January 23, 2006
Why I Voted… at all
I don’t begrudge the apathetic this election because it was a lame, dirty, boring and badly played game. I can pretty much say that today my vote meant nothing. Tomorrow we’ll have the same disjointed government, an opposition so obsessed with winning power back they’re not willing to run this country, except into the ground perhaps. Yawn. It’s all theatrics and war games, and there is nothing exciting about it. And perhaps if my polling station had not been across the street from my house, I mightn’t have even bothered going. Really. But of course I went.
I vote in elections because less than a century ago, my sex was not thought fit to do so. I can’t take a right for granted when presented in those terms, or turn my back upon it when women before me fought so bravely. And so when I vote, I vote as a woman first and foremost. I voted Liberal today, pretty much solely because they value reproductive rights and have a small hope of winning. Not very inspiring I know, but they didn’t really give me much to go on.
I’m actually surprised that you didn’t vote NDP. I thought that Jack Layton ran a good campaign. I also think that you had the good fortune of being in one of the ‘fun’ ridings where your vote could have mattered due to the potential closeness of the result. Finally, I am very surprised at the apparent low-ness of the participation – apparently about the same as the last election, ie. 60%. That’s pretty sad – there were numerous competitive ridings across the country, and the polls were volatile (at least in BC, and Ont.). While I would argue that the parties are now closer together than ever in terms of policy, I still think that there were enough differences to offer people choice.
It feels like there was an election just a few months ago, and that one came to nothing. And the sight of dull looking men in suits calling each other names doesn’t inspire much excitement in my books. The lowness of participation doesn’t surprise me one bit.
And now Dean Del Mastro and that Promise Keeper are headed up to Ottawa. May God have mercy on our souls.
Well, I for one am glad they aren’t wearing trackpants and Northern Reflections sweaters. Though Dean del Mastro probably is at this very moment…