jeudi 16 octobre 2008

October 14, Canadian Federal Election 2008: Steven Harper, Conservative (Neocon Lite) prime minister re-elected.

As I predicted Harper won but without the parliamentary majority I anticipated. (NOTE: Commentator Rex Murphy says Harper won a "defacto majority", presumably due to his increase in popular vote and the fragmentation of center-left votes among Liberals, Greens, New Democrats and Bloc-Québécois).

These are times of socio-political reaction. Out-moded power structures and modes of governance are crumbling everywhere, in tune with crashing ecosystems: witness the finanacal débâcle currently afflicting the world's financial markets !! People are running scared and Harper certainly benefited from the recent upturn in world stock markets which was inspired by lucrative bank "bail out" schemes.

However, Harper's victory should be seen in context: THE VOTING TURN OUT WAS THE LOWEST IN HISTORY.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_federal_election,_2008

Why was it so low? I believe that at some level of consciousness, the masses KNOW (deep visceral GNOSIS), they are not fooled by the smoke 'n mirrors of the formal political process. Young voters, in particular, are APATHETIC. And with reason! Harper: "The Kyoto accord is a socialist plot to destroy the economies of the West". Then there is Canada's pathetic failure to meet its Kyoto CO2 emission reduction goals (under a LIBERAL (Neocon Xtra Lite) goverment).

Overheard: College and university students active in environmental movement are disengaged from the formal political process. "At some level of consciousness", these enlightened young people see through the smoke 'n mirrors of the formal electoral process: election call - campaign - inevitable promises (inevitably unfufilled in large part) - stasis (the world drifts blithely toward Armageddon) - election call - campaign - inevitable lies... and so the wheel turns..

One can only conclude that things are at a tense stalemate, an ustable and untenable equilibrium. Perhaps it will prove to be the calm before the storm (??) Disatisfaction, fear and frustration are the daily bread of the masses, sporadically exploding in the violence of scapegoating: 9-11 and its sequel, the unjustified Irak war; feminist / gay bashing, Islamophobia / Islamofascism, terrorism / neonazism.. Ripe times indeed for the ascendancy of fascism.

I have been told that the Chinese ideogram for "crisis" is composed of two roots whose meanings are "danger" and "opportunity". In the present impasse, I actually find some hope in the political apathy / cynicism of the young. Their frustration, badly canalized, can lead to socio-political reaction in its worst forms; well canalized, that frustration can provide the MOTIVE FORCE for life renewing change. Only time will tell which form will prevail. Qui Vivra Verra!

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