There are no upcoming events right now.
Why not post one?
Recent Articles
- Justice for Indigenous Peoples is Long Overdueby Ryan McGreal, published June 30, 2021 in Commentary
(0 comments)
- Third-Party Election Advertising Ban About Silencing Workersby Chantal Mancini, published June 29, 2021 in Politics
(0 comments)
- Did Doug Ford Test the 'Great Barrington Declaration' on Ontarians?by Ryan McGreal, published June 29, 2021 in Special Report: COVID-19
(1 comment)
- An Update on Raise the Hammerby Ryan McGreal, published June 28, 2021 in Site Notes
(0 comments)
- Nestlé Selling North American Water Bottling to an Private Equity Firmby Doreen Nicoll, published February 23, 2021 in Healing Gaia
(0 comments)
- Jolley Old Sam Lawrenceby Sean Burak, published February 19, 2021 in Special Report: Cycling
(0 comments)
- Right-Wing Extremism is a Driving Force in Modern Conservatismby Ryan McGreal, published February 18, 2021 in Special Report: Extremism
(0 comments)
- Municipalities Need to Unite against Ford's Firehose of Land Use Changesby Michelle Silverton, published February 16, 2021 in Special Report
(0 comments)
- Challenging Doug Ford's Pandemic Narrativeby Ryan McGreal, published January 25, 2021 in Special Report: COVID-19
(1 comment)
- The Year 2020 Has Been a Wakeup Callby Michael Nabert, published December 31, 2020 in Special Report: COVID-19
(0 comments)
- The COVID-19 Marshmallow Experimentby Ryan McGreal, published December 22, 2020 in Special Report: COVID-19
(0 comments)
- All I Want for Christmas, 2020by Kevin Somers, published December 21, 2020 in Entertainment and Sports
(1 comment)
- Hamilton Shelters Remarkably COVID-19 Free Thanks to Innovative Testing Programby Jason Allen, published December 21, 2020 in Special Report: COVID-19
(0 comments)
- Province Rams Through Glass Factory in Stratfordby Doreen Nicoll, published December 21, 2020 in Healing Gaia
(0 comments)
- We Can Prevent Traffic Deaths if We Make Safety a Real Priorityby Ryan McGreal, published December 08, 2020 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
(5 comments)
- These Aren't 'Accidents', These Are Resultsby Tom Flood, published December 04, 2020 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
(1 comment)
- Conservation Conundrumby Paul Weinberg, published December 04, 2020 in Special Report
(0 comments)
- Defund Police Protest Threatens Fragile Ruling Classby Cameron Kroetsch, published December 03, 2020 in Special Report: Anti-Racism
(2 comments)
- Measuring the Potential of Biogas to Reduce GHG Emissionsby John Loukidelis and Thomas Cassidy, published November 23, 2020 in Special Report: Climate Change
(0 comments)
- Ontario Squanders Early Pandemic Sacrificeby Ryan McGreal, published November 18, 2020 in Special Report: COVID-19
(0 comments)
Article Archives
Blog Archives
Site Tools
Feeds
By Type Numeral (anonymous) | Posted March 20, 2009 at 19:04:23
Cudos to Merulla for not being cowed or silenced. As bothersome as Merulla's tenacity may be, his behaviour is probably necessary for his political survival. Sure, it would be nice for those who bow to concensus for the out-voted to quietly go away, but some politicos, perhaps those most worth their salt, tend not to view lost battles as the end of their wars. They persist, often until the right decisions (from their points of view,) rather than the easy ones, are made. That is the nature of politics, and if you can't stand the heat, take your manners out to the parlour.
If Merulla didn't fight for his constituency, loudly and visibly, it is doubtful he would be re-elected, and to some extent that is what Drechel said. What Merulla did NOT say, however, is that the column or the columnist were "malicious, evil, laughable or simply cognitively impoverished." He said that everyone has the right to express themselves in a democracy, even if the Dreschel or anyone regards their opinions as "malicious, evil, laughable or simply cognitively impoverished." He is referring to how he himself may be regarded.
It is easy to say that disruptive behaviour is an example of an ineffectual city council, but I prefer to look at results. Spending money on facilities that cannot achieve their stated objectives and are more likely to detract from a neighbourhood than enhance it, is ineffectual and wasteful. Pointing this out, loudly and for as long as necessary, is good civic representation.
Of course, this doesn't say much for the concept of leadership, and its need for quiet, respectful followers. Here at RTH, we should be sure we keep our pinkies up when we converse with our leaders. That has never failed to earn us their respect.
Permalink | Context