Hats On to the Poli's

Are you struck by the sameness of it all in this federal election? I know I am.

For years, Canada has been sliding comfortably toward absolute economic mediocrity, seemingly incapable of doing more than clipping the coupons of our natural wealth. Some creativity is sorely needed if we are to stop this slide.

And this system is topped by the same old politicians who dish out the same old bromides and can’t seem to raise a whit of inspiration.

This is revealed by the exciting election race going on in the US. Despite the celebrity trappings, there seems to be some creative thinking down there.

So I’m viewing this Canadian election through the lens of Edward DeBono’s famous decision making and creativity method, Six Thinking Hats.

White Hats are the data driven thinkers, Red Hats are intuitive, Black Hats are cautious and defensive, Yellow Hats are optimistic, Green Hats are creative, Blue Hats are all about process.

Here’s how the pols stack up in my books:

Conservatives: Black Hat. Stephen Harper emphasizes “steady leadership in tough economic times”. In other words, nothing. Tough economic times always provide a cover for the fact that you haven’t an iota of an idea.

Liberals: White Hat, leaning to Blue. Supposedly, Stephane Dion’s pollsters devised his Green Shift environmental plan to touch a feeling in “the people.” But it’s really just a limp taxation scheme.

NDP: Blue Hat. Jack Layton talks about “the kitchen table instead of the boardroom table.” Is this 1980? Sounds like a rehash of the same tired working man rhetoric they’ve been using for years.

Green Party: Green Hat. The Greens are the only party showing any kind of creativity. I’m not being cute. At least they’re forming half a plan to harness green thinking to create new industries and new futures. In other words, a semblance of a strategy. Not great, but a beginning.