Positive matter

While prominent members of the other major parties make waves with their shockingly thoughtless and/or tasteless writings, MurkyView notes that one of the NDP's star candidates is instead contributing meaningful and interesting content to the political sphere:

To be a responsible citizen in a world where nonrenewable fossil fuels are put to ever increasing and "ever faster track" depletion requires that ultimately citizens band together to demand reanalysis and redirection. We used to say that good citizenship requires literacy and that democracy requires a literate population. That remains true but it becomes obvious that to understand energy and environmental sustainability in this Modern Era now also requires a pervasive numeracy...

The essence of the energy and environmental policy dilemma is not whether we must change policy direction but rather how soon can we start. We must put practical renewable energy capacity in place. There are two reasons why we must insist that no more time should be wasted as has been wasted this entire past decade. Some may argue that almost half of world oil reserves are now depleted while optimists (forced or otherwise) may insist that almost half of ultimate reserves remain to be exploited.

They both happen to be right. That is not the point. Does it really matter so much if the cup is half full or half empty? The far, far more important thing we must do is to accept the real possibility that beyond a certain point, global capacity to produce will decline and fail to meet demand. Prices will soar as supply becomes erratic and undependable month to month. We will either be ready with a rational plan of practical alternatives (that are also non-greenhouse gas emitting) or we will witness a deterioration in environmental balances and sustainability, even while misery escalates in the face of decline in the production of the necessities of life.

(Emphasis in original.)

Reading Schreyer's piece, it's easy to understand the reason why Ignatieff once appeared to be a rising political star rather than a liability: it's tough to overstate the value of a candidate with both a strong vision and the ability to express that vision eloquently. But unlike Ignatieff, Schreyer offers both a vision that most Canadians can easily share, and a candidacy that isn't tainted by political interference. The only great danger for both him and the NDP is that any positive message might get lost amid media reports of campaign sniping...but if that happens, it won't be for lack of merit in Schreyer's writing.