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Politics of hope – The Times of India Blog

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While the world is reeling with economic tremors, nature’s fury and political earthquakes – we have been driven into the trenches of truth, conscience and grit to finally own up to the collapse of old socio-economic institutions. 

Politics today constitutes ‘Us versus Them’ thinking – “My Party is better than your Party, your candidate is a criminal while mine is a saint, my philosophy is the only valid philosophy while yours is a hoax.” It is exhausting – these politics are built on malevolence, oppression, and dogma. Harnessing the powers of hatred, fear, bigotry, racism, and greed – in the coming days, will not withstand the surge of a new generation rising up to burn away Collective Hatred with Collective Love. Politicians, corporate authorities, tarnished institutions – will NOT survive the uprising of decency, dignity and inclusiveness.

The world is powerfully seeking politics that is not built on division, but on civic engagement, empathy, more social capital and peace. 

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Polarized politics has paralysed societal well-being. We are helplessly witnessing our elected representatives scrabbling for the steering wheel, driving the bus with all of us jingbanging in it – straight into the abyss. 

Here’s a new approach.

Many believe that by getting rid of the ‘bad’ people, the system would be refreshed. But the problem is, when you shoot down one bad guy, another will simply take his place. There’s no shortage of ‘their’ kind! Why? Because, as a bunch of awakened social warriors have been pointing out to us- IT ISN’T THE BAD GUYS CREATING THIS SOCIAL SYSTEM. IT IS THE SOCIAL SYSTEM WHICH IS CREATING THE BAD GUYS. Bad guys are the external symptom of a deeper problem.

So what is the root cause of our systemic collapse? One answer – SEPARATION. A false sense of separation between ‘me’ and ‘you’, ‘us’ and ‘them’. Separation seeds seismic catastrophe. 

We have witnessed an international lurch towards pseudo-nationalism, politics of mocking and shaming, outrage, secession, economy founded on unfettered consumerism and irresponsible self-indulgence.

Our laws, governments and trade are built on an OUTDATED industrial era that promised equality, identity and dignity to all. But clearly, as we are seeing, this model isn’t working now. It worked once, creating massive industrial advance. It doubled life expectancy, promised all a sense of ‘belonging’ and ‘progress’, heralded a greater, better, free society. It ran out of steam though. Where do we stand today? 82% men and 92% women in India earn less than Rs 10,000 a month (2018 report by Azim Premji University). It isn’t a trivial statement to say that our system truly is one that keeps the rich getting richer and poor getting poorer. It’s time for a change. And it is within the power of this generation to eradicate poverty and create fairer systems for all.

The solution, however, does not lie in hating the authoritarians we have created. Oh yes, it’s us who have created them. This is where we return to the root cause of the ‘separatist mentality’. 

What if we had raised children by rewarding them for their kindness, concern and efforts to care for our society – instead of telling them they will only be respected if they are ‘richer’, ‘more clever and diplomatic’, ‘better’ than their peers?

What if we admired and respected people in society for their contribution to the collective, rather than fostering competition, drooling for individual attainment, oblivious to all else?

What if we stopped idolizing and bootlicking ‘The top 100 billionaires of the planet’, and started cherishing and emulating ‘the top 50 people who have made a maximum social impact in the world’, ‘the top 100 executives who have contributed the maximum to poverty eradication or housing or healthcare’, ‘the top 500 who have healed the planet’? What if we shift our world-views to prioritize collective upliftment instead of dog-eat-dog businesses, rat races, and crow feasts?

What if we prioritize ‘being human’ – before being Indian, Hindu, Muslim, Christian? What if we cared more for the planet instead of the industry? What if we spend more on people’s development than on militarization? What if corporate turnover traded-off mindless innovation and endless profit-making for social responsibility (what’s the point of expanding the economy if that economy is not reaching those who most need it!)? What if each and every one of us replaces obtuse consumerism with care for our community? What if we admire ‘that woman who fights for human rights’ more than the socialite concerned with nothing more than flaunting her luxury lifestyle? What if we gave up all this superficiality for more meaningful lives?

The Roosevelt Institute revealed that ~80% of corporate profits are used by companies for share buybacks, not for employee imbursement. About 25% goes to the CEO alone.  Instead of the mentality of ‘giving people employment’, like throwing grains to pigeons, what if corporate honchos came to the realization that ‘it is employees who make the company and create their business, instead of the other way round?’ What if there was transparency, no tax rebates for the elite and fairer distribution of profits?

We would see 100% poverty eradication in less than a decade. 

As for politics, we need to stop putting one man or one ideology on a pedestal. Here’s the only truth:

1) Every political party makes good decisions and bad decisions. It will forever be so. No one can please all.

2) Every political figure – is ultimately human. And like all humans, he will be a mosaic of good and bad, wise and unwise. So somewhere along the way, the ‘corrupt’ politician will take a few good steps, and the ‘self-sacrificing, moral’ politician- will err. It is human nature.

