This post is mostly for the Canadian readers who still come to this page although I hope everything can get something from it.
From talking to some of my "Mother Cannucker" friends, it had become apparent to me how much apathy exists with regards to the upcoming Canadian election. It appears that people are going to vote based on who they dislike the least. I am sure that this is exactly the same as what happened in the US election when it was the battle of "anybody but Bush" vs "anybody but them damn liberals".
So why do we hate our politicians so much. Well, I have written about this before and when I did, I stuck up for these politicians. However, I do have to say that sometimes they don't help themselve and the Canadian election campaign seems to be no exception.
I therefore urge anyone who wants to see an example of what a poltician should be to click
here The speech here is one that Robin Cook gave shortly before the commencement of war. Now the point is not the fact that the speech was anti-war but rather the class with which it was made. Just to give it a bit of context, Mr Cook was one of Tony Blair's most trusted advisors throughout his years in government. As the war drew closer and closer he never once spoke out against it. This was despite the fact that he felt so strongly against it. Rather, he stood loyally with Mr Blair and tried to persuade him in private that war was not the answer.
It was only on the eve of war when Mr Cook finally knew that his efforts were in vain, that he made this speech. But look at the way he did it. He doesn't try to use it for his own political gain nor does he try to destroy anyone elses career. Rather he simple states his own views and that he can't go on in government in the circumstances.
Unfortunately Mr Cook died recently and British politics is the poorer. To see why, I urge you all to watch the speech which you can also do from the above link. It is about 10 minutes and it shows why we shouldn't give up on all politicians just yet.
