Transcript
Page 1: POLITICAL HOMELESSNESS

POLITICAL HOMELESSNESS AND THE NEED FOR AN AGREEMENT

ABOUT WHAT IS ESSENTIAL

By German Gutierrez

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The day I took the oath of Citizenship, my life changed forever. I am a Canadian. This is an apparently simple fact and yet I am as passionate about it as I am about be-ing alive. Since then, and for this very reason, I decided to become an active civilian in my new nation by volunteer-ing to serve on several committees and boards of direc-tors of social and non for profit organizations. These ex-periences were very enlightening and they taught me about the Canadian way of active Participation in society.

After several years of social involvement, the next step for me was to become politically engaged. I was blessed with the help and support of many friends and colleagues who encouraged me to do so. In preparation for my in-troduction to politics I read the works of many brilliant Canadian scholars and shared magnificent conversations with politicians and political analysts who have honoured me with their friendship.

I then decided to run for City Council in the Municipal election of 2010 in London, Ontario.

In so doing, I had the opportunity to visit more than 8.000 Canadian households.

This extraordinary combination of reading about Canadian politics, talking to scholars and analysts, together with the knowledge I received from the people directly at their doorsteps has led me to two inescapable conclusions:

First, Canadians clearly are turned off by politics. Second, while some still want to vote, they all too often do not vote for the party that best reflects their own views. The first point is the more im-portant one and so I will address that first.

Since the 1980s voter turnout has been dropping in Canada. It seems that with each election the percentage of people who vote declines a bit more. At the door during my municipal campaign I heard things such as “I can’t trust politicians,” “Politicians say one thing when campaigning and do something else when elected,”

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FEBRUARY 2011 London

German Gutierrez NDP

London North Centre

Fundamental social standards, motivations, and attitudes

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"You guys come to my door when you need my vote and then you disappear until the next election", "How dare you come to my house asking for my vote, when every-body knows you people just want to enjoy the salaries you get from my taxes" and “You politicians don’t listen to me...so why should I listen to you?”

I wanted to find out what changes have occurred over the years in our country that could lead to such reactions. From my memoirs of the conversations I had with the people, I have come up with some possible answers.

The biggest reason for people to turn their backs on poli-tics has been globalization. Many Canadians feel that poli-ticians are more concerned with what is going on in other countries than with what is going on at home. The busi-ness community states loudly that no one can interfere with market forces and trends. But before globalization governments did a good job of controlling and setting rules for market forces. When globalization took over and markets were left alone the economies of the world crashed. But our politicians still talk about the im-portance of letting market forces lead us into the future. Clearly there is a disconnect between what is happening in the world and what our politicians are saying. It is no wonder then, that people are turning away from politics.

Then there is the issue of how we are doing politics in Canada. If I view this process in the context of the testi-monials of the people I have spoken to, I must conclude that one of the greatest enemies of our Democracy in Can-ada is our own current political practice, which is based on ideological manifestations rather than on being re-sponsive to the needs of people. Certainly, there was a time in Canada when politicians did things for righteous causes. Those were the times of the founding fathers, and well up into the nineteen eighties, when politics obeyed the supreme guiding principle of trying to attain the best possible for the most possible.

Let’s Give Government back

to its rightful owners: The

People

German listening to the problems of those caring experts who

have lost government support for their Programs

With community leaders at the

John Labatt, during the munic-

ipal election of 2010

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February 2011 London

German Gutierrez NDP

London North Centre

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MONTH YEAR VOL # ISSUE #

German Gutierrez NDP

London North Centre

But since then things have changed in Canada as they have changed in many other parts of the world today, thanks to the consequences of glob-alization and the exploitation of power in the interest of corporate financial success.

These days, not many politicians are willing to do things for a cause. The rule of principle and social concern has sadly given way to the realm of complacency in the exploitation of power. And this is something that we cannot allow in Canada.

And yet it is happening. It is happening because those who are in power try to manipulate the population into accepting that their way is the only way. And in this, they have the support of powerful media.

At one time in North America governments rep-resented both the interests of business and the interests of people. But now governments clear-ly favour the interests of business over those of the people, as has been evident in the way this recession has been managed.

One of the reasons for this is, of course, globali-zation, because our leaders tell us we have to do things in our economies to remain competitive within the developing world.

Years ago, governments would implement pro-grams to aid people who had been adversely affected by economic changes.

Now governments do not seem to want to do this. The people who have a say in our societies consider that the responses of the Globalized market place are the only answer. Typical ex-amples of this are the recent Provincial Con-servative initiatives in Ontario of eliminating full-time Kindergarten and reducing corporate taxes, both in the best interest of powerful cor-porations and with total disregard for the plight of the average citizen.

German at London’s International Airport

A moment with Nature

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The trouble is we haven't realized that both our politicians and our business leaders go to the same schools and

learn the same approaches to how the world works. And so, our democratic governments become undemocratic

in how they perform because they leave the people behind from the very moment they step into their classrooms,

years before they make it to the real world.