3) Society clinging to one person or one party, while de-humanizing and shaming others – is the formula for the downfall. Instead, what if we evaluated each policy individually for what it is, instead of hating the people behind that policy? What if we created platforms for more voices to be heard on every national decision, so the onus does not fall on one weak human being? The moment we let go of bias – either for or against a person/party – and focus on outcomes we want to create, the system will change

Our capacity for empathy can overcome almost any fault in our systems. What if each one of us celebrated leaders who stand for empathy – with each vote? We cannot fight this Crisis of Hate, Crisis of Truth and Crisis of Health – with MORE hatred, MORE violence and MORE outrage. What if we find ways to fight these battles with COMPASSION, even for the misguided ‘elite’ holding power?  What if we stopped weaponizing fear-mongering, simply put all hateful voices on mute- leaving them to fend for themselves instead of being punitive (eventually, they will make themselves obsolete) and instead start incentivizing fresh, powerful voices of inclusiveness and collective responsibility?

It would be a turning point, for sure.

DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author’s own.

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Opinion: Canada's foreign policy and its domestic politics on Israel's war against Hamas are shifting – The Globe and Mail

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The vote in the House of Commons last week on Israel’s war against Hamas represents a shift in both Canada’s foreign policy and its domestic politics.

The Liberal government is now markedly more supportive of the rights of Palestinians and less supportive of the state of Israel than in the past. That shift mirrors changing demographics, and the increasing importance of Muslim voters within the Liberal coalition.

Both the Liberal and Conservative parties once voiced unqualified support for Israel’s right to defend itself from hostile neighbours. But the Muslim community is growing in Canada. Today it represents 5 per cent of the population, compared with 1 per cent who identify as Jewish.

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Although data is sparse prior to 2015, it is believed that Muslim Canadians tended to prefer the Liberal Party over the Conservative Party. They were also less likely to vote than the general population.

But the Conservative Party under Stephen Harper deeply angered the community with talk about “barbaric cultural practices” and musing during the 2015 election campaign about banning public servants from wearing the niqab. Meanwhile, Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau was promising to bring in 25,000 Syrian refugees to Canada if elected.

These factors galvanized community groups to encourage Muslims to vote. And they did. According to an Environics poll, 79 per cent of eligible Muslims cast a ballot in the 2015 election, compared with an overall turnout of 68 per cent. Sixty-five per cent of Muslim voters cast ballots for the Liberal Party, compared with 10 per cent who voted for the NDP and just 2 per cent for the Conservatives. (Telephone interviews of 600 adults across Canada who self-identified as Muslim, were conducted between Nov. 19, 2015 and Jan. 23, 2016, with an expected margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points 19 times out of 20.)

Muslim Canadians also strongly supported the Liberals in the elections of 2019 and 2021. The party is understandably anxious not to lose that support. I’m told that Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly often mentions the large Muslim community in her Montreal riding. (According to the 2021 census, 18 per cent of the people in Ahuntsic-Cartierville identify as Muslim.)

This is one reason why the Liberal leadership laboured so mightily to find a way to support last week’s NDP motion that would, among other measures, have recognized the state of Palestine. The Liberal caucus was deeply divided on the issue. My colleague Marieke Walsh reports that dozens of Liberal MPs were prepared to vote for the NDP motion.

In the end, almost all Liberal MPs ended up voting for a watered-down version of the motion – statehood recognition was taken off the table – while three Liberal MPs voted against it. One of them, Anthony Housefather, is considering whether to remain inside the Liberal caucus.

This is not simply a question of political calculation. Many Canadians are deeply concerned over the sufferings of the people in Gaza as the Israel Defence Forces seek to root out Hamas fighters.

The Conservatives enjoy the moral clarity of their unreserved support for the state of Israel in this conflict. The NDP place greater emphasis on supporting the rights of Palestinians.

The Liberals have tried to keep both Jewish and Muslim constituencies onside. But as last week’s vote suggests, they increasingly accord a high priority to the rights of Palestinians and to the Muslim community in Canada.

As with other religious communities, Muslims are hardly monolithic. Someone who comes to Canada from Senegal may have different values and priorities than a Canadian who comes from Syria or Pakistan or Indonesia.

And the plight of Palestinians in Gaza may not be the only issue influencing Muslims, who struggle with inflation, interest rates and housing affordability as much as other voters.

Many new Canadians come from societies that are socially conservative. Some Muslim voters may be uncomfortable with the Liberal Party’s strong support for the rights of LGBTQ Canadians.

Finally, Muslim voters for whom supporting the rights of Palestinians is the ballot question may be drawn more to the NDP than the Liberals.

Regardless, the days of Liberal/Conservative bipartisan consensus in support of Israel are over. This is the new lay of the land.

