Archive for Politics

Video: Canadian Democracy 101

April 12, 2011 Politics One comment

I know, this is mostly a communications blog. But I watched the federal leader’s debate and was blown away by the mischaracterizations of our system I heard from some of the leaders.

I’m no expert but in the social media era that’s no reason not to get on a soapbox, right?

Hope you like my admittedly-patronizing attempt to correct the record.

A letter to the mayor elect

October 26, 2010 Politics 12 comments

~ Chateau & Locks ~ Good morning Mr. Watson,

First and foremost, congratulations on your victory. You worked hard to earn it and if I were you I’d reward myself by heading over to the Cora’s next to your campaign office and treating yourself to the 1990s Harvest. The mountain of fruit makes it a responsible choice, even with the bacon and the brioche.

Right, so the reason I’m writing. Read more

You know what really grinds my gears? Vol. I

December 16, 2008 Politics, Rantin', The Site and Web 2.0 2 comments

This post has been building in me for awhile now. There are, of course, no hard and fast rules for how people should comport themselves in the online world. Jackassitude is a purely subjective (and entirely made up ) measure. Nobody has asked me to be the arbiter of good conduct and I don’t profess to be a model net citizen.

But I’m seeing some trends and habits forming online that rub me the wrong way and I’m in the mood to call them out. If you see yourself in any of the below I hope you don’t take it personally; I’m just trying to get people to think critically about the way they work online. And I’m sure I’m guilty of doing some of these too so if you do take it personally, feel free to scroll back in the archives and call me on my shit.

So, without further ado, things that really grind my gears.

  • Crowdsourcing entire projects – I like crowdsourcing. I think it’s a cool idea and it’s something I’ve done on many occasions. Like many others in my circle, I’ve cultivated a diverse professional network and, when the opportunity presents itself, I tap the knowledge in that network. All of that being said, though, I think we’ve all probably seen the people on Twitter that take it a bit far.One minute they’re “getting started on presentation on web trends for new non-profit client.” Then, a few minutes later, they’re “looking for stats on latest web trends.” Followed quickly by “looking for case studies of non-profits using new web tools,” “looking for aggregate data on web trends for non-profits,” and “wondering if anyone has a good graphic representing non-profits online.” Next thing you know they’re “finished that presentation – thanks all!”At what point does tapping into your knowledge network become faking your way through a client presentation
  • Popularity contests – I follow a lot of agency-side communications and PR types. The vast majority of them have, at some point, vented about the challenge in convincing clients that traditional metrics don’t work when measuring the efficacy of online outreach. “It’s not about how many hits they get, it’s about building relationships with their customers! Why can’t they see that?”A valid, valid argument. Weakened only by the surprising number of these very same people who wig out when their Technorati rank drops, stress about their Twitter Grade and panic when Feedburner miscounts their RSS subscribers. Rightly or wrongly, it makes it sound like they don’t practice what they preach.

This post is getting long (and after only two entries) so perhaps I’ll sign off and save some for a future post. In the meantime, feel free to leave a comment and tell me what grinds your gears.

It’s ok to be opinionated. Just don’t be misinformed.

December 2, 2008 Politics 2 comments

For those who a) don’t live in Canada, or b) have been doing the ostritch lately, we are on the brink of a coalition government taking power from the Conservatives. They formed a second straight minority government (after the Liberals had one of their own) following an election at the end of October.

Now, Conservatives are understandably enraged at the prospect of being bounced from power after a political gamble gone wrong. And I understand that politicians (to put it mildly) have a unique talent for aligning the facts they need to make their message work. I don’t begrudge this and it certainly isn’t a skill unique to any one party of ideological affiliation.

But as a student of history as well as communications, I really, really hate lies and misinformation. It undermines the public’s faith in politics and it does a disservice to the democracy you purport to defend.

Say what you will about the tactics employed by the opposition to assemble this coalition, but for the love of Pete, can we get a few things straight?

  • Stephen Harper was not elected to be the Prime Minister. Similarily, Stephane Dion was not rejected by 70-whatever-percent of the electorate. Unlike our neighbours to the south, we do not vote for PM here. We vote for a candidate in our riding. The candidates in each riding are elected to the House. The party with the most seats in the House is invited to form a government; the leader of that party is then sworn in as PM. In the case of the coalition, they have agreed to work together. This coalition now has the most seats in the House. The leader of said coalition should be invited to form a government if Harper’s government falls.
  • The separatist party will not be part of the government. Gilles Duceppe was clear on this point from the start. The Bloc has agreed to support the coalition’s economic plan. That’s it. Beyond the economic plan, every caucus will be free to vote as it sees fit. The government will be made of Liberals and NDP’ers but the Bloc’s involvement goes no further than supporting the economic plan. Would the Conservatives have rejected the Bloc if it decided to support the fiscal update and keep the government afloat? Of course not, in a minority parliament you have to make concessions to other parties. The Bloc may want to separate from Canada (a position I wholeheartedly condemn) but until it succeeds it represents Canadians. Every single voter in each riding the Bloc represents is a Canadian and they deserve equal representation in Parliament no matter what their political leanings.

There. Now debate until your heart’s content. I personally love the idea of a coalition but mostly because I studied political history and I am curious to see how it plays out. I have no problem with people who oppose it but I DO take issue with those who base their opposition on misinformation.

Still plenty of funding for crass, marginalizing comments, it would seem

August 20, 2008 Politics and Rantin' No comments

I would never, ever go so far as to call myself an artist. I write, yes. And once upon a time I thrashed about on pub stages making a mockery of what those with more talent might call bass playing. But an artist I am certainly not.

That being said, though, I certainly believe the arts have a really, really important role to play in defining culture and generally making the world a better place.

And I believe the government should help support artists do their work. Call me a lousy socialist if you want but I like the idea of a few of my tax dollars going to help artists do their jobs. I truly believe it’s in the national interest.

Which is why I am so very bothered by the federal government’s gutting of arts programs.

As this article from the Globe and Mail reveals, the latest expenditure review at Heritage Canada has led to nearly $45 million in cuts to arts programs. Most distressingly, at least from my perspective:

  • The $11.7-million Canadian Memory Fund, which gives federal agencies money to digitize collections and mount them online, is gone.
  • The $2.1-million Northern Distribution Program, which distributes the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network signal to 96 Northern communities, is gone.

And just for good measure, funding has been reduced for the Canada Magazine Fund and the Book Publishing Industry Development Program.

Luckily the new director of communications for Prime Minister Harper has been dispatched to smooth things over.

To listen to some in the arts community and the opposition, you would think that there’s blood in the streets. When we find examples of programs that are clearly not meeting their objectives, without apologies we will cancel them.

Silly artists. Where’s the ROI on preserving historic museum collections and making them available across the country via the web?

For more and better scathe and cynicism, check out Paul Wells‘ musings on this topic. He seethes better than I do.

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