Smiling. Just not always at Federal Politics.

Not to exascerbate this minor debate overlong - but I hope I am not giving the impression of being too "angry" these days in postings on the state of affairs in Canadian federal politics. Ahab's singleminded pursuit of the whale is not meant to be a blinding one. Plenty of events at the Canadian provincial level, though maybe less "exciting" and internationally newsworthy - such as the near-passage of the recent B.C. voting reform initiative by the citizen's assembly of ordinary Canadians, or the successful passage of the budget in Nova Scotia's minority Parliament - certainly do receive acclaim and praise from this contributor, even if left unstated here.

Sometimes, blogging about what you "don't" agree with just comes more naturally in a world of time constraints. And polysci aside, there have been plenty of other developments smiled about recently here, from Liverpool's recent unconscionably sublime victory [surely one of the happiest nights of this year] to Shakespeare play after Shakespeare play. Much more to look forward to this weekend after the successful landing of my sister in the UK this morning, particularly a possible long-awaited foray into magical Sherwood Forest.

But putting any rantings against Star Wars aside [though at least I have finally found someone respectable who agrees with me], I do admit to being "angry" over the ethical slides we've witnessed in the past months at the Canadian Federal level. Not all have been from the Liberal frontbenches, of course. But when [what I see as] an opportunistic and politically cynical defection of a lacklustre MP is greeted as "obviously fantastic news" by Liberal supporters, or when the news breaks to little fanfare that the Government will now choose to ignore the long-standing convention on confidence votes in the house, or I read completely unfettered confidence in the abilities of Paul Martin despite possible mounting evidence to the contrary, I admit it does prove rather irritating [to quote but three examples].

I wonder sometimes if any lingering "anger" that comes across may not really just be bred out of a particular frustration that so many Liberals don't seem to note any such tinges of unease themselves, constantly viewing these developments through a prism tinted Liberal Red instead.

But such perspectives are why we argue, of course. So let the parameters for legitimate debate be defined here, not by labelling one side as "partisan" or "angry", but rather by the sage advice of no less an authority than my beloved Shakespeare [Taming of the Shrew, Act I Scene ii]:

Trantio: Sir, I shall not be slack: in sign whereof,
Please ye we may contrive this afternoon,
And quaff carouses to our mistress’ health,
And do as adversaries do in law,
Strive mightily, but eat and drink as friends.

Grumio: O excellent motion! Fellows, let’s be gone.