I am a Conservative. I believe in the Conservative movement and therefore also believe strongly in Democracy. That means my vote is in play. To blindly adhere my vote to my party forever is to undermine Democracy itself.
Nobody looks over your shoulder as you vote. Nobody holds the pencil and marks the X. Your vote is your property. Democracy only works when this is true. Blind subservience to a party or a leader removes accountability of the party or politician to you, the voter and taxpayer.
The PC party and Brian Mulroney learned this hard lesson at a terrible cost to Canadians. When Conservatives turned away from the PC’s in favour of the Reform party and Liberals, they demonstrated their ultimate belief in democracy.
The price however, was a decade of Liberal darkness and constitutional despair. The Conservative Party of Canada eventually emerged from the Liberal darkness and stubbornness of the old guard. Today we have a Conservative Party that is well aware of the supremacy and the voter and the strength it gives to democracy.
The Liberals know no such truth. The party of entitlement appoints leaders faster than previous leaders could disappoint. Iggy couldn’t even beat Dion in a party election, yet he was somehow elevated to arch duke of the Liberal party. The guy claims to be American to Americans, but denies that living for 32 years in the US (longer than I have been alive!) makes him an American. Now he is seriously claiming to be more Canadian than the rest of us, and more suited to being PM by virtue of not being in Canada for half of his life. I could maybe see him writing a white paper or some academic piece, but Prime Minister?
It doesn’t look as though my faith in Conservatism or Democracy will be in conflict any time soon. Thoughtful, soft-liberal voters would do well to use some tough love democracy on their old-boys-club party. It’s the only way to convince the Liberal elites to actually listen and stop the false promises and gimmicks they are famous for.
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