Personally, I am not a die-hard supporter of any political party.
Not Conservative. Not Liberal. Not NDP. Not Green. Not whatever new banner someone decides to wave next election cycle.
That is my choice, and frankly, I think more people should consider it.
I vote for the person. I vote for the candidate who is actually embedded in the community, who understands the people living there, who shows up when there is no camera, no campaign sign, no staged photo op, and no party leader standing behind them.
I vote for the person who seems to have the most to offer the riding — not the one with the loudest party machine, the sharpest attack ad, or the best social media team.
That is what politics should be.
It should be local. It should be practical. It should be boring, responsible, governmental work. Roads. Healthcare. Veterans. Housing. Taxes. Jobs. Safety. Schools. Infrastructure. Accountability. All the unglamorous things that actually affect people’s lives.
Instead, the internet has turned politics into a blood sport.
People no longer argue policy. They join teams.
They pick a colour, pick a leader, pick a slogan, and then spend the next four years defending absolutely everything their side does while attacking absolutely everything the other side does.
No thinking required. No honesty required. No consistency required.
Just team loyalty.
And that is how politics rots.
A bad idea from your side is still a bad idea. A good idea from the other side is still a good idea. Corruption does not become acceptable because your preferred party is doing it. Waste does not become smart spending because your team announced it. Broken promises do not become strategy because the right logo is on the podium.
But online, people act like admitting your side got something wrong is treason.
It is ridiculous.
We have turned public service into entertainment. We treat elections like sports playoffs. We treat politicians like celebrities. We treat disagreement like war. And then we wonder why the quality of leadership keeps dropping.
Good people avoid politics because who in their right mind wants to subject themselves and their family to the online sewer? Meanwhile, the loudest, nastiest, most shameless operators thrive in it.
That should worry everyone.
Government is not supposed to be exciting every day. It is not supposed to be a constant outrage machine. It is supposed to be serious people doing serious work, most of it boring, most of it technical, and most of it judged by results — not applause lines.
The internet has made too many people politically addicted. They wake up angry, scroll themselves into a rage, share the newest clip, meme, scandal, or half-truth, and then convince themselves they are informed.
But being angry all the time is not the same as being informed.
And being loyal to a party is not the same as being loyal to your country, your community, or your neighbours.
I have no issue with people having political beliefs. We all should. I have no issue with people leaning left, right, centre, or somewhere else entirely. That is democracy.
What I do have an issue with is blind loyalty.
The kind of loyalty where people excuse behaviour they would condemn if the other side did it. The kind of loyalty where facts no longer matter. The kind of loyalty where your party can ignore your community, fail your neighbours, insult your intelligence, and still count on your vote because they know you hate the other side more.
That is not democracy working.
That is democracy being farmed for anger.
My vote is not owned by any party. It has to be earned.
Earned by showing up. Earned by listening. Earned by knowing the community. Earned by being honest when things are hard. Earned by putting people ahead of party handlers and scripted nonsense.
That is how I choose to vote.
Not by the flag in the background. Not by the colour of the sign. Not by which leader can deliver the best insult. Not by which online mob is screaming the loudest that week.
I vote for the person who I believe will best represent the community.
That should not be controversial.
That should be the bare minimum.
The internet has turned politics into a blood sport, and once people start calling everyone Nazis, fascists, communists, traitors, or enemies, democracy gets stupid fast.