WYSIWYG? Not Always

And, when it comes to politics, almost never.

The good news is that we have a national topic of political conversation with which to occupy our time until the next election. Which, may it please the gods, will be soon.

But...Garth Turner as a Liberal?

What was he thinking?

Well, for one thing, according to CPoC MP Peter Van Loan: "I think he made clear his reasons for joining the Liberal Party: He wanted to raise money to fight and(sic) election, and he wanted to sit on a committee. I think those reasons speak for themselves as a motivation."

And from another article: "...he couldn't sit on parliamentary committees or issue tax receipts for donors."

And, if you think about it, those are not bad reasons for belonging to an established political party. They are excellent reasons. But fercrissake...Liberal?

Well, let's take a look at his options, shall we?

Go back to the CPoC? I think he would have preferred to do just that. And, if Stephen Harper weren't the leader of that party, it might even be possible. Matter of fact, I'm willing to bet on its happening in the future, after Harper loses an election and gets turfed as party leader. But it ain't gonna happen in the here and now...and Harper is the reason it won't happen. He could allow it. But he won't.

Join the Bloc? Not legally possible. The Bloc does not exist outside Quebec. Last time I looked, Garth's riding of Halton is in Ontario.

Become a Green? There is no Green. This might have been his choice if the Green party existed in Parliament. But it does not exist, so being a Green is no better than being an independent. Worse, actually -- if he had decided to go Green, he would not only have to adhere to a party platform with which he might not always agree, but he'd still not be able to sit on committees, raise money to fight an election, or issue tax receipts.

Join the NDP? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA... *inhale...hold...exhale slowly...whew...feeling better now* Next question?

Social Credit? Um...see Green. It will give everyone an indication of my age when I tell you that I remember the SoCred party...

So. What's left? Not much. Liberal. That's it, fellow babies.

Am I disappointed? You bet I am. I was hoping that, like Chuck Cadman, Garth would run as an independant and win. I wanted him to be a pioneer in parliamentary reform and help in setting precedents that would allow for independant MPs to sit on committees and et cetera and so forth. I desperately want to see the ass end of the locked-in party politics that are hobbling this country. I was looking for a reason to get active in politics again...something in which I could believe and work for. So yeah, I'm disappointed.

So why doesn't he run in a by-election? you ask. A lot of people -- bloggers -- are demanding exactly that. And it seems to be a reasonable ask, especially considering that Garth himself is on record as being against floor-crossing without a by-election.

So ask yourself this: Who's gonna pay for a by-election? And who's gonna pay for the general election that will follow so closely on its heels? Because there will be a general election soon, you know. If you've been paying attention, you gotta know that Harper has been put on notice recently.

And then there's that little detail of who's gonna call the by-election? Do you know who controls that?

Stephen Harper. That's who. And he can take his sweet time about it, too.

"If I resign immediately, the prime minister can leave my voters held hostage for up to six months without a by-election and without an MP, which could well mean they’re not represented at all until after the next election. Excuse me if I do not trust Stephen Harper, but I don’t."

Me neither. I'm not picking on Harper, though. I also don't trust Layton or Dion. Duceppe doesn't even hit the radar with me.

Having been up to my eyebrows in politics in the past, I'm not at all surprised by Garth's move. Disappointed, as I said, but not surprised. I even understand all the unexplained details and behind-the-scenes deals (and count on it -- deals were made!) that the media doesn't report (sometimes because they don't know for sure, and sometimes because they've been busy making their own deals).

Politics is a blood sport. We who engage in it are all gladiators of one kind or another. As a seasoned veteran, though, I'm fed up with the deck's being stacked against the citizens without whom the system would die an overdue death. So I'm pretty much gonna sit this one out. I reserve the right to bash a noggin or two once in awhile if it invades my space, but that's about it. I'm saving my strength for the day I actually get to fight to defeat partisan party politics altogether.

Y'all go ahead. You can't win, but have fun while you can.