Canadian elections

Do you ever feel like you're a rock 'n' roll fan stuck in the eighties? Or a science teacher at a Republican education convention down in the Southern States? Or an environmentalist in oil sands-ravaged Alberta?

Well, if so, then you're quite possibly a left-wing Canadian voter. Because feeling discouraged, depressed, dejected and downhearted is all part and parcel of being a progressive voter here in this country these days.

In fact, this must be what it feels like to be a Toronto Maple Leafs fan after a while.

I could go on and on about what a depressing night it's been watching the election results trickle in and facing up to the fact that we're in for more of the same from Stephen Harper and his reactionary Conservatives.

But I'm not going to.

We need to face reality here in Canada, our electoral system is, at its core, quite simply undemocratic, unrepresentative and broken.

It's time to move out of the 19th century and into the 21st. It's time to start modernizing this archaic system of ours. It's time for some true democracy.

I mean, if a party is potentially within reach of a majority government with just 36-40% of public support, as the Conservatives now seem to be, then, clearly, something is fundamentally wrong with our system.

In most of the recent polls leading up to next month's election the Conservatives have had the support of between 36-39% of decided voters and now the pundits are talking about them possibly forming a majority government. It seems Canadians want the Conservatives in power. It seems they want more of what Prime Minister Stephen Harper has to offer. It seems Canadians are leaning to the right.

The only problem with all of that, of course, is that it's bullshit!

So there we were, two nights ago, celebrating Canada Day here in Istanbul by watching the Euro 2004 semi-final between Greece and the Czech Republic when Greece suddenly, somehow, inexplicably, won the game in extra time to advance to the final against Portugal (who they've already beaten once by a score of 2-1 in the opening game of the tournament). It was just us and about a dozen of The 5 Pack A Day Guys sitting in our hazy smoke-filled hotel lobby, with me and Son being the only ones a) not smoking and b) cheering for Greece. The reason we were alone in supporting Greece, in a room full of people, was due to the fact that everyone else was Turkish and, considering that Greece is Turkey's age-old enemy, few Turks feel any desire to cheer for their Greek neighbors. But, in all honesty, the only thing The 5 Pack A Day Guys really felt any desire to do was have another smoke, but that's beside the point