Political Philosophies of Far-Off Lands

Follower update: A NEW PERSON has joined our merry group. This delightful woman is one with whom I've spent Quality Time. Our most recent adventure was doing something the French people do. We ate crepes. How sophisticated is THAT?! I like Shana very much because she is funny and smart. She is also a "radical liberal thinker." I like that too. She described herself thusly here, so it's not like I'm labeling or anything.

When I meet someone, I'm always curious about what their politics are. I may have been attracted initially because of their sense of humour, skill at storytelling, or a common interest, but eventually, I want to dig deeper. What are their core values?

Cast your mind back to yesterday. Remember my excitement about gaining a follower from a foreign country? Well, I didn't tell you everything. Not only is this follower an exotic foreign man. He is a deft storyteller. One of my favorites is about his parents and their wartime romance which led to a big boat ride across the Atlantic to a new country. I can see you thinking, "Aha! Then Barry is now American. So you do not have an international following, FF." Wrong! That shows how little you know about me. I would not exaggerate just to impress you. Well, maybe a little. He is Canadian. Now don't you feel bad for doubting me? It's okay, I forgive you. This time.

Barry is also a Green Party member.

I know you are impressed. I have actually gotten 'round to writing about my post topic. I checked out his party's Key Values. It would be so helpful if every person had to post their Key Values. Then I wouldn't have to approach them obliquely, asking little questions to ferret out what they really believe. Anyhoo, the Greens of Ontario believe in a bunch of very good stuff. Sustainability, social justice, diversity...it's all there. It's very sincere. I am not mocking this. Well, maybe a little. Maybe I am still not over the little wince I feel when I hear "Green Party" because it calls to mind a certain election in 2000. And a certain loss in Florida which had some major implications for the leadership of my country. But it is time to get over it, for goodness' sake.

Besides, the Greens of Canada are very far removed indeed from that ugly moment that I am now totally over. And the Canadian government and political scene are very different from ours because they have many viable parties. Despite a few exceptions, the US is still pretty much a two party country. But Canada has a LOT of parties. It is a real party animal. I will tell you more about this sometime. It will be big fun.

It may surprise you to learn that those Canadian Green Party people are really funny. Environmentalists are too often accused of taking life too seriously. This is strange, because virtually all of the ones I know are big time partiers. Sometimes they take partying too seriously. They are very sad on the mornings after these parties.

The Times Colonist reported about Green Party leader Elizabeth May:

And in light of the internal heat she took from some Green Party members after appearing on the Rick Mercer Show, using a chainsaw to cut down a dead tree, May was asked about the reputation some Greens have of being dour, humourless, far-too-serious people.

"We're having all those people shot,'' she deadpanned.

I know you're wondering "FF, what does this woman look like?" So here is a rare picture of her flipping pancakes. (Not crepes, but almost as good.) Note the colour of her bandana. That is real commitment.

I like people who have good Key Values and make jokes. Just because we want to save the world doesn't mean we can't giggle while we're doing it.