This morning, one of the charged protesters was on TV moaning about illegitimate leaders trampling human rights and creating a police state. Give me a break. At least most of these leaders had the benefit of being chosen by their people to speak for them; the radical protesters decided to take away the rights of legitimate protesters entirely on their own initiative.

By rioting and looting – and making what happened at the G-20 all about THEIR issues – they closed down discussion on the things that bothered everyone else … including me.

Like many people, I have severe misgivings about the additional powers that governments gave police to arbitrarily arrest and detain people and to curtail the right of people to gather and protest.

I don’t believe that governments should be able to curtail rights without some official consensus from the people, at the very least a vote of support by Parliament or legislatures. This isn’t criticism of the police – they were just doing what they were ordered to do – it was a political failing.

As Canadians, either we have rights or we don’t. Either we are protected from arbitrary detention or we aren’t. If our rights can be suspended by governments… at will… behind closed doors, then they aren’t rights. They are only favours granted to us by politicians until they decide to take them away.

So the rights of Canadians were trampled twice, once by our governments and then by the hooligan protesters. As a result, we have never had a real discussion about our rights and judging by the circus surrounding the courthouse in Toronto today we probably never will.

The sites listed below are essential reads for me every day and can be valuable tools for anyone tracking federal political coverage. 

1. National Newswatch – National Newswatch is the absolute ‘must read’ site for political players in Ottawa.  This news aggregator site lists the top stories making news on a daily basis while also linking to the primary columnists with each of the major news organizations to provide a good picture of the news terrain.  As an issue heats up over the course of a day, National Newswatch will almost always be the first site with links to the relevant news stories – providing varied voices on the event so the reader can see the different points of view providing coverage. 
2. Pundits Guide to Canadian Federal Elections – Pundits Guide provides some of the best analysis and information on election readiness and election results for each of the federal parties.  Not only does the site cover nominated candidates but it also provides analysis on the financial health of each of the federal parties as they report their quarterly and annual fundraising numbers.  Pundits Guide understands the nuances of Election Canada rules better than almost anyone on the web and has become a must visit site for anyone hoping to track election readiness.
3. Inkless Wells – Paul Wells has been one of the best political reads in Ottawa for over a decade – even while he was transferred to cover events in Europe for a short time.  While his weekly column for MacLean’s continues to be the reason why many of us read MacLean’s, his blog musings on ‘Inkless Wells’ provide intelligent, well researched looks at the issues of the day.  He is unafraid to call politicians out when they are underperforming – witness his reporting on Stéphane Dion’s leadership – or report on  less covered national pieces with zeal – like his coverage of the ‘Rights and Democracy’ standoff.  Part of what makes Paul Wells a must read is he understands all aspects of politics – both in terms of strategy to policy development – and this makes his insight especially pertinent to political audiences.
4. David Akin – David Akin, now with Sun Media, has been one of the best examples of a journalist using social media to both find stories and promote stories he is covering.  Like Wells, Akin is more than willing to delve into research and data to prove or disprove an argument being made by a federal politician.  He is not afraid to ask the tough question at a news conference or call a politician to task when they aren’t well prepared on a specific issue.
5. Public Eye Online – while BC based Public Eye Online does not look at national stories in the same way Ottawa based journalists do on issues, it is able to provide excellent coverage and analysis of both federal and provincial politics in BC.  Like Pundits Guide, Public Eye Online provides strong analysis on election readiness at both the riding and regional levels.  I began reading the website during a leadership campaign for its unique insight and analysis it provided of the campaign in BC but have continued reading it because it provides analysis of BC issues in a way that is hard to find anywhere else.

To me, my day would not be complete without paying a visit to each of these websites or blogs on a daily basis.  Their combined strength keeps me on top of federal political issues so that I have the information I need to provide my own analysis to our clients.

Bush Sr. lost his shot at a second term as President of the United States in large part because Bill Clinton’s campaign manager James Carville (the Ragin’ Cajun) uttered those immortal (in political circles) words at the right time to the right reporter. The rest was basically history. Now the line gets hauled out every time a marginal political issue somehow captures mainstream media or “inside the Beltway” types. So much so that it has essentially become a cliche. As loathe as I am to trot out tired old political cliches, lately I have been dying to climb to the highest point in the Gatineau hills overlooking the Parliament buildings and shout it until I am hoarse.

Why? The Census.

For Pete’s sake, is this what it has really come to? Optional versus mandatory long form census for a portion of the Canadian public and the reliability of results under said proposal? This is some sort of grand scheme to undermine our democracy? Will political careers, party leaders or governments, rise or fall over this issue? Are Canadians seized by the issue each night as they sit around the kitchen table? At least to the same extent so many social media commentators seem to be? Headlines shout “Conservatives face Census furor.” Really? I have been doing my damndest trying to locate that furor here in our humble little Hogtown, to no avail. Every single person I have asked about this issue (granted, these are people who don’t work in media, public affairs, communications or government) have in the following order: a) asked me what the hell I am talking about; b) asked me to explain it; and c) asked me, again, what the hell I am talking about.

The biggest issue facing Canadians is still the economy. I am sorry. General Motors is gone from Windsor after almost a century running an assembly line. Gone. Ask those auto workers and their families about the “Census furor.” Ask business leaders who are trying to plan into 2011 amid a shaky European Union economy, poor U.S. job numbers, plummeting U.S. orders for durable goods and threats of a double dip recession. Ask public sector workers being asked to take a wage freeze. Ask dozens of major hospitals facing big budget deficits.

Some folks engaged in the “Census furor” have trotted out a Canadian political catchphrase: “There’s no place for the state in the bedrooms of the nation.” But I prefer another Pierre Trudeau saying when it comes to this whole uproar: “Fuddle duddle.”