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Recall Gondek group planned to launch its own petition before political novice did – CBC.ca

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The third-party group helping promote the recall campaign against Mayor Jyoti Gondek had devised plans to launch its own petition drive, as part of a broader mission to make Calgary council more conservative.

Project YYC had planned with other conservative political organizations to gather signatures demanding Calgary’s mayor be removed, says group leader Roy Beyer. But their drive would have begun later in the year, when nicer weather made for easier canvassing for supporters, he said.

Those efforts were stymied when Landon Johnston, an HVAC contractor largely unknown in local politics, applied at city hall to launch his own recall drive in early February. Since provincial recall laws allow only one recall attempt per politician per term, Project YYC chose to lend support to Johnston’s bid.

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“Now we have to try to do door-knocking in the winter, and there’s a lot of preparation that you have to contemplate prior to starting. And Landon didn’t do that,” Beyer told CBC News in an interview.

Project YYC has helped gather signatures, created a website and erected large, anti-Gondek signs around town. It has supplied organizational heft that Johnston admits to lacking.

Their task is daunting.

According to provincial law, in order to force a recall plebiscite to oust the mayor before the term is up, they have two months to gather more than 514,000 signatures, an amount equal to 40 per cent of Calgary’s population in 2019.

They have until April 4 to collect that many signatures, and by March 21 had only 42,000.

Beyer criticizes the victory threshold for recall petition as so high that it’s “a joke,” and the province may as well not have politician recall laws.

So if he thinks it’s an impossible pursuit, why is he involved with this?

“You can send a message to the mayor that she should be sitting down and resigning … without achieving those numbers,” Beyer said.

Project YYC founder Roy Beyer, from a Take Back Alberta video in 2022. He is no longer with that provincial activist group. (royjbeyer screenshot/Rumble)

He likened it to former premier Jason Kenney getting 52 per cent support in a UCP leadership review — enough to technically continue as leader, but a lousy enough show of confidence that he announced immediately he would step down.

Gondek has given no indication she’ll voluntarily leave before her term is up next year. But she did emerge from a meeting last week with Johnston to admit the petition has resonated with many Calgarians and is a signal she must work harder to listen to public concerns and explain council’s decisions.

The mayor also told the Calgary Sun this week that she’s undecided about running for re-election in 2025. 

“There used to be this thing where if you’re the mayor, of course you’re going to run for another term because there’s unfinished business,” Gondek told the newspaper.

“And yes, there will be unfinished business, but the times are not what they were. You need to make sure you’re the right leader for the times you’re in.”

The last several Calgary mayors have enjoyed multiple terms in office, going back to Ralph Klein in the 1980s. The last one-term mayor was Ross Alger, the man Klein defeated in 1980.

Beyer and fellow conservative organizers launched Project YYC before the recall campaign. The goal was to elect a conservative mayor and councillors — “a common-sense city council, instead of what we currently have,” he said.

Beyer is one of a few former activists with the provincial pressure group Take Back Alberta to have latched themselves to the recall bid and Project YYC, along with some United Conservative Party riding officials in Calgary. 

Beyer’s acknowledgment of his group’s broader mission comes as Premier Danielle Smith and her cabinet ministers have said they want to introduce political party politics in large municipalities — even though most civic politicians have said they don’t want to bring clear partisanship into city halls.

Although Beyer admits Project YYC’s own recall campaign would have been a coalition effort with other conservative groups, he wouldn’t specify which ones. He did insist that Take Back Alberta wasn’t one of them.

A man in a grey baseball cap speaks to reporters.
Calgary business owner Landon Johnston speaks to reporters at City Hall on March 22 following his 15-minute conversation with Mayor Jyoti Gondek. (Laurence Taschereau/CBC)

Johnston says he was approached by Beyer’s group shortly after applying to recall Gondek, and gave them $3,000 from donations he’d raised.

He initially denied any knowledge of Project YYC when documents first emerged about that group’s role in the recall, but later said he didn’t initially realize that was the organizational name of his campaign allies.

“They said they could get me signatures, so I said, ‘OK, if you can do it by the book, here’s some money.’ And it’s worked,” he said.

Johnston has said he’s new to politics but simply wants to remove Gondek because of policies he’s disagreed with, like the soon-to-be-ended ban on single-use plastics and bags at restaurant takeouts and drive-thrus.

He’s no steadfast conservative, either. He told CBC’s Calgary Eyeopener that he voted for Rachel Notley’s NDP because one of its green-renovation incentives helped his HVAC business.

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Larry David shares how he feels about Trump – CNN

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Larry David shares how he feels about Trump

“Curb Your Enthusiasm” star Larry David shares how he feels about former President Donald Trump and the 2020 election. Watch the full episode of “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace,” streaming March 29 on Max.


03:21

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