Man U: A Love Story Part II

(Miss me...? Just a little...?


I've been working on a story. Almost all-consuming. Apologies, back to work.)


Manitoba United: A Love Story Part II

Time flies fast upon the wing of political pause. Election fatigue gives way to heady days of summer, our return to family and friends (sans party) whisks the wee hours into the sweet memory filing cabinet. 'Oh, so much better than knocking on doors is this knocking back brewskies.'

Turn up the fire pit and the music, find your lover, enjoy being Canadian. Time flies by in honest fleeting moments born of the political pause.

Around said campfire, the background hum of the body politic lost to the romantic crackle of life, lovers unite among the various dances souls shall step when the spot lights are turned off. Honest living in private (mainly), folks getting about their business for business' sake, lovers loving love.

Love.

Oh, my Love.

Let's talk about love. And Manitoba United ('natch!)

Recently I talked about the Queen, and the love of Her Majesty spurring on certain parties towards a United political movement through which to more effectively oppose the NDP regime... err... government. Maybe even replace them (see piece on election results last year, 'k?)

Obviously, her Majesty is a living embodiment of an Ideal, and it is the ideal we love. The idea is that a super-person is all concerned with our well-being as her highest priority, and that she needs our help to do her job. She needs us to step up and lend a hand. We self-actualize through her siren's call of social responsibility. Very cool.

In a Hegelian flip-flop, the little people take power this way (a la Marty Gold's 'you have the power'). Great power, which begets great responsibility. Part of that responsibility lies in examination of one's own life, and the conditions for living in which one finds themselves. Being so self-informed, we make decisions about good and right actions.

(Hold tight, the point is coming...)

Let's talk about 'pragmatic allocation' compared to 'utter commitment'. Still talking about love here, and how we love, and how love motivates us.

Do you know some persons who go 'all in' when they love?

How about persons who weigh each drop of love allocation so very, very carefully?

There ain't no right or wrong way to do it. Different beats, different drummers. It is all good loving, yes?

But the results of the two 'systems' of loving end in polar extremes.

Like they do in Politics....

A. Zealot, idealist, party insider, bought-and-sold, dyed-in-wool, fervent supporter.

B. Pragmatist, Flip-flopper, swing vote, chameleon, opportunist.

Assignment: Which of the above (A or B) describes the 'all-in' political lover, and which the 'carefully allocating' kind?

The new girl in town is the old flame who left and came back with a make-over. She, for those not invited to participate in the current regime, is the flame we should have loved but for our fickle turn. She who is of us, is for us, who needs us. The Girl Next Door (if you live next to a castle....)

She who unites lovers of all kinds.

Nearly one year past the election, all (non-regime types) who love this Province are called to examine the nature of their political love, and their own allocations and commitments. Is it the 'party' you love, or is it the people and the Queen who serves them? Are you so utterly lost in love of a particular party, have you so shrewdly allocated your love to one 'group', that you can't even see the need to change?

Are you literally 'blinded by love' to the need to Unite?

Its ok if you are. Love is so powerful an influence on our decisions and actions. I get it.

But...

Vote splitting in this silly first-past-the-post plurality of parties system is harming you, your children, friends, lovers, neighbours, employees and bosses, grandmother, barber....

It is harming everyone you love. Actually love. Like, love love.

What have you been getting back from your current party that it is worth the suffering price paid by those you love?

Manitoba United should appeal to 'all-in' lovers and 'careful allocation' lovers alike. It should be reasonable and thrilling. It should be the biggest tent of all, a keystone evolution of the ideal 'political tent'.

(Like Bracken's pragmatists, but updated for the new millennium.)

Sitting with our loved ones around said fire, we could be engineering this new mighty tent. Every person carving a personal pole, designing to form a tent one million poles strong.

Then, we could all get together underneath this newly erected tent and...

Hold a major love-in, bigger even than Folk Fest.

Ah.... big, big love.

Or... we could continue living stories about Jet's tickets, collusion between Ministers and Media and Public Servants, under performing tax dollars, lack of transparency, abuse of power and privilege, pandering to Unions at the expense of the People.... you know, the normal stuff you get under a 'natural ruling party' of this type.

Just saying.


Love,

Rod Rouge

XXOO