Hébert has joined the common sense crowd, and calls Jack Layton’s feeble attempts to compare the Greens to Liberals, as “flimsy”.
“Given the evolution of the election debates, the reasons to invite her to participate outweigh the reasons to keep her out.”
Hardly a ringing endorsement, but we’ll have to take it I suppose, as the tide slowly starts to turn to including May in the televised leaders debates.
“There is no hard-and-fast rule to qualify for a spot in the debates. But with 15 parties on the federal ballot in 2006, the networks have to draw a line somewhere or else the debates will turn into a cacophony. ”
I can’t say I agree with that part. There’s no line required when it comes to informing the public through our public broadcaster CBC, and even CPAC. Canadians watch TV — a lot. And to reach the largest number of Canadians, a few nights of prime time TV set aside for politicians yapping is the best way to educate the masses about who is really best suited to lead our country. TV producers can figure out how to make 16 people stranded on an island interesting and popular, but they can’t figure out how to fit the ~15 potential leaders of our country into an interesting and informative broadcast series during an election campaign? Give me a break!
It’s time for journalists with their preconceived notions about which parties are ready for prime time, to stop being our nannies. Canadians can decide for themselves who has the best platform to lead our country through the 21st century. Just present the options and throw in some raw meat topics for the politicans with killer instincts to entertain us. It’s clear to me that the Liberals and Conservatives have barely begun to think about how to lead. They are both about telling Canadians what we can’t do, or saying we should do something, but never doing it (ending child poverty, and controlling air pollution as examples). With a leader like May in the spotlight, someone who has ideas and plans for Canada to lead the world (in a positive way, not in an “I’ll take your lunch money” kind of way), Canadians would have a new sense of hope in our political system to make their lives better.
For a truly frustrating example of what Greens have to put up with in “debate” over the debates, check out ET on SDA.
ET: “The debates should be between leaders of parties that have the capacity to form the legitimate gov’t [...]”
“I repeat, you cannot extrapolate a poll like that to claim that it is valid for all Canadians.”
My reply:
ET, whose fault is it that you can’t do math? It’s not impossible for the Green Party to form government until the deciding ballots are counted on election night, and they end up with fewer seats than the other parties contending for power. It’s a pretty simple concept in democracy.
In one breath you’re condemning a national poll as being inherently unrepresentative of public opinion, and the next you want to use opinion polls to guide unelected broadcasters in deciding which parties they will favour for 4+ hours of free televised advertising for their party. You’re outrageous, and fair minded Canadians do not agree with you!
==
And in other flashy video displays suitable for TV, OK GO has been remade by highschool students, and they are awesome too! A Youtuber’s comment remarked that it was a talent show and not a contest so they didn’t “win”.
–
Hat tip to Karen
@hotmail.com
![[EFC Blue Ribbon - Free Speech Online]](http://www.efc.ca/images/efcfreet.gif)
The Anonymous Green | 25-Apr-07 at 4:23 pm | Permalink
http://blog.greenparty.ca/en/node/540
Adam | 25-Apr-07 at 4:37 pm | Permalink
ET’s comments seem to be quite unreasonable, unlike Hebert, who manages to succinctly sum up the supporting arguments for May’s inclusion. Excellent post.
Saskboy | 25-Apr-07 at 4:42 pm | Permalink
Thanks for the link TAG. I can’t help but feel a creative and forceful solution will be required to twist the arms of the broadcast consortium. They are undoubtedly out of touch with regular Canadians, as anyone with a TV could tell if they care to look with a critical eye. Even our “public broadcaster” can’t be bothered to air Canadian content like a series of debates at times when they have nothing else to put on anyway. It’s strange there is dead air late at night, when they could cue up tapes from shows gone by and educate or entertain people with VCR/TIVOs/insomnia. The airwaves are a public resource, and for backroom dealers to dictate which national parties can and cannot have airtime is a crime.
Green Assassin Brigade | 25-Apr-07 at 7:03 pm | Permalink
I totaly agree with the need for more, not less voices in elections, unfortunately a great deal of the electorate has neither the patience or the ambition to learn about the entire platform about the party the vote for let alone the compeating choices.
Personaly I’d like to see a round robin type debate set up where we get to see each leader spend a hour one on one with each of the others, followed by the 2 all candidates debates. As it is ratings are not what they should be for the debates, my set up would get no support and minimal viewership
Why is it that 2 hours is too much to ask most people to pay attention once every couple of years when they can spend 8 weeks on hockey playoffs?
Which is more important the future of your country or a bunch of over payed jocks who add no real value to our lives?
Adrian MacNair | 26-Apr-07 at 12:29 pm | Permalink
Bah, don’t bother. Let Stephane Dion answer questions about the Green Party. After all, May wanted to align herself with the Liberals, she may as well get a red card and sit in the audience.
JimBobby | 26-Apr-07 at 3:08 pm | Permalink
“…May wanted to align herself with the Liberals…”
Greens are running against Liberals in more than 300 ridings. That is no alliance. The May-Dion deal was not a merger as the Cons and NDP have been trying to paint it. May never endorsed any Liberal party policies. Dion never endorsed any Green Party policies. The deal affects 2 out of 306 ridings. Get some perspective.
Dodos | 27-Apr-07 at 9:00 am | Permalink
ET may nbe one of the most arrogant commenters on SDA. Quite a feat if you ask me.
I think we all know the reason the NDP and Cons don’t want May on the debates. She will make Layton and Harper look like the dolts they are.
Saskboy | 27-Apr-07 at 11:25 am | Permalink
“Why is it that 2 hours is too much to ask most people to pay attention”
They don’t even sell advertising during then, as far as I recall, and the competitors don’t have anything different, so they really have very little to lose, considering it’s in the public interest. We don’t even have to ask people to pay attention; if they want to remain blissfully ignorant that’s their right in this country, as much as I disagree with their attitude. The broadcasters don’t have the right though to tell us which parties are suitable to listen to, and which aren’t.