There are two kinds of politicians — Gandhian politicians who strictly adhere to truth and morality and Machiavellian politicians for whom these do not matter. The tragedy of our times is that the latter variety of politicians thrive and the former is virtually extinct.
It is not far-fetched to say, “Hypocrisy, thy name is politics.” If politics means serving the people, how do politicians earn enormous sums of money? And do politicians really serve the people? Most of them pretend to be serving the people and use the power and privilege given by the people to make themselves and their kith and kin prosper. Of all professions of the world, politics seems to be the most unscrupulous one.
I have read the perfect definition of politics by a commentator in Jawaharlal Nehru’s autobiography: “Politics is the gentle art of getting votes from the poor and campaign fund from the rich by promising to protect each from the other.” Everybody knows how the politicians practise this “gentle art” consummately. Though they promise both the poor and the rich to protect each from the other, invariably, the protected ones are the rich.
And politicians are the masters of not only hypocrisy but of volte-face too.
In his autobiography, the Mahatma says: “Truth has drawn me into the field of politics.” The present-day politicians are drawn to politics by anything else but truth. The 18th chapter of Niccolo Machiavelli’s famous work The Prince is titled “How a Prince Should Keep His Word” and it begins thus: “How praiseworthy it is for a prince to keep his word…nevertheless the princes who have accomplished great deeds are those who have cared little for keeping their promises and who have known how to manipulate the minds of men by shrewdness.” It seems that the nature of all our politicians and rulers can well be explained by the words of Machiavelli.
He further says, “It is not necessary for a prince to have all qualities, but it is very necessary for him to appear to have them. Furthermore, I shall be so bold as to assert this: that having them and practising them at all times is harmful; and appearing to have them is useful; for instance, to seem merciful, faithful, humane, trustworthy, religious and to be so; but his mind should be disposed in such a way that should it become necessary not to be so, he will be able and know how to change to the contrary.”
That is why Jonathan Swift in his scathing satire Gulliver’s Travels expressed his opinion about humans and their politicians through the words of the emperor of Brobdingnag: “But by what I have gathered from your own relation, and the answers I have with much pains wrung and extorted from you, I cannot but conclude the bulk of your natives to be the the most pernicious race of little odious vermin that nature ever suffered to crawl upon the surface of the earth.”
OTTAWA – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the NDP is caving to political pressure from Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre when it comes to their stance on the consumer carbon price.
Trudeau says he believes Jagmeet Singh and the NDP care about the environment, but it’s “increasingly obvious” that they have “no idea” what to do about climate change.
On Thursday, Singh said the NDP is working on a plan that wouldn’t put the burden of fighting climate change on the backs of workers, but wouldn’t say if that plan would include a consumer carbon price.
Singh’s noncommittal position comes as the NDP tries to frame itself as a credible alternative to the Conservatives in the next federal election.
Poilievre responded to that by releasing a video, pointing out that the NDP has voted time and again in favour of the Liberals’ carbon price.
British Columbia Premier David Eby also changed his tune on Thursday, promising that a re-elected NDP government would scrap the long-standing carbon tax and shift the burden to “big polluters,” if the federal government dropped its requirements.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
Simon Jolin-Barrette, minister responsible for consumer protection, has tabled a bill to force merchants to calculate tips based on the price before tax.
That means on a restaurant bill of $100, suggested tips would be calculated based on $100, not on $114.98 after provincial and federal sales taxes are added.
The bill would also increase the rebate offered to consumers when the price of an item at the cash register is higher than the shelf price, to $15 from $10.
And it would force grocery stores offering a discounted price for several items to clearly list the unit price as well.
Businesses would also have to indicate whether taxes will be added to the price of food products.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
Quebec legislature member Youri Chassin has announced he’s leaving the Coalition Avenir Québec government to sit as an Independent.
He announced the decision shortly after writing an open letter criticizing Premier François Legault’s government for abandoning its principles of smaller government.
In the letter published in Le Journal de Montréal and Le Journal de Québec, Chassin accused the party of falling back on what he called the old formula of throwing money at problems instead of looking to do things differently.
Chassin says public services are more fragile than ever, despite rising spending that pushed the province to a record $11-billion deficit projected in the last budget.
He is the second CAQ member to leave the party in a little more than one week, after economy and energy minister Pierre Fitzgibbon announced Sept. 4 he would leave because he lost motivation to do his job.
Chassin says he has no intention of joining another party and will instead sit as an Independent until the end of his term.
He has represented the Saint-Jérôme riding since the CAQ rose to power in 2018, but has not served in cabinet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
