If there is one thing I genuinely enjoy, right next to raindrops on kittens and warm paper packages, it is taking the steam out of half-baked political outrage. You see, I want a monopoly on that. That's my turf. I briefly debated styling myself The Half-Baked Queen, but it did not go as I envisioned.
Needless to say I was pretty excited to read the latest articles on the Senate appointments. I could go on about the cabinet for a while (Hey there, Bev!) but it would be like taking a 9 iron to a putt-putt golf course; sure you can hit it out of the park, but everyone will be too disgusted with you to pay attention.
So the Senate nominations: People are apparantly bothered by the fact that the three appointments were not elected in their respective ridings. I am not entirely sure - not many articles specify - that people are aware that senators are not elected here in Canda, they are just appointed.
Shouldn't it matter that the Canadian people don't approve of the candidates?
Not really. It cannot really be proven that they dislike the candidate, only that they preferred another candidate more, but since their preferred candidate was elected, and one person cannot hold a HoC and senate seat, obviously they have to appoint a different person. More importantly, the candidates had already been Senators, positions they resigned so they could run for office, but were reinstated once they lost: CBC called them "revolving door politicans".
Not to imply our feelings about the issue mattered at all; Senate seats seem to be awarded arbitrarily, and we often just smile and suck it up, the institution that had previously constituted a 'sober second thought' now transmuted to a form of veto for the "better educated". The only meaningful resistance to this issue is to call for the complete reform or even abolishion of the Senate.
A lot of people are excited that the Liberal party has been largely removed from the house of commons but the last time I checked the Senate held 45 seats, almost equal to the Conservative's 55, a significant political force they can still wield (they can't be usurped after decades of political control by one bad election).
To make a ridiculous little prediction; I'm keeping an eye on Helena Guergis, the ex-conservative turned independant, who voted "No" on the motion to hold the Conservative parliament in contempt but has been trailed by intrigue and a hint of scandal. She might be too hot to handle now, but I'm just waiting.
Needless to say I was pretty excited to read the latest articles on the Senate appointments. I could go on about the cabinet for a while (Hey there, Bev!) but it would be like taking a 9 iron to a putt-putt golf course; sure you can hit it out of the park, but everyone will be too disgusted with you to pay attention.
So the Senate nominations: People are apparantly bothered by the fact that the three appointments were not elected in their respective ridings. I am not entirely sure - not many articles specify - that people are aware that senators are not elected here in Canda, they are just appointed.
Shouldn't it matter that the Canadian people don't approve of the candidates?
Not really. It cannot really be proven that they dislike the candidate, only that they preferred another candidate more, but since their preferred candidate was elected, and one person cannot hold a HoC and senate seat, obviously they have to appoint a different person. More importantly, the candidates had already been Senators, positions they resigned so they could run for office, but were reinstated once they lost: CBC called them "revolving door politicans".
Not to imply our feelings about the issue mattered at all; Senate seats seem to be awarded arbitrarily, and we often just smile and suck it up, the institution that had previously constituted a 'sober second thought' now transmuted to a form of veto for the "better educated". The only meaningful resistance to this issue is to call for the complete reform or even abolishion of the Senate.
A lot of people are excited that the Liberal party has been largely removed from the house of commons but the last time I checked the Senate held 45 seats, almost equal to the Conservative's 55, a significant political force they can still wield (they can't be usurped after decades of political control by one bad election).
To make a ridiculous little prediction; I'm keeping an eye on Helena Guergis, the ex-conservative turned independant, who voted "No" on the motion to hold the Conservative parliament in contempt but has been trailed by intrigue and a hint of scandal. She might be too hot to handle now, but I'm just waiting.
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