Democratic Deficit by @Thorvald (El Thorvaldo)

"Yes, if a people wish to remain free, they must, like Argus, have a hundred eyes, and ever be on the watch. If they sleep, they become weak; each moment of indolence involves the loss of some portion of their rights. An eternal, unceasing vigilance is the price which must be paid for the inappreciable benefit of liberty."

 — Sir Wilfrid Laurier, "Lecture on Political Liberalism", 1877

Holy blap guys, Peter's in colour!!

Dedicated to a disturbingly common attitude that if you don't like the way the country's being run, you just gotta grin and bear it 'til voting day—a sentiment expressed by a retired foreign service worker, of all people. No doubt you've heard the old adage that apathy is the death of democracy; counteracting doesn't simply mean being an informed voter, it means holding the government to account all throughout its term. It means staying abreast of the issues. It means writing to your local representative every time you think there's something that needs addressing, either at the local, national, or international level. It means networking with like-minded activists, and if needs be, forming your own advocacy group. Yes, constitutional processes are designed to prevent the ruling party from rolling over every other week, but if the public isn't constantly needling the government, it inevitably grows complacent, strategizes policy from the top down, and only invests consequential energy in 'reaching out' to the electorate right before the election. The opposition's job is to challenge the ruling party in the house; it's the citizen's job to stoke the coals under the house floor. People that complain the parties don't listen aren't working the bellows.

Aptly enough given the header quotation, the flag in the foreground is modelled on the logo of the Conservative Party of Canada (and is in fact from an aborted IOT). You know how some sports fans devote themselves to teams that aren't even from their own country? I'm like that in politics—by which I mean I have a genuine loathing for Stephen Harper's government. I'm still astounded that the country once held synonymous with peacekeeping and international diplomacy has, in the space of nine years, turned into a velvet-gloved dictatorship—and the velvet has now almost completely sloughed off. There's a federal election this October; here's hoping the Canadian public turns the nation back into the America It's OK to Like, rather than bona-fide America Jr.

As for the picture itself, there are a few misproportions, I totally wussed out on proper camo patterning, and in retrospect I really should've thought of a better colour scheme... but for once I've almost managed a perfect transcription from mind to page.

[Originally submitted to DeviantArt September 2015.]