My past experience is that the participation of the electorate loses ground when the exercise of political power

begins to tolerate different types of benefaction that entrench the imperative of monetary power over that of so-

cial concern. Politics then becomes a tool in the hands of businessmen, and political issues are turned into oppor-

tunities to subdue and overpower public opinion and to take advantage of bureaucracy to wield power and influ-

ence.

When that happens, Politics takes a step in the direction of consensus and mediocrity.

The people in power then rely on politics to be mediocre because it is the only way to attain the level of complicity

necessary to hold on to power. This has become so evident in the kinds of actions and inactions of the govern-

ments in power in Canada, that the hard-working people of the nation have decided to step away from politics.

They prefer not to know what is going on in the circles of power because in the end they figure whatever they

think or feel will not be taken into account.

There is an individual conviction that leads each constituent's vote away from the polls on election day that is ex-

pressed very simply with these words: "No matter what I do, no matter who I vote for, everything will remain the

same. These guys (politicians) are just a bunch of manipulators. None of them deserve my vote." The problem is

that the people who have come to think like this in Canada now number the hundreds of thousands. Should we

worry? I think we should. However, many politicians don't seem to care much because they feel this will not real-

ly affect them as long as they remain in power. In fact, it is easier to steer a 39% of the potential vote, for example,

than it would be to control higher percentages of democratic participation.

Another problem is that the opinions and thesis statements that were at the base of the healthy polarization which

led to most of Canada's greatest social and political achievements are now gone from the political arena. Constitu-

ents now believe that voting is just not worth it. And the truth is that, given the apparent unbeatable nature of the

way politics is now carried out, people feel that it is ridiculous to protest. A compliant silence is much more com-

fortable. The new political structure appears to be strong and long lasting and, because of the way it functions,

there is no real accountability.

Several North, Central and South American democracies have fallen victim of such “structures” or

"establishments". Typical examples of which are the PRI (Institutional Revolutionary Party) in Mexico and the

Frente Nacional (National Front) of Colombia. In these nations, the political regime slowly but surely has been

able to enlist the affiliation of Government, the Political Parties, the Corporate Press, key Economic conglomer-

ates and even entire sectors of Churches and Unions.

Government, as a matter of fact is the most active agent in these conglomerates of undemocratic solidarity. But -at

the same time- it acts as a prisoner of circumstance. It lacks independence and it cannot have initiative. And, as

has been the case with this nightmarish reality around the world, nothing is achieved by changing the government

because what will remain imperturbably in power will be the Regime. And thus we reach the bottom line... the

fathomless place where all sunken democracies have come to rest.

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I truly believe that if we can somehow make these ideas as clear as we can to as

many people as we possibly can, we can stay the course of such painful destiny

for Canada and find new opportunities for the preservation of our Democracy.

The essence of Social Democracy

The greatest weakness of our present day democracy is that the balance of elements that constitute its ideal

equilibrium is lost to the overpowering influence of the new globalization-dependent political thought. The ref-

erence to concrete, practical life values in the contemplation of social issues is gone from the discussions where

the future of the nation is decided. Take for example, the recent broken promise about the return of our troops

from Afghanistan. The Social perspective of placing People above all considerations in the articulation of De-

mocracy is something that must be preserved at all costs in any progressive Society. We cannot risk losing this

perspective in Canada. Fortunately there is a widespread feeling of compassion and social concern above all

else that is characteristic of Canadians and it is only thanks to this that our country manages to hold on to its key

strengths. But danger lurks ahead. As we advance through the unchartered waters of an unprecedented global

recession, many democratic positions are being defeated because there are many at all levels of government who

are not interested in defending the interests of a majority that grows each day weaker and more silent for lack of

representation. In a world hounded by wars in ever-growing battle fronts, with a neighbour and main associate

that has championed the might of the corporations over the individual rights of the less privileged, where health

care costs can become the nightmare of a life-time and where there is a promised dream that is as remote as

winning a lottery, Canada needs to hold on tightly to its hard fought principles instead of giving them up for the

convenience of temporary strategic alliances that are not even in the best interest of Canadians but of the Status

Quo defended by the U.S. Regime.

In his work "Fire and Ice", Michael Adams supports the idea that Canadians and Americans have very different

views of the world and of our respective places in the world. Polls and Research by The Pew Research Centre for

the People and the Press, confirm this:

“Canadians stand out as happier with the state of their nation (56%) than do Americans (41%). While only one-in

-five Canadians (19%) worry about terrorism, fully half of U.S. respondents say terrorism is a very big national

problem. On the other hand, eight-in-ten Americans say moral decline is a national problem, but only six-in-ten

(63%) Canadians agree. By roughly the same margin, Americans are more worried about education and are

more likely than Canadians to cite government corruption as a concern. Americans are more worried than Ca-

nadians and Europeans about nuclear weapons. Canadians are more troubled by global environmental prob-

lems than are Americans. The image of the U.S. in Canada slipped modestly with the war in Iraq, from a 72%

favourability rating before the war to 63% after the conflict, a 9 point drop. Nearly three-in-five Americans

