Can Andrew Coyne Save Canada?

Absolutely the best paragraph I have read this month:

"Of course, the very hopelessness of the Liberals’ situation ought to be liberating. If your adversary wins no matter what you do, you might as well ignore him and just do what you like. More to the point, far too much significance is attached to these sorts of ads generally. The idea that it was Conservative advertising that destroyed the otherwise brilliant political careers of Stéphane Dion and Michael Ignatieff, and not, say, their own failings as leaders or the platforms on which they campaigned, is a pleasing fiction. It pleases Tory strategists to believe it, because it confirms them in their self-image as master manipulators of public opinion. It pleases their targets to believe it, because it absolves them of their own responsibility for their defeat. And it pleases the press, because it validates our cynicism about politics, and the indispensable services we provide the public as their interpreters."

What if the Liberals didn't blame the Tories for their defeats, but took ownership of their own endeavours?  "Yeah, Harper has attack ads or whatever, but he's kind of a side bar.  We didn't engage the people in the best manner.  It's all on us and we owe it to the people to do better."

What if the Tories didn't pass the blame for everything, including robocalls, to someone else?  "Look, we don't like this.  The calls seem to have been made by people who favour us; we need to do a better job of telling people this is not the Conservative way, we win on our own merits.  We're going to prove this in actions, deeds and most importantly, transparency."

What if voters took it upon themselves to set the standard they want politicians to follow?  "I'm concerned about what's happening in Canadian politics so I'm going to get informed, I'm going to ensure my family and friends are informed.  Attack ads work because they appeal to uninformed emotion - I'm going to put myself beyond that."

There is nothing more powerful, more liberating than ownership.  True ownership isn't external; it's internal.  Self-ownership means you take back control of who you are and what you represent from whoever else might try to define you by simply doing it yourself, constantly and consciously.  It also means taking responsibility for the impact your actions or inaction, level of knowledge or ignorance, has on others.

The only thing keeping us from making a better world for each other is our consciousness of content, context and consequence.