The green optimists are starting

The other day we discovered some plants coming up in the front garden bed. Linda says they're hyacinths. Not that I would know. But the little hens and chicks I like are showing up as well. The weather forecast says it might snow on Saturday night. You go little plants.

This is what the front yard looks like. The back yard still has snow in it.

The great duplicate photo purge continues. I'm down a couple thousand in 2020, and I'm only up to May. I've made some notes about blocks of photos to go back to because there's some I wonder why I didn't edit them at the time. Overall, it's a much more soothing activity than reading the world news. I completely fail to understand why anyone believes anything Trump has to say.

Somewhat closer to home, the bleats about MP's crossing the floor to join the other party amuse me. Parties only complain when they lose people. Floor crossing is completely legitimate in our political system. Are floor crossers traitors, or opportunistic hacks, or showing they have the courage of their convictions?  My thinking is that if you view someone leaving your group as a traitor, you group is a cult.

Political parties exist to get legislation passed. Presumably that legislation benefits the people that support that party, or have broad social value. That doesn't mean the individual member agrees with everything or is a doormat. Sometimes they might have to hold their nose as they vote for one issue, knowing their caucus is supporting another issue near and dear to their own heart, while also knowing some of their colleagues might be holding their own nose. Sometimes the you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours is odious, but that's the way it works. There are some people that think of people who agree with them only 90% of the time as an enemy, rather than an ally, which is strange to me.

Even if we went to a proportional representation system, which I'm in favour of, that sort of deal making would still happen. The parties involved would more accurately represent the wishes of the electorate, and presumably the wishes of the elected representatives. It is a bit more complicated that first past the post, and kind of assumes grownups are the ones being elected, which lately does not seem to be a good assumption.

For more reading on politics and electoral math, and why the Alberta separatists are idiots, see here, or here, or here, or here. Lots of reading for you, bring a cup of coffee. 

Of the Day

Driftwood (NZ)

Driftwood (NB)

Film and 60 days ago or so.

Linda

Newfoundland

New Brunswick

Why ever didn't I publish this, and maybe I did

As a side note, I discovered that I have about 80 panorama photos that haven't been blogged, or so the tags (don't) say. Some I'm pretty sure have been blogged. Maybe they'll show up here, or in landscape for the next little while. Or maybe I'll create a new place for them.

Flower

Landscape