The Conservatives have been receiving a lot of heat on Facebook. The links appearing in my feed have unanimously been ABC and I don’t think this is because I don’t know anyone who supports the ideological positions of the Conservatives. Instead, it is because they have made themselves closed off and acted holier than thou, which to most of us is extremely off putting.
If Harper’s Conservatives want to act above us and refuse to take our comments, questions and criticisms then we will feel shut out and unwelcome. That the Conservatives have disabled the comment option on their Youtube channel should be upsetting to all Canadians regardless of party affiliation or where the CBC vote compass has placed them. If I can’t engage with a political party — and yes social media and Youtube are the place where I am most likely to do this — then a party can’t respond to my needs or views.
Their fear of criticism may come from either smug arrogance, deep insecurity or because they have something to hide. The Harper Conservatives are not coming into this election after having had a majority, even though they seem to act otherwise. Maybe there wouldn’t be so ABC videos, blogs, memes and websites if people felt that they were included or represented by the Conservatives. Until the Conservatives value and welcome input from outsiders they will be alienating to voters and hurting Canadian democracy.