Still a hewer of wood

I once was introduced to Arthur Lower, one of the more prominent Canadian historians of the first half of the 20th Century.  He was long retired but meeting him was a moment akin to today's junior hockey player being introduced to, say, Bobby Orr - someone you knew of as a big name but never imagined encountering directly.
One Lower work I admired was Great Britain's Woodyard, which I found an engrossing explication of how the British North American colonies failed to benefit from the sudden emergence of a new major industry - forestry.  The boom was precipitated largely by the French Revolutionary, and more particularly, the Napoleonic Wars, in Europe.  Britain at the time, still largely in the thrall of mercantilist economic theory, insisted that BNA export only primary product, squared timber for the most part.  Proto-Canadians had seasonal jobs in the bush, but capital accumulation occurred in the United Kingdom and the United States. [Americans owned some of the forestry companies.]
So it was a sobering deja vu when I read a recent article about increasing Canadian lumber sales to China.  A full two centuries later, and there they were - squared timber and rough logs arriving in China. 

How little we have learned.  How colonial we remain.

Perspective vs Truth

     A friend recently commented; "What I am learning in politics is to deal with the truth and not get sidetracked by others perspective."  However, in politics, one's perspective is one's truth.  Therefore, the politician needs to manage / shape perspectives, not avoid or ignore them.  
     Sometimes politicians seem tone deaf as to the perspectives they are enabling. For example, in the 2008 Canadian Federal Election campaign, Stephen Harper may well have lost the opportunity for a majority by an unnecessary characterization of those favouring funding for the arts: 
"I think when ordinary working people come home, turn on the TV and see a gala of a bunch of people at, you know, a rich gala all subsidized by taxpayers, claiming their subsidies aren't high enough, when they know those subsidies have actually gone up – I'm not sure that's something that resonates with ordinary people," Harper said in Saskatoon, where he was campaigning for the Oct. 14 election." - quoted in Toronto Star, 24 SEP 2008
     The strong reaction to this comment fuelled a perspective that saw Harper and the Conservatives as harbouring regressive "red-neck" views. Most pundits opined that the comment was decisive to losing support in Quebec and in urban seats, both areas where the Conservatives needed to gain support. On the other hand, those who may have agreed with Harper's comments were already Conservative supporters.
     In the current 2011 campaign, Harper is again ignoring perceptions.  His limiting of questions from the media, a symptom of a generally testy attitude toward the media, and to questioning of him in general, can easily be spun to the perception of his being authoritarian and given to political gamesmanship.
     This attitude was nicely captured in a comment tweeted by political reporter Kady O'Malley
It hit me earlier today, actually: so far, Stephen Harper isn't so much campaigning as acting like a guy locked out of his office. @kady 31 MAR 2011     Such an attitude will lose Harper an obvious opportunity to finally achieve a majority.  The opportunity for such a majority was virtually guaranteed.  Canadians have tired of the uncertainties of a minority government.  The opposition parties have failed to excite Canadians as providing any fresh alternatives.  It was ripe for Harper and the Conservatives to win.  And yet, there is a perspective out there that may well deliver to Harper an unwelcome truth - an election that produces another minority.