Gladu the Liberal

 

Gladu

Marilyn Gladu, previously known as a “far-right” Conservative member of parliament, has now crossed the floor to join the Liberals.

What this tells us is that politicians generally do not have principles. They only adopt the positions they think will win them power. They are all members of the same club. This floor crossing may be a watershed moment: the moment many Canadians gave up on the political system. It looks as though voting is just a con.

At the best of times, important change cannot be accomplished though politics. With few exceptions, politicians just follow the polls. The education system and academics are captive to those currently in command; change cannot come from there either.

A better future can only be done, if it can be done, either through private initiative, though business and engineering, and by changing the culture. Material progress can change the frame of reference. Songs, books, and movies can connect with people not only on a rational, but on an emotional and an imaginative level. This changes minds, which changes polls, which changes the positions of the politicians.

Trump might be an exception here—he is not a politician. Poilievre, the Conservative leader, however, although a fine rhetorician, in the end is a politician. There is talk that his leadership is now in trouble, due to floor crossing. If the Conservatives do want to replace him, they must pull in someone from outside politics to counter this growing public cynicism.