tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8120982399236985142.post7490546616637013019..comments2024-02-07T06:48:23.474-05:00Comments on Sudbury Steve May: GPC Federal Council Exercises Diplomacy Over Leadership Contest IssueSudbury Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03959184192546029807noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8120982399236985142.post-44740830261409767502010-01-23T12:10:43.706-05:002010-01-23T12:10:43.706-05:00Steve - good post. I've started referring peo...Steve - good post. I've started referring people to it as a way of explaining things. Some people are looking to our structures as the root cause for any problems we may have. I don't share that notion. I do think our structures can be improved and I have floated my proposal for exactly that. No matter what structure exists, some folks within the structure will collect and weild more influence and power and others will take more of a get along, go along approach.<br /><br />The people we elect to Lead and govern the party are at least and probably much more important than the structure that they are restricted to work within.<br /><br />Rob BrooksAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8120982399236985142.post-10982039602741926422010-01-22T10:17:12.962-05:002010-01-22T10:17:12.962-05:00John, thanks for your additional comment. I'm...John, thanks for your additional comment. I'm happy to hear that there aren't any hard feelings over my accidental removal of your post. I experienced that momentary feeling of horror after deleting your post...the one you feel when you realize that very important electronic data has just disappeared into the ether, never to be retrieved again.Sudbury Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03959184192546029807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8120982399236985142.post-82629885404781515762010-01-22T01:15:44.453-05:002010-01-22T01:15:44.453-05:00Thank You Steve
I saw it gone and wondered if I wa...Thank You Steve<br />I saw it gone and wondered if I was being too forth right or out spoken<br /><br />I do have the best interests of the green party at heart in all my efforts but I make no bones about thinking e may should step down<br /><br />The fact that we can speak openly is part of why I joined the greens.<br /><br />I know people like you and others want to see the greens make the kind of difference they alone it seems want to make and I know or think I know it goes deeper than who is our leader.<br /><br />I look forward to Dan's Resolution creating some renewed strength for our membership.<br /><br />Thanks for you open and inclusive blog!shavluknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8120982399236985142.post-79638531276158400362010-01-21T14:57:59.388-05:002010-01-21T14:57:59.388-05:00OH MY!! In my haste to remove an unsolicited comm...OH MY!! In my haste to remove an unsolicited comment to my blog from someone wanting us to check out his financial solutions (I've been getting a few of these sorts of comments recently, including some from porn sites), I inadvertantly removed John Shavluk's comment.<br /><br />I managed to save John's post, though, and I'll repost it here. John, please accept my sincere apologies for my oversight. It is not my intention to censor anyone on my blog...save and except for those posting items which have nothing to do with my blog.<br /><br />Here's John's post:<br /><br /> shavluk said... <br />Maybe re-read Green Party of Canada Constitutional by-law # 1.1.2<br /><br />for some in sight into why all the rest is irrelevant<br /><br />"We are all sworn to uphold our constitution" ...By-law 1.1.2<br /><br />Does not sound that way with the current ...ehem ....well I can not say leadership so inject your own choice<br /><br /><br />Maybe those before us were smarter than some give credit for as they think our constitution flawed and needing fixing....yes to their needs fixing<br /><br /><br />No one on council ....it seems ....gives a dam <br /><br />and I think quite rightly that it is spreading<br /><br />Oh well ...maybe some one can call me if the green party ever comes back please.<br /><br />Good post though Steve !<br /><br />January 20, 2010 11:00 PMSudbury Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03959184192546029807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8120982399236985142.post-89601223052102111922010-01-21T08:32:59.887-05:002010-01-21T08:32:59.887-05:00A long :-) post as usual Steve but one that puts i...A long :-) post as usual Steve but one that puts it all in perspective. Good post!Ruralhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11814103548500393628noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8120982399236985142.post-74365267532240592642010-01-21T07:16:03.742-05:002010-01-21T07:16:03.742-05:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8120982399236985142.post-24161668700522063642010-01-20T14:12:28.804-05:002010-01-20T14:12:28.804-05:00What the answer, then? If change to our structure...What the answer, then? If change to our structure is desirable, with the hopes that changing our structure will impact upon the way in which power is currently wielded in the Party, how do we go about making those changes? Clearly, the ability to change our structure is in the hands of the Members. The Membership adopted this Constitution back in 2006; we’ll probably be asked to amend it six ways til Sunday at the August BGM. Why not go for broke and propose a truly unique and democratic Constitution, rather than a series of add-on’s and one-off’s trying to correct little issues? <br /><br />But I’m not volunteering to draft that beast. <br /><br />Of course, even with a draft in hand, the Membership would have to buy into the notion that the changes will benefit our Party. Even engaging Membership enough for them to take an active interest in this sort of thing isn’t going to be easy, much less putting forward an argument that the changes will be for the greater good. An uphill battle, certainly. But also certainly within the realm of possibility.