Home » Blogs

John Hogg's blog

Happy and wiser

Submitted by John Hogg on Wed, 05/04/2011 - 20:48

I was on CBC TV last night for a few seconds.  My words were also played on a few radio spots.  I said that I'd attended every event in the campaign and Erin Peters hadn't, so people were obviously voting for the party, not the candidate they didn't know.  One person said that I sounded frustrated.  This is absolutely not the case.  I was stating facts, but with absolutely no rancour.

The broadcast bits were a small snippet out of a long conversation where I repeatedly and explicitly stated that I had nothing negative to say about the results or Erin.  I heard a fair bit of negativity during the campaign from voters, blaming her for not showing up.  I always corrected them.  That's not what Erin signed up to do.  The NDP riding association couldn't find a candidate so Erin agreed to allow her name to be used as an out-of-riding paper candidate.  That was the deal and I absolutely respect her for that.  The final numbers reflect the will of the voters and they voted nationally. Read more »

We did it!

Submitted by John Hogg on Tue, 05/03/2011 - 09:29

This was a massive Green win.  We all know that long ago the party made getting Elizabeth elected priority #1.  The gamble paid off.

The Green media coverage for the last two weeks nationally was minimal to nil because Elizabeth was in Saanich--Gulf Islands and as a knock-on effect from the debate exclusion.  That hurt across the country because the national campaign counts for about 85% of the vote.  The whole context will be different in the next election.  Greens finally have a voice that cannot be denied, and a powerful one.

We sacrificed a large number of pawns to get one to the far end of the board.  Now she's a queen and that's a game-changer.  The trade-off was absolutely worth it.

My deep thanks to everyone who helped in the campaign with their time and money.  Thanks also for the words of encouragement I’ve received from so many directions.  Greens have a vision and a path.  Last night we took a tremendous step along it.

There are many more steps to go.  I hope that we'll take them together.

Thinking of strategic voting?

Submitted by John Hogg on Fri, 04/29/2011 - 22:33

Then see what Peter Bevan-Baker has to say.

 

Stittsville All Candidates Meeting

Submitted by John Hogg on Mon, 04/18/2011 - 23:25

Nobody told me that an All Candidates meeting was going to be so much fun.

I got to sit in front of smart people asking good questions and answer them.  I heard.  I learned.  And I believe I gave back, because I search for solutions that go beyond the current situation to solve the underlying problem.

A nice thing about being a Green Party candidate is the grass roots autonomy.  Nobody gives me talking points.  I can speak truth to the power of the voters.  Getting rid of the deficit?  I can say there are no easy answers: a lot of the money comes from a growing economy, but there's still a gap where we will have to raise taxes, cut services or do some of each.  Political suicide?  I don't think so.  I think voters are yearning for reality.

Many thanks to the organizers and volunteers and the Legion who donated the use of the hall.  They did a great job and the meeting was crisply run.  The only problem was that the citizens of Stittsville and surroundings are far too politically engaged: the room was filled with as many chairs as it could hold and it was still standing room only.  Voters want to have their say.

Recycling e-waste in Stittsville

Submitted by John Hogg on Sat, 04/16/2011 - 11:55

I dropped some e-waste off at the Capital Junk special collection event in Stittsville this morning.  Dead electronics in our household always hit the recycling stream to be reborn in a future generation of products.

If we had effective and accessible recycling in our community for all materials, citizens would realize that we don't need a new landfill on the current Carp site.  We don't need one anyway; with business as usual, we have years of landfill space remaining in Ottawa, and with proper recycling and recovery streams we have decades.  The landfill expansion is a great solution for a problem we don't have.

Here's the photographic proof of the day's outing:

Sending a coffee maker to its next incarnation

More second lives

Ottawa Citizen Editorial Board Questions

Submitted by John Hogg on Wed, 04/13/2011 - 19:44

Today the Ottawa Citizen Editorial Board questioned the Carleton--MIssissippi Mills candidates.  Their verdict will be delivered in the last week before election day.  Until then, you be the judge.

Who would think that a CMM candidate would have to be an expert in fighter aircraft capability and also European packaging legislation?  The Nortel pension situation is a given, but the conversation was wide-ranging.

 

Video streaming by Ustream

Lake 88 Interview

Submitted by John Hogg on Mon, 04/11/2011 - 19:01

Listen to me on today's Lake 88 In Focus Interview with Maureen Pegg.

TV Ad: It's Time. Vote Green.

Submitted by John Hogg on Sun, 04/10/2011 - 08:21

Both types of music

Submitted by John Hogg on Sun, 04/03/2011 - 22:05

Elwood: What kind of music do you usually have here?
Claire: Oh, we got both kinds. We got country and western.

That was my reaction to the article in the Ottawa Citizen today on the two military candidates running in Carleton–Mississippi Mills.  They bitterly disagree as to whether Canada should buy F-35 fighter aircraft (country) or some other fighter (western).  Here's what I wrote to the editor:

  Read more »

Voter Subsidies: Right Idea, Wrong Target

Submitted by John Hogg on Sun, 04/03/2011 - 21:54

Yesterday, Stephen Harper announced that he’ll ban per-vote subsidies to political parties if the Conservatives win a majority government.  Taxpayer contributions to political parties should certainly be carefully scrutinized.  But for a completely different reason. Read more »

Syndicate content
Site by Dave Bagler.