(58%) believe that freedom to pursue their life's goals is more important than guaranteeing that no one is in

need. Only 43% of Canadians agree. Two-in-five Canadians (44%) believe the environment is a global threat,

compared with only one-in-five Americans (23%). Canadians say that protecting the environment should be giv-

en priority even if it results in a loss of jobs, something Americans do not favour. Canadian social and religious

values are much closer to those of Europeans than to those of Americans. Nearly three in five Americans (58%)

say a person has to believe in God to be moral. Only 30% of Canadians and 23% of Western Europeans agree. As

for the role of women, only 26% of Canadians say the husband should be the sole provider for the family, while

the wife takes care of the home and children; 37% of Americans take that traditional view.” (Source: http://

people-press.org/)

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In short, and as Michael Adams points out, Canadians are more aware of the world than our neighbours. This, of course, is

explained in part by our emphasis on immigration and multi-culturalism. Perhaps it is also because we trust our institu-

tions more than Americans trust theirs. And, as Adams' states, a majority of people in Canada oppose the kinds of policies

that our present conservative government is pursuing.

To put it plainly, when asked about views on specific topics, Canadians are far more progressive than their voting patterns

show.

All this information, coupled with my own experiences, impacts me greatly when I see that although most Canadians share

a progressive, compassionate, hard-working and inclusive experience in our society, the end result is not reflected in the

percentage of participation of constituents supporting the views of Social Democracy in Government. The Progressive

perspective is lacking a stronger presence in our Public Opinion and this creates a void that can grow to undesirable pro-

portions. This has been made possible by a lack of Community oriented Media that can rally more people to the cause of

social Democracy.

In today’s Canada many different social protagonists need a social vision to protect them.

The Army needs a Social vision because the Conservatives and Liberals have turned it into a pawn in their international

chess game for the control of somebody else's territories.

Our Society at large needs a social-democrat approach to strengthen and protect the extraordinary progressive acquisi-

tions that have made it a model for the world to follow, like our health care system, our old-age protection systems, our

financial sector's social vision and our commitment to the needs of the less fortunate.

Our Foreign Relations Ministry and Diplomacy need a Social vision so that we can concentrate on International positions

that strengthen our role in the world and avoid those that entail silent submission to the foreign affairs policies of others.

Our farmland, our industry and our commerce need this Social vision so that they do not surrender to the whims of parti-

san convenience for electoral or publicity purposes.

Our public spending needs the social democrat perspective so that anti-democratic occurrences like the HST on Hydro and

soaring Gasoline prices will be prevented and discouraged. Taxes cannot be forced on an already overburdened population

without truly open debate and conscientious deliberation.

We must return to the vision of a Government that can achieve Superior Goals

This is where public opinion and careful analysis of that opinion becomes important.

The only Party in Canada that can and does provide this Social Vision of our reality and our place in the World is the NDP.

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Our current governing parties lack the vision, the discipline and the social responsibility of the NDP. In the other

parties we find progressive attitudes in isolation in some few and commendable politicians. However, if we are to

survive the many threats that International circumstances and our own weakened National economy bring to our

current state of events, we must make sure there is a greater representation of the True Canadian spirit in our po-

litical stance. It is shameful to recognize that in many instances, other political parties have turned social causes

into useful tools for the purpose of distributing valuable resources in directions that don't necessarily represent

the best interest of Canadians. Homelessness and absolute poverty are good examples of things that should not

happen in Canada and that could have been avoided if the money spent by the parties in power had been placed at

the service of the true needs of Canadians.

In short: We must give politics back to the people if we are to recover from our present state of political homeless-

ness.

Of the 40 electoral debates celebrated in Canada since 1867, the one with the lowest voter turnout was that of

2008.

Absenteeism from the polls happens because the real needs of the people are not clearly recognized when Parlia-

ment meets to legislate.

And when a majority of voters have turned their back on politics and politicians, the Nation will be governed with

the electoral results of a small, predictable and easily manipulated minority. The voice of the majority will then be

silenced forever. That is the ultimate goal of globalized regimes. Such is the illegitimate result of consensus as an

only option for Democracy.

We must defeat this present sense of resignation produced by the conviction that there is nothing we can do about

our current state of events and that all efforts are useless. The NDP is a party that talks to the people, listens to the

People and works with the People.

When the time comes to participate in the Democratic process our voice can make a difference. We simply cannot

prefer to stay at home, telling ourselves that it doesn't matter who we vote for, because it's all in the hands of the

liberal-conservative Regime.

Our time has come to rescue all the things the founders of this Nation so proudly fought for... A time to think of the

Essential goals that can move public opinion in the direction of a New Canada... a New Democratic Canada that will

uphold its values with dignity, sovereignty and hard work... A time, dear friends, to be Canadian!

In Solidarity,

German Gutierrez

Of the 40 electoral debates celebrated in Canada since 1867,

the one with the lowest voter turnout was that of 2008.

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Source: Elections Canada (The highest turnouts for the NDP were achieved in 1963 and 1988)


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