<br /><br />It would take a champion, and a committed team. A good communications strategy would also help. And finally, there would have to be a higher level of engagement of Party members both before and during the August AGM, in order to get the votes for such a change.<br /><br />If a group of Greens started out with a small committee and began soliciting the input of others, perhaps starting with CEO’s and FA’s in the EDA’s, with requests to engage their local membership, a draft document for general comment could be made available by April or May, leading to further changes and additional buy-in from a more engaged Membership. The version supplied to the Membership in advance of the August AGM (it would have to be available by early June, I would think, in order to meet the Notification timelines in our Constitution) would be one which it would be hoped not subject to too many changes once it hits the floor. Then it’s adopted to replace the existing Constitution in its entirety. Likely with considerable debate, and accusations that it’s not representative or endorsed by Federal Council and/or the Leader. So be it.<br /><br />Yes, it would be an uphill struggle indeed, and one that I suspect no one in the Party really wants to devote the time to, given that the outcome would be a struggle to achieve. But that’s the way to facilitate change within the Party. Just as many have suggested that we can’t elect an MP while the current electoral system is in place, others will suggest that we can’t revise our democratic and structural processes wholesale with the current Party structure in place. Electing an MP and changing structure, though, are certainly both within the realm of possibility, if unlikely. What is certain, though, is that we’ll never elect an MP or change the structure if we don’t try.<br /><br />Complaints and criticism about the current structure should never be dismissed (although they often are), because the issues with the Party’s democratic process are so very similar to our issues with the federal electoral process: both are “democratic”, but both could use a healthy injection of direct democracy in some new form. We need champions to start the process to get us there. I think we Greens are already doing a decent job to champion the demise of FPTP; now, we need some Greens to champion changing our own structure so that we stifle the drift towards old-style politics our Party seems to be on (if you believe that’s what’s happening).Sudbury Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03959184192546029807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8120982399236985142.post-54852419439397724682010-01-20T14:11:56.876-05:002010-01-20T14:11:56.876-05:00Stuart, as always, I appreciate your comments, esp...Stuart, as always, I appreciate your comments, especially when they are critical of what I’ve written. I won’t disagree with you when you write that as long as Party Members such as myself are focussed on the minutia of the Party’s rules, little is going to be accomplished with regards to the present and urgent task of saving the planet.<br /><br /><br />Trust me: I’d rather be out doing that than devoting my thoughts and energy to the weedy details of Constitutional matters. However, these matters are important to our Party, which I continue to believe is strategically placed to actually have a positive impact on the saving the planet project. And I believe that even given the Party’s current power structure. I understand that there are others out there who won’t share that perspective with me.<br /><br /><br />Is the structure of the Party problematic from a representative democracy perspective? Is it more appropriate to refer to decision making in the GPC as “demockery”, based on the paper-power structure and/or the de facto use of power? I would suggest that while there are some issues around the Party’s power structure, our Party, on paper at least, appears to be a lot more democratic than the other political parties in this nation. Could it be more democratic? Absolutely, definitely, positively.<br /><br /><br />(continued...)Sudbury Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03959184192546029807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8120982399236985142.post-76028945649834202732010-01-20T12:12:47.817-05:002010-01-20T12:12:47.817-05:00Steve, I think you are missing the point about the...Steve, I think you are missing the point about the democratic nature of the Green party because you fail to address yourself to any analysis of the type of organisational structure that its rules create. <br /><br />The party may "lean towards democracy," but it is the same centralised, élitist democracy practiced by the major political parties. This 'demockery' is increasingly being rejected by those who wish to promote human and ecological justice and protect the Earth.<br /><br />Power-seeking, manipulative types find the Green party an easy field in which to operate, as not only does it have this type of structure, but most of its members don't even understand that this is its milieu. I've tried for many years to point this out, but obviously to no avail.<br /><br />As long as members such as yourself continue to focus on the irrelevant minutia of internal politics, the Green Party is going to continue to decline, recognised as an irrelevance both to Canadian democracy and to the global struggle for peace, social and ecological justice, and citizen democracy.<br /><br />It's not a game of Diplomacy, Steve. It's a struggle to protect Life in all its forms, on this planet. We must focus on bringing about a just and eco-centric democracy, not on the inner machinations of the currently dysfunctional and insane, anti-Life political system that we mistakenly call 'democracy.'<br /><br /> Please wake up!Stuart Hertzoghttp://greenpolitics.ca/noreply@blogger.com