Do you have ideologues in your big-tent, or is that your grassroots showing?
Sunday, January 10, 2010 at 8:12AM 
As many of you are very well aware, I have increased much of my blogging around Provincial political discussion. It probably takes up well over half of my posts, and obviously that is because I am impassioned on the future of this province, and my city.
But, I am not a politician, I am not a paid journalist, nor am I even 100% convicted in my opinions. I am a regular family man, business owner and citizen. The more I look inward to my own thoughts, beliefs and opinions, the more complicated I find the discussion around what makes for good government. Don't even get me started about politics, which clearly has very little to do with government.
What I do know however is that the far end of the political spectrums are the playgrounds of the ideologue. Because free speech is something that cements our very societal foundation, it would be ridiculous to criticize their right to say what they do. Because also, you can't influence the opinion of a close-minded ideologue, it would be a waste of energy to even try. Trust me on this one, I have wasted a lot of my energy falling for the trap of debating them, only to find that the joke was on me.
But what we can do and we should do, at least when it comes to politics, is to shift our glance to whom the ideologues' are supporting politically. We should ask why that party accepts them, even if they have to plug their noses doing so, to gain the votes of their followers.
Next to Grassroots, I think the term Big-Tent is one of the worst metaphors used in politics. If you are a party, or a party leader who professes to be a "Big-Tent" party, then that should mean you want people with all types of beliefs to be a member of your party, AND be able to express them freely in your party. In my opinion, a true big tent party would actually have policies and tools which create an environment that fosters this type of open-thinking. Not only that, and perhaps more importantly, the party would have leadership that actually disapproves of ideological close-mindedness, speaking out against it, to help the discussion along. As a business owner, and leader, I do know that it is my responsibility to foster an environment that is healthy and respectful for all of my employees. A parties leader should do the same for all of the residents of their "big-tent".
I have always thought this would actually be good politics. Don't even get me started on how this would be great for good governance.
Today's politics, which are based on gaining power then sharing it back to the interests that help you get elected, are perpetuating the problem. In my opinion however, and many of my good friends believe I am being naive, I think that the world is changing. I think that transparency of information, the ability for nearly anybody to publish their opinions, and the highly increased ability for people to come together (first on electronic social networks, but then together in person), makes it more and more difficult for politicians to maintain exclusivity on the distribution of power. We have more power today, and it's time we started using it.
The party that finds a new way to govern within this new reality, will be the one that wins the votes of the masses. In my opinion, no party in Alberta today does this. I'm not prepared to accept that it's not possible to blend good government and good politics. But right now, as I see it, that will take a new party, using new techniques.
p.s. If you visit the link above, you will see that Reboot Alberta is rapidly becoming the place where like-minded Alberta citizens can challenge a new way of thinking for democracy in Alberta. I was at the first event and it was attended by a perfect balance of rural, urban, young and old. Contrary to popular belief, this is not the the home for anyone who would subscribe to old terms like Liberal or Conservative. That's why I love it, and you should spend some time on the site reading about the movement. I have no doubts that the next political party that I support in this Province will get it's start from this movement. Their next event is at the end of February in Kananaskis, and if you would like to discuss how democracy can be practiced in the 21st century, then I would suggest you come along.
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Reader Comments (6)
Chris, excellent points. I was unable to attend the first ReBoot (missed registration by a day...she who hesitates, and all that.) And prior commitments prevent me from getting to the second, but the websites, and conversations with others who have attended have lit a fire of hope in me that was all but extinguised in the past elelction and subsequent events. I'm in. Like the littlest engine...I think we can, I think we can. And by golly, we'd better. My kids and their kids are counting on it.
Reboot is nothing but yet another futile attempt at bringing left-wing politics to Alberta. Wildrose all the way!
Joe:
Thanks for stopping by! Your visit reminds me about this quote.
"The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it”
Have a great Sunday. Stay anonymous.
Chris
IN my experience Chris, what is good for governing is always good for politics. The reverse is rarely true. We have lost the sense of politics being about pubic service. It is now mostly about positioning and tactics all in an effort to gain and sustain power over people - not to serve people. It is damaging our province, our country and it is destroying democracy.
Citizens have to reboot the system. The have to retake CONTROL over the political process by re-engaging and exercising the rghts and responsibility of citizenship. We have to create some viable ALTERNATIVES to the existing political power structure and we need DELETE certain dangerous and damaging practices like only measuring our wealth creation in terms of short term consumption with no sense of a need for conservation or preservation of our natural capital. We are "growing" with a wanton disregard of long term consequences to future generations. Thoughtful Albertans are coming to realize that we need to walk a new path in a different direction and towards a more responsible and sustainable destination.
Reboot Alberta is at the trailhead of that new path and a wide array of progressive Albertans are coming to it to set a new direction and desiination for our province. Thanks for being part of the movement and for pressing for change.
Some very salient points Chris. In your opinion, How do we get past the obligations that financial, and other, contributions bring into the equation?
I think that some simple changes like vastly improving access to public information, and greater limitations on donations to political parties. I also think that OPEN DATA would be a small but simple step towards exposing the peoples information, which they own.
One of small example of this is this site which accesses contribution data and allows organizations and programmers to build tools. http://www.opensecrets.org/index.php
Greater things, like real free votes, and lobbyist restrictions, are others. I guess my point above is that a movement like Reboot Alberta will be well positioned to come up with these type of ideas, and hopefully pressurize parties to respond. Also very important will be ways to reduce the emphasis on partisanship. I have no idea how that is effectively done.