Walt's morning was brightened by a headline this headline in the Globe and Mail: Blue tide of conservatism washing away last of Europe's leftists. If it were only true.The article is illustrated by a Reuters photo of two Spanish election billboards, a blue one for the "centre-right" People's Party, and one for the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party -- naturally and obviously red.
Electoral maps of Formerly Great Britain are divided between the red Labour Party and the blue Conservatives. (The leftish Liberal Democrats are shown as yellow, and not without reason, but if I use yellow type you won't be able to read it.)
It's the same in Canada. You've got red Liberals (formerly known as the Natural Governing Party) and the blue Conservatives. (They're blue because they're usually out of power.) And it's the same in Formerly Great Britain.
Canada has a number of other parties, so uses a rainbow of other colours for the Green Party, the Bloc Québecois, and the New Democratic Party, although that last one should really be pink. And there are always a few independents.
And so it is throughout the word. Red = left/liberal. Blue = right/conservative. Except, of course, in the Excited States of America, where the Republicans are the Reds and the Democrats sing the Blues. How so? Are Americans dyslexic or is this just another example of American exceptionalism?
No matter. Walt has a red tie and a blue tie, so I'll choose whichever one is appropriate to my political mood and the country I happen to be in. I also have a club tie with alternating red and blue stripes, for the odd occasion when I can't make up my mind. [That would indeed be an odd occasion. Ed.]
No comments:
Post a Comment