. I have always loved watching that on TV. Do they only beat the table tops with their shoes, or do they ever beat up each other with their shoes?

But they have to pay lip-service to it, because it's an issue the voters think is important. Go Green Party!

--A

Unfortunately, from the little Canadian coverage I have been able to get (since we do not get the Windsor CBC channel as part of our local TV package, even though it is only across the river ) the Greens will be excluded from the national debates.

Do the Canadian candidates also try to run on personality and sound bites rather than anything of substance or meaning, Moonwatcher?

My older son will be a first time voter this year, and the candidates are making him rip his hair out with their lack of substance. (I have been teaching him that if he sees a politician he sees a liar, that the political parties exist only to support the demonic cabals known as special interest groups, and if he has any questions about the candidates, that the best place for research is the League for Women Voters, a group which tries to cut through the BS and compile the candidates' stand/s on actual issues).

Heh...I agree, the plagiarism charge is likely a non-issue for most voters. Like the article said, it matters more to academics.

I suspect a lot of Canadians - those who are political junkies anyway - will watch the Palin/Biden debate instead, or with more interest.

There seems to be a lot of voter apathy in our election. Many Canadians, it seems, are more emotionally engaged in the US election, which is understandable. They wish that Canada had someone as charismatic as Barack Obama in the race. (Not me, personally. Like Rex Murphy said, I want our election to remain ours, not America's.)

The only candidate who seems to have genuinely energized voters - specifically the younger generation - is the Green Party's Elizabeth May. According to a poll from the CBC, if you only counted the (potential) votes of those between around 18-24 years of age, then the Green Party would be neck-and-neck with the "mainstream" parties. So for the youth, the Greens are already mainstream, in sync with their own views.

This will probably sounds as cynical as hell, but I highly doubt that your guy plagiarized the Oz guy. Knowing the hinkiness associated with the Bush White House, I am willing to bet that the same person - in Washington - wrote both speeches and provided them to these world leaders - especially given that the speeches were in support of Bush's policy.

(Go ahead and throw rotten tomatoes at me now).

We have a Green Party as well. I might actually vote for the Green Party candidate for Congress for my district, in a form of protest this November. My Democratic Congressman voted against the bailout, and after what happened with the Republicans in the House, I do not feel comfortable voting for one of them, either. So I will be researching the Libertarian and Green candidates for my district, and either voting for one of the other of them or will be writing in the name of my former congresswoman, Lynn Rivers, whom I really liked. I know my vote is a throw away in that case - but I view it as a protest vote directed at the two major parties.

In the last election, the Green party candidates in this area were all anti-war in Iraq and all pro green sustainable energy, and more strict environmental protections. I can live with those things.

Haha, that' pretty plausible Duchess. One of those things you just wouldn't put past them at all.

--A

Wow, that's the sort of thing I'd expect to hear about here. Not in nice, quiet, law-abiding Canada. Must be those Québécois separtists.

--A

Well, like Mr. Johnston said, this goes way beyond party politics. Very disappointed, too, that this kind of thing should happen in Canada. Definitely not a normal part of political campaigns here. Wonder if the vandal(s) will ever be caught.

(Nah, couldn't be separatists...surely they aren't that stupid.)