“Leaders’ Debates” to Be Held This Week

The Cartel Party Campaign with Two Weeks to Go

– Pauline Easton –

The 43rd general election campaign lacks lustre. So say the pundits, pollsters and monopoly-controlled media. They complain that no cartel party has managed to distinguish itself to become the leader of the pack. The Liberals and Conservatives are said to be running neck and neck.

So, with two weeks to election day, can Scheer mobilize the considerable base which abhors Liberal opportunism and hypocrisy to overcome the bad memories of the Harper years? He is vying with Trudeau to lead the next government but he is basically an unknown quantity and this is a problem. His penchant for saying politically incoherent and incorrect things has to be reined in from time to time which contributes to the fact that nobody knows what to expect.

Will the scandal politics which have the stamp of foreign U.S. interference in the campaign prevail and be the death blow to the already tarnished image of Justin Trudeau? Will Quebec bashing and the manipulation of the values people espouse succeed in dividing the polity in Quebec to achieve a Liberal victory there? Justin Trudeau was brought to power by the financial oligarchy in 2015 for his image – a person they declared to be a cool young dude whose promise of sunny ways would keep the minds of every section of the people in Canada and even abroad off their worries. This cool young dude is now trying to reinvent himself as passionate about his beliefs and the values he espouses. These values are presented as progressive and essential to oppose the alleged narrow nationalism of the Quebec people and “right wing.” But, what emerges from the displays of passion, sincere apologies, hugs and kisses if not the same cardboard character whose only talent seems to be that he was trained in the art of debating the pros and cons of any issue no matter the social consequences of his actions? On the basis of his passion and sincere apologies are we to presume that Trudeau can be trusted? It is not rational.

What is known, however, is that no matter which cartel party is brought to power, in the name of high ideals it has to represent the concerns of the rich minority to reap the spoils of robbing the state treasury, resources and labour of Canadians. All the while, it has to maintain the illusion of a democracy of the majority even as it pays the rich with impunity and the people have no role to play in decision-making at any level.

No matter what the cartel parties and monopoly controlled media declare are the “issues,” no matter who they declare to be the “winner” of the exclusionary debates which are taking place, or how many photo ops or media promos they mount, it is to no avail. The people are rising to speak in their own name. They are shunning the desperation, hypocrisy, corruption, double talk and impunity of the ruling circles and their nefarious claims about what they stand for. This is why the pundits, pollsters and monopoly-controlled media say the campaign lacks lustre. The people are not falling for it. They know that the treachery of the cartel parties is based on more sell-out, more appeasement to U.S. Homeland Security and war machine in the name of a fictional national interest, security and prosperity. Canadians are in no mood to drink their Kool-Aid.

Across the country and in many places in the world, the ruling class has to contend with an experienced workforce. This workforce is laying its claim on society for what belongs to it by right. The corrupt financial oligarchy is mired in ruthless competition within its own ranks to dominate resources, markets, sources of cheap labour and zones of influence to export the social wealth it controls. The oligarchs are pushed to do whatever it takes to control any situation. Within this, they are pushing forward as a better fit those leaders who wreck without the pretension of sunny ways even if that was their persona a mere four years ago. Thus we have Trump in the U.S., Macron in France, Johnson in Britain, Kenney in Alberta, Ford in Ontario, Legault in Quebec, Modi in India and others in various provinces and countries all claiming to represent the popular will as they slash and burn whatever arrangements stand in the way of controlling the situation in their favour.

All of it shows that the real issue facing Canadians in this election is not to choose a lesser evil but the need for democratic renewal so that they can become the decision-makers and secure the future for themselves and the coming generations. It shows that this is not a problem for solution tomorrow. It is a problem for today. At this point in the election, Canadians are trying to figure out how to vote. How can they empower themselves in this election in a manner which strengthens their ability to deal with whatever party or configuration of parties the bourgeoisie decides will best serve their interests? So long as they deliberate on this themselves and amongst their peers, an advance will be made. Their vote will make a statement as decided by them, not the rich and their cartel parties, pundits, polls and monopoly-controlled media. Join In!

This article was published in:

Renewal Update No. 28, October 7, 2019

Article Link:
“Leaders’ Debates” to Be Held This Week: The Cartel Party Campaign with Two Weeks to Go