It is hard not to feel sorry about the state of our democratic life. Our democratic institutions and processes have evolved in a way that makes rational public debates unlikely. When I look at the Ottawa and Quebec City governments, I see parties seasoned in wedge politics and strategic manoeuvring. Yes, Kevin Spacey is irresistible and Robin Wright magnetic, but that is not the only reason why House of Cards is the flavour of the week for TV drama aficionados. The series magnifies the cynical perception of political reality that many have. And yes, I have heard about Rob Ford. The ongoing display of Fordian stupour has distracted me, a Montrealer, from the corruption, collusion and complacency disclosed day after day in the hearings of the Charbonneau Commission on the awarding and management of public contracts in the construction industry.
It is no surprise that several books on grassroots activism and political militancy have appeared in recent months...
Jocelyn Maclure is a professor of philosophy at Université Laval in Quebec City. He coauthored, with Charles Taylor, Secularism and Freedom of Conscience (Harvard University Press, 2011) and writes for the public affairs blog In Due Course.
Advertisement
Advertisement