Our last Redeemer Political Science Film Night and Debate chaos in motion

Originally supposed to be over a dozen alumni, current new Young Political Scientists Interested in Learning Onsite Now and old Redeemer University College Political Science Association members and undecided freshmen, the final number was dropped to half and less, as some came in noted the lack of fellow poli scis such as Jan Korevaar, Nathan Martin and Kevin Bratcher and left to find the others, then all those others would come after those previous had left to search, oh the madcap hilarity that ensued, making the night one comedy of errors no Hollywood laugh a minute flick could match before the showing even started.

The film we ended up showing, due to all the cancellations, lateness and overall ineptitude the days between the essays and the exams bring us, was a made for television CBC miniseries H2O from 2004 in the university's recreation centre, which starred and had been written by Paul Gross who plays Canadian Prime Minister Tom Mclaughlin in the movie. Between the hidden agendas, betrayal and murder, comes a mininarrative that an exclusive continentalist power elite run the country by political, economic and military force, a power strengthened only by the assassination of his father and focused only in gaining Canada's most valuable resource being water. After the film, we had a discussion that included a topic by outgoing RUCPSA and YPSILON member David Nusko on the power elite, military industrial complex and its security over liberty iron triangle, as well, two on the political policy process and the effect of union and corporate powers upon it respectively coming from rookies Christian Vandergeest and Katelyn Borgdorff.

Redeemer's Political Science department, which is headed by Dr. David T. Koyzis and also assisted by Prof. Robert Joustra and Dr. Justin Cooper, is going in the right direction based upon film nights and the discussion, discourse, dialogue, debate and deliberation of the issues afterwards, giving academics an alternative from the positivist world politically we see all around us every which way we look from statistics, behavioural polling and other quantitative methodologic data that brings the legislation of the law of the land as it tis and the enforcement of its order over the people as they are to a normative perspective of the foundation and function of laws and values being to what are their purpose, meaning and goals as they could be in their qualitative methodolgical ends as they should be, such as the question what is truth and its evaluation in life, which in the end is the most important question of all.

Tories must coalesce with LibDemos to make a minority government in Britain

Like in 1974, Britain shall make way this year for a minority government after previous dynasties of majorities in both 2000s Labour and 1990s Tory flavour ruled their respective days, according to its most outstanding debate. But it would seem the Liberals, or should I say the Liberal Democrats of yore, did not politically die out when last in power in 1910, split in 1922 and eventually merged in 1983. Instead, though the Tories lead in the polls, it would seem without the help of the LibDemos, a Conservative majority would be impossible, nor one for Labour unless it made a 1977 type parliamentary deal to work together, especially with a giant European political economic cloud over their collective heads.

As the winner Margaret Thatcher gave way to her former Chancellor of the Exchequer John Major for the loss, so has Tony Blair done the same deed for his in Gordon Brown, allowing for a legacy not so different than Canada's Liberal Jean Chretien and his Finance Minister Paul Martin, but the Brit voter seems to see the LibDemos Nick Clegg as the next Winston, whether Churchill or Smith depending, rather than David Cameron, who seems to have a personality as brittle as breakfast Weetabix!

Three facts will come from this general election, one being that Brown has lost the Labour dynasty of majorities, second being as the socialist LibDemos vote goes up so it will for the nationalist Nick Griffin and the British National Party as Brits protest the lack of choice in parties and change in policies, third being the possible implosion of the Conservative and Unionist Party of the United Kingdom if they can not work a deal out that allows it to rule yet again, one they have not done since World War Two. This could include being the figurehead power, yet allowing the future hung parliament's balance of power to run the policy, being the LibDemos, until a time it can show it can rule with a realistic manifesto towards change for a real choice, where it would then lose confidence in their own coalition government, a first in 70 years, to make the case for a majority. So, the ball is now in the court of both Labour and Tories, how will they lob it back?

House of Commons and Senate needs to show Auditor General some common sense and dollars

Witness just what is happening as we speak over the pond in the United Kingdom, fiscal accountability has made its return through a parliamentary review of the expenses incurred by Members of Parliaments and Lords in their House of Commons and Lords, originally refusing to release details after it was finished, the English people, subjects or commoners wanted to know where their pound was privately going, so leaks began to show as to how important the audit was and for exactly what they spent on the public dime. Altogether, this now will bring a great tidal wave of change to Great Britain it has not seen in half a century, where the Speaker of the House and other high ranking Members of Parliament are relegated to the sidelines as the whole disaster blows up in front of them, enter its North American colony, the Dominion of Canada, into the international economic fray that has affected Europe from Iceland up in the north all the way down to Greece in the south. Like Old Blighty, a similar controversy is stiring here in the Great White North, where for the past nine months, its saintly Auditor General Sheila Fraser, yes she the author of the sponsorship program report that proved $100 million of its $250 million went to Liberal insiders advertising firms and government entities in forms like untendered job grants, has asked the Conservative government if she can simply audit the $520 million expenses of the Members of Parliament and Senators in our House of Commons and Senate to make sure all is well spent.

The federal Tories however though, along with its governing all party committees, being the House's Board of Internal Economy and the Senate's Internal Economy Committee, do not want her to both conduct this value for money and performance audit on their spending habits, something that allows her office to publicly audit financial statement per annum a private firm, being Klynveld Peat Marwick Goerdeler does currently, with elected officials stating her office has neither the authority nor the jurisdiction, which makes one wonder just who has their hand on the controls ensuring proper management if her Office of the Auditor General of Canada indeed does not. This all seems to not just be short changing the Canadian public fiscally, but perhaps also on the issue of democratic govermental honesty, accountability and transparency socially. When one looks at politics in our culture in the now, one can see how the lack of ethics and moral fibre in the past has shaped the landscape it plays its unprincipled game upon, which sadly is how we base our deformed worldview on how it will play itself upon into the future, where rights and freedoms become greed and malice which breed ignorance and irresponsibility to the rule of law as it tis without its advancement towards productive virtues such as truth, trust and the highest good.

So the democratic process is slowly being nickled and dimed by those lawmakers who swore to uphold its principles and defend it from the very actions they now do, not just here in Canada but elsewhere as previously mentioned, all of which create scandals, fiascos and crises where none truly need be, if only the inside and elite leaders of the day were more open to their people, citizens and finally taxpayer who pay those essential taxes which make up a politician's salary. Principles and values of the day go beyond the economic, politically we must remind ourselves that in life more is valuable that our adoration of the almighty dollar, our almost religious fervor of buying and owning the most lustfully modern and brand newest consumable goods, or attending the weekly mass at the mall, an institutional structure that we lay in debt to as one whole society, being a human is of intrinsic value itself, not an extrinsic number with no purpose or meaning in the life we live. We defeat ourselves when refusing to recognize or realize victory, this is the case in full when looking at the fair, checked and balanced request of Miss Fraser to know where the $440 million spent in the House of Commons and $93 million spent in the Senate is going towards, she has identified the ideal we seek from our higher officials and only now is looking for backing to optimize its vision, mission and performance for the greater efficiency, efficacy and execution which leads to overall excellence, equality and enjoyment in governance by, of and for the citizenry at large, therefore I would ask that all Canadians stand up now, support your Auditor General's independent call for real democratic governmental honesty, accountability and transparency, where the system today exempts it from external oversight audits and Freedom of Information requests, so finally once and for all we can find out exactly where the Loonie buck actually stops.