ELECTED OFFICIALS ARE OUR WELL-PAID EMPLOYEES
Based on stated intentions, the Progressive Conservative Party of Prince Edward Island is the most liberal-minded party in Canada. Along with honouring viable provincial conventions, they are also prepared to properly represent the electorate through the art of listening. That’s a long way from the national preservative parties and their determination to keep the electorate away from government and its decisions.
When it comes to listening to Canadians, parties are committed to traditions developed in the days of trains and letter carriers. That is unfortunate as government is in the information business - it’s their product and their currency. Information can effectively be instant and widely distributed. With the cooperation of media giants such as Bell and Rogers, the politically influential successfully generate and market information to their benefit at our expense. Politicians drop decisions from a great height with the conviction they will be elected again regardless. So far so good ... for them.
Parties fully understand the power and speed of electronic communications when creating political celebrities. They grasp the value of the technology and rely on the best talent and facilities media conglomerates can provide to deliver their message. They are strictly traditionalists when it comes to listening. Elected politicians deliver party policy to constituents rather than constituents’ concerns to parliament. Long awaited replies from government carry the substantive equivalent of daily horoscopes. They can repeat the message until the recipient understands it.
If the elected government can turn their commitments into reality, they can do much more than change the direction of politics locally; they can be a national influence. We are being reminded elected politicians are our wellpaid employees, not our leaders or parental guardians. It’s refreshing to hear politicians reflect that view. It would be a boost for democracy if they follow through.
Jim Brennan, Stratford