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Leaders TV debate compelling |
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Written by Todd Whitcombe
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Sunday, 05 October 2008 |
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TODD WHITCOMBECANADA COUNCIL
It was strangely compelling radio and television. The format had the leaders sitting around a table, facing one another, with a single moderator who did a very good job of trying to dig a little deeper. The questions arose from a selection of submissions by "average" people.
I don't actually know what an "average" person is in this country since most people I know are unique individuals. But there was a cross-section of Canadians asking about a variety of topics such as accountability, the economy and even the arts.
Generally, it was good stuff. Indeed, my favourite line came as a follow up question on the arts when the moderator asked the other leaders if they thought the Conservatives were barbarians.
Of course, the answer from the other leaders was "no." But they did question the Conservative government's lack of commitment to the arts.
Stephen Harper defended his position by saying that they had increased funding to Heritage Canada, the Canada Council, and "even the CBC."
Maybe that is true but that leaves an awful lot of the arts on the outside looking in. If you are a small, independent film producer, you are likely looking at setting up shop elsewhere. That is a shame because it is most often through small independent films that we learn the most about who we are.
What was interesting about the exchange over the arts and, for that matter, all of the topics was just how slippery some of the leaders were being. There weren't the ad hominem attacks of the American debates - no "say it ain't so, Joe" - but there was an awful lot of very careful and scripted language.
Each of the leaders, from what I could see, had cue cards with facts or information or one-liners written on them and they referred to them often. The only one that I never saw do this was Elizabeth May.
Indeed, she came across very well in the debate. I can understand why Stephen Harper wanted her excluded.
When she was pushing the PM on why anyone who disagrees with him is viewed as an enemy, you could see the discomfort in his face. This is one of the failings of right wing politicians is that they view anyone that disagrees with them as an idiot worthy of derision.
The centre and left just think that the person is an idiot.
The other thing that became readily apparent during the debate is that the Conservatives do not have a platform. Or, if they do, they aren't telling anyone what it is.
A bold, tactical move. After all, if you don't tell anyone what you plan to do, then you can't be held accountable when you fail to do it.
It is a measure of the arrogance of the Conservatives that they think that dressing up their leader in a sweater and telling us that he is strong is sufficient to win an election. No need to muddy the waters with pesky policy considerations. Unfortunately, they are probably right.
Still, hearing some discussion of the Conservative platform would have been appropriate during the debate. All of the other parties have tabled their platforms. "Richer, Fairer, Greener: An Action Plan of the 21st Century" is a 70-page document outlining the Liberals' plan.
Go to the Conservative party's website and there isn't anything that resembles a platform. There are copies of the throne speech and message points around the key issues but these mostly tell you what they have done while in government or, at least, what they promised to do when they were in government.
It is frustrating and I hear that frustration creeping into conversations about the election. My students say things like "What's the point in voting? They are going to win and I can't change anything."
Sure, this tactic will likely see the Conservatives re-elected, but it is doing nothing to strengthen democracy which depends on good and vigorous debate of the issues and policies of the parties.
The one thing that I found amusing was Stephen Harper's insistence on still parroting the John McCain line saying that "the fundamentals of our economy are still strong." Given all that has happened in the world's economy during the past two or so weeks, not even the Republicans are using that line anymore. Guess Stephen Harper never got the script changes.
The debate was a chance to see the party leaders in action in a very informal setting. It provided a useful look into the minds of the people aspiring to lead this country. Compelling radio and television for everyone.
Dr. Todd Whitcombe is a professor at UNBC and a politically active member of the community. His column appears Mondays. E-mail:
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 05 October 2008 )
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