Beyond the inner circle
I’m getting older and I’m getting cynical.
Maybe I should stop reading newspapers, watching TV, listening to the radio; in fact, it’s time to retire to a deserted island where the only government is me and mine. When I was young, political parties didn’t take up much space in my world. I could name several, recognize the leaders in profile; do what pollsters hoped I would. But then I started to work, pay taxes, resent the waste of my efforts by others.
I’m not ready to form my own party (yet), but is there some reason why governance has to rhyme (poorly) with incompetence?
At the federal level, things haven’t gone right in years. Would I vote them off my sand dune? In a heartbeat. Ditto for our municipal flock of turkeys. I don’t care if turkey meat goes well in sandwiches.
But a particularly bad taste comes to the back of my tongue when I get into the provincial samples. Here in Quebec, the current gang has a Teflon premier. Unfortunately, the good sense slid off his back, years ago and now we’re watching a meltdown of public confidence. Here a crook, there a crook, everywhere a crook, crook…
Down on the Island, the government has decided to propose legislation allowing sale of university charters. No Sunday shopping, but you could buy your own college. Yes, there is opposition; for a change, it extends beyond the Loyal Opposition and involves real stakeholders. I’ve been reading the comments left by my peers; on the whole, UPEI has turned out a good group of literate, reflective individuals. Let’s hope that the government will listen to someone outside of their “small circle of friends”.
