-TSS-

Do the Canadian indigenous people have a concept of land ownership? Do they think that they didn't own the land either but since nobody can possibly own land then when somebody claims to own land it is theft? Or did the land belong to clan- or tribe-chiefs prior to the European arrival?

I have reached a stage of cynicism whereby I regard voting as a total waste of time. Perhaps this is only temporary and I'll change my mind or perhaps this is permanent. Depends of course where you live whether you appreciate your vote or not. Living in a province of Euro-Soviet voting makes sod all difference.

Some people suggest that the turnout of election should also determine how many seats in parliament are filled. For example, as we in Finland have a parliament of 200 members then if turnout is 60% only 120 seats would be filled.

That civil war in Mali which is due to secessionist movement, is that secession about creating some purer form of islamic state?

Before the 1900's there were voting systems whereby people's wealth determined how much their vote counted. I don't think harping back to those days is exactly going to solve any modern day problems.

The title of the thread suggests that Pierre Trudeau was even worse than Justin as Justin is the worst since Pierre. In what ways was Pierre even worse? It was an entirely different world back then when Pierre Trudeau was your PM.

Do Canadian members of Parliament have to swear tghe oath of allegiance to the Queen like their British counterparts have to? In the British Parliament there are always 4-5 seats vacant because Sinn Fein has won those seats but obviously they can't swear that oath, which excludes them from taking their seats in Parliament.

If you are old enough to die for your country or you are old enough to pay taxes to your country then you are old enough to vote for the leaders of your country. However, I don't think any civilised country accepts 16-year old soldiers and I doubt any 16-year old has to pay tax on some pocket money-income they earn in some summer-jobs.

It is outright dangerous to reveal the name of lottery-millionaires in that sense that they or their family.members may become targets for kidnapping and blackmailing.

How many 16-year olds live on their own and are in command of their own financial affairs? I can understand where initiatives such as this proposal to lower the voting-age come from as there is clearly apathy within politics but this is clearly wrong, not the right way to address the wider issue.

Totally against the idea. One could say that if you pay taxes and are old enough to die for your country then you should be able to vote. That argument applied to 18 years of age. Doesn`t apply to 16 year olds.

What is going on in Europe now with the influx of people from other continents is very similar to the final decades of the Roman Empire before its division and fall.

Isn't the NDP a slightly left-leaning party which means their voters are xenophiles therefore they don't mind if their leader is considered as a foreigner by the supporters of other parties?

First exit-polls out of the Russian presidential elections. Putler expected to get 76%. What a surprise.

People outside the US don't follow the US politics as much as you might think. Therefore people are basing their views on very superficial prejudices of the US political system. The main reason why people outside the US overwhelmingly hope for the Democratic candidate to win presidential elections is because the Republicans are viewed as religious bigots and warmongerers. People often fail to realise as there are only two parties the parties are divided into several factions.

Parties usually pick leaders whom they expect to lead the party to the best possible election-result. Perhaps the NDP believe that this guy can do it. There are some exceptions though. For example the Swedish Social Democratic Party which until very recently was in effect a state within a state. It has always had a strict hierarchy which includes rules for succession and when it is someone's "turn" to be the leader then that person must be the leader, no matter if there would have been better alternatives on offer. I'm thinking especially of Mona Sahlin, whom everyone knew she would be a disaster for a party-leader, but it was her "turn" to be leader in the 2010 elections and unsurprisingly she led the party to an election-defeat. More recently, as far as I have followed the Swedish politics, the SDP in Sweden have relaxed the hierarchy and pick the leader who actually wins elections. They are currently back in power. p

There is a foreigner as your head of state and it seems to bother no-one.

I don't know do the constitutions of Canada and Australia differ regarding the power of the GG as in Australia the GG actually fired the government as he had the power to do so under the circumstances whereby the government could not pass the budget in the Australian parliament. However, if the Canadian GG has similar powers, it is absurd if the PM chooses the GG who in turn could kick out the PM. Doesn't that mean the PM would choose a person who would never under any circumstances kick out the PM?

Oh gosh! Some people just can't get over their disappointments and move on. If there was ever any doubt about whether the outcome of the referendum was desirable the reaction of the losers speaks volumes.

It has been mentioned many times that it is kind of ironic that Great Britain (or United Kingdom, I really couldn't give a fuck which name is correct) which itself is an artificial union wants to break out of a federation which seeks to become a similar concoction but on a larger scale.

If the ANC had any common sense, which they apparently don't, they would realise that as South-Africa is still the leading economy on the whole continent of Africa measures such as taking land from the whites seriously jeopardise that position. If they want to punish the whites then tax the land more heavily but don't take it away as the whites certainly are better aware how to make it more profitable. By the way, I wonder has anyone told the ANC that communism is a white man's invention.

It is a difficult issue. Imagine that if you were white and born in South-Africa you would probably consider it as your home, of course, but then the black people, the overwhelming majority of them, consider you as an invader and say that you don't belong there and you should go back to your own country. The problem is that you thought you already were in your own country. Similarly, back in 1994 or shortly thereafter there must have also been naive idealists among white people who genuinely believed that harmonious co-existence would be possible.

Well, many of them have of them have nowhere to go as they were born in South-Africa and many of them refuse to be cowards who flee when faced with bullying and intimidation.

I must say that I find it rather unbelievable that in countries such as Canada where you have had very established independence but yet you still stick to the present arrangement whereby a foreigner is your head of state and some political puppet pretends to be that monarch's representative. On the other hand, who am I to blame you. I'm from Finland which is a totally runover vassal-state of Germany. Nothing happens in Finland unless Merkel has given her permission. Our puppet-politicians make me very angry. Actually, having thought of it through, you with the British Queen as your head of state you are actually way better off than we are here in the hinterlands of Merkelstan.

If you were a white born in South-Africa would you flee the current very hostile environment towards you? Difficult to say. Hundreds of thousands have fled but similarly many times more have stayed put. Why haven't they gone away? Have they nowhere to go or don't they have money to leave? Or perhaps, the likeliest answer, some people are not cowards.