Comment 29648

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.

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