Moderating the conversation around a piano-bar was an important part of entertaining on a cruise-ship and when politics reared its ugly head I always interjected, "Oh, we don't allow politics or religion to be discussed here, just sex!" Of course we didn't permit ungentlemanly sexual comments either but it got a laugh and diffused the situation.
However, I am not working for the cruise companies here, so…
I am a swing voter. I voted for Trudeau once (and lived to regret it), I voted against Chretien but cheered his stand against American bullying to join in the invasion of Iraq, and I voted for Harper. I had the impression that his personal beliefs were more extreme than I like but he would subdue them in the national interest.
Now I'm not so sure. His high-handed conduct of parliament is an affront, after all we elected the members to represent us, not to be marginalized and now his former spokesman, Kory Teneycke, is heading up a bid to bring "Fox News North" to Canada. There are suspicions of attempts to bully the CRTC and it appears likely that Teneycke was aware of or even instigated an illegal attempt to discredit a petition organized by Avaaz.
And speaking of being high-handed, the disgraceful abandonment of civil rights during the G20 could only have occurred with the highest levels of government turning a blind eye, to say the least. Is this the only way that life and property could have been protected from marauding goons? If so then the only locations for future G20 meetings are China or Russia or Iran where they are not under the illusion that they have a democracy, as we are.
London Bobby, time traveller from the last century
