Liberals took up a progressive mantle when the NDP failed to project a vision of environmental and social justice – now it’s up to the public to bend them to their willOn Monday night many Canadians breathed out a sigh of relief. Then they breathed in a whiff of apprehension. The ousting of the Conservatives was a victory,a rejection of Stephen Harper’s politics of fear and outright hatred. But Canadians now confront a Prime Minister gifted in the art of warm, fuzzy claptrap. They won’t be offered what they dreamed of: that was never an option in this election.
The election’s most revealing poll was scarcely reported by the media. Those voting against Harper – sixty to seventy percent of Canada, or a progressive majority holding regular through his decade in power – were asked in late September what kind of change they desired. They answered overwhelmingly: not moderate but ambitious,not incremental but instant. In other words, most people didn’t just want Harper out: they wanted plentiful jobs, or a healthy environment,indeed a far more just and fair country.
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Source: theguardian.com