Participatory Democracy or Electoral Porkbarreling

The backbench Member of Provincial Parliament from Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound, Bill Murdoch, who I have worked along with in the past, has been allowed back into the caucus of the Ontario Progressive Conservatives, a place he himself has not been a member of since last September, when the provincial Tories booted into him into the Independent seats. Coincidentally, this only happened after former party leader John Tory announced he would become host of a new CFRB call in show every Sunday aptly named the John Tory Show, as Tory removes his economic boosting presence from campaigning provincially to municipally in the City of Toronto coming next year. But Backbencher Blues, a forty minute segment from the Agenda on TVO, gives some indication that Murdoch's fight for particpatory democracy seems to be misconstrude by his former pals Chris Stockwell and Frank Klees as electoral porkbarreling.

Sadly, there seems to be a problem between party loyalty and constituent demands, as Steve Paikin aludes to, but also party machinations upon the representative of the constitutent, where Murdoch was not given the right to vote on an issue that every member should be allowed to do, thus why be there ever, which seems to be his major beef.

Now, there is a prime lesson here to be learnt, but can the mistake be recognized as being made, in this situation, I do not think anyone can actually see it and therefore will not be rectified now for any future gain. Watching both Stockwell and Klees turning on their pal Murdoch on the issue of representative democracy is quite unfortunate, with John Tory not living up to promises he made to members within, not listening to all of them leaves his personal campaign mantra of leadership matters without, all of which really does lead to all leader, Premier or Prime Minister who solidifies power, makes decisions and just simply repeats the same old status quo government like the last one and to be the next one. Unwhipped free votes would be a great idea legislatively, but having leader, whip and members all working together by consensus to make the big decisions in caucus as government, or even opposition, seems to be a futuristic dream of the grassroots that will take some time for us to sort out properly through policy development, so do not hold you breath anytime soon.