Goodbye political games, hello policy

I don't think anyone knows this, but before the blogosphere, back in 2002, being frustrated with the Chretien government, I actually began a website that was policy based and also included a list of some infamous Chretien quotes ("A proof is a proof", etc.)  That website is long gone now (no backup).  From what I remember, the major policy areas it discussed were:

- Foreign policy (particularly on the Iraq War)
- Democratic reform (particularly on the Senate)
- Environment (particularly on man-made global warming debunking)

I don't think anyone read my site other than the Chretien quotes, but many of my beliefs then still hold true to today, especially on democratic reform.

This blog began just over five years ago when the 2006 federal election was coming to an end and Stephen Harper won a minority government, which became the longest running in Canadian history.  During that time, election speculation ran high, Liberals had several leaders, we saw (new) things like prorogation, coalition, and the governor general certainly got more attention in that hey, "She actually has some sort of power!" 

For a political junkie, it was an exciting time.  It was fun to poke ... fun at Liberal leaders and speculating on Harper's next moves.  But in looking back, I think the real important thing we all learned, no matter what political stripe, is we truly now know how our parliamentary system actually is supposed to work.  The online debates I had were great and educational and I've come to appreciate our system over a republican style.


This blog focused mostly on the political manoevering, but always kept track of senate reform, and the other odd policy.  Will I speculate on the Liberal leadership race?  Probably, but so will all the mainstream media.

That said, I'm going to miss the parliamentary chess game, but I am looking forward to focusing more on policy and debating issues.  Although I'm a strong Conservative Party supporter, I will also criticize the government where I think their policies are out of whack, especially from a libertarian perspective.  I've done it with the Alberta government which is why I don't support them at all anymore.

And without the Liberals as official opposition, I think the NDP will amplify the major ideological differences with the government, which will be quite entertaining.

So stay tuned to this blog, not so much on political games, but on hard policy.  I look forward to your comments and let's keep it civil.