Now a grain of salt is needed given the source, but if Garth Turner is to be believed, our suspicions about how Harper runs the government are indeed true. It would appear that the Tory caucus isn't allowed to discuss anything. Policy is presented to them as a fait-accompli and any discussion is quashed. So another nail is driven into Canada's New Government's promise to be more open and accountable. Harper doesn't even feel accountable to his own MP's, let alone party members or the people of Canada.

Between work and my cadet commitments, I've had little time to blog the past couple of weeks. So I've missed the federal Tories totally messing up our foreign affairs. This is, of course, what I've come to expect from conservatives when it comes to international relations. Tory black and white thinking doesn't work very well in the messy world of international diplomacy. For now I will leave the foundering federal Tories and look more at their Alberta Cousins. For those of you who live outside of Alberta, the Alberta Tories are in the middle of electing a new leader. A field of eight lackluster candidates have been stomping around the province trying to engage the enthusiasm of their party's members.

It is often apparent that what a given word means varies from person to person. For example, what I define as fun may not be what you see as fun. Generally these variances in definition are in the application of the word (such as fun) than the literal meaning. So I see the word democracy as a government that is chosen by the people (all the people). This government governs through consultation with the people to ensure that what the government is doing is what the people want. Further, this government doesn't act in secret, for if it does, the people can't make a proper decision on if the government is doing what the people want. So basically, in my view, for democratic government to work, there must be openness on the part of the government so that the people can hold the government accountable for its actions. The people must also be free to express their views without fear of bullying from the government and its supporters. With this in place, democracy can work and work for the people. Unfortunately, the action of the current federal Conservatives seems to be contrary to this view of open and accountable democratic government.

I've set up a new poll question about when you think the opposition should pull the plug on "Canada's New Government (TM Pat. Pend)". So click here to get to this site's main page and the poll is on the right hand side.

Over the weekend I was at the Alberta NDP convention. On Sunday Jack Layton gave a federal leader's report in which he gave his views on what support for our troops is. Naturally, this differs from what Harper and his merry band of Tories says. The Tories seem to think that blind, unquestioning support for their policy in Afghanistan is the only way to support the troops there. Jack thinks that a discussion of why the troops are over there is appropriate. Here's my two cents worth.

As I was reading todays Globe and Mail I noted an interesting little tidbit in Jane Taber's Ottawa Notebook. It would appear that the Conservative riding association in New Westminister-Coquitlam-Port Moody have to advertise to find someone to run for them. Now the president of the Tory riding association says that they're not hard up for a candidate and that taking out the ads is the "usual practice".

The hot air that the Tories' Clean Air Act is proof that the Tories are truly interested in only one thing: letting their supporters make a fast buck. By the time industry finally starts feeling the "regulatory framework", most of the people currently employed in that industry will be retired. The industry leaders, who are all lauding this bill, will most likely all be dead. So why should they care what the planet is like in 44 years? Especially since sooner targets would interfere with profits (and performance bonuses) right now.

For a party that claims to listen to the grassroots, the Tories sure have problems with letting those grassroots choose candidates. First we have the party elite protecting the seats of people like Rob Anders by calling snap nomination meetings and disqualifying all other comers. Now we have the Tories doing the same thing again in London, Ontario. The party head office in Ottawa has parachuted in Dianne Haskett to run in the currently vacant riding of London-North-Centre. Now Ms. Haskett is a known theo-conservative. As mayor of London she refused to declare Gay Pride Week and also apparently participated in an evangelical Christian rally where Muslims were slandered.

With the expulsion of Garth Turner from the Conservative caucus, the Tories have shown that they are indeed no different than the party they replaced. Now looking at Garth Turner's blog many Tory apologists seem to be stating that he had it coming and that the party has the right to kick out people who don't toe the party line. This is true and is true in most parties. The difference with the Tories though is that they claimed that they were more open and grassroots than the other parties. This action shows that the opposite is true.

Time is the enemy of politicians. The longer a politician is in power, the more likely that politician or party is going to do something to anger the voter. This couldn't me more true for Stephen Harper and his merry band of Tories. In the brief time since the last election, Harper and Co. have managed to go from a slight lead in the polls to being neck in neck with a leaderless Liberal Party. It can really only get worse for the Tories as well. Why? Time.