Open Mic Night for Activists

That's how I describe what goes down at a typical political protest in Charlottetown. Leo Broderick gets out his speed dial and calls up whoever wants to come, and each person comes up and gives their five minute speech about their pet cause to an assemblage smaller than the lunch line at Dairy Queen, someone shouts "Shame! Shame!", a couple of false starts at a protest chant, then everyone disperses becaue it's getting a little chilly.

That's how the little gettogether went down in front of the Stephen Harper dinner at the Delta this evening which I came across while walking the dog. I stayed and chatted with a few people and it wasn't unpleasant. But it's not effective, doesn't change anyone's minds, doesn't attract like-minded but non-activist support, and no one involved has aany notion of adjusting their message or tactics to remedy this.

On another note, though this was a protest against Stephen Harper, all of the issues people brought up, i.e., poverty, troops in Afghanistan, the lack of a proper early childhood care program, are all thanks to the Liberals.