DO WE NEED A MINISTRY OF COMMON SENSE?

DO WE NEED A MINISTRY OF COMMON SENSE?

I was recently reading about the “government” of North Korean Dictator Kim Jong-un and discovered that his 30 year old sister has begun to assume a very visible role in his regime. Kim Yo-jong has been assigned to be director of the party’s propaganda and agitation department. I instantly fell in love with the title, “Ministry of Propaganda and Agitation.” It has a very intriguing ring to it and sure beats an assignment to be the Minister of Agriculture! 

First of all, I wondered if the new department had been formulated before or after Kim met with Donald Trump in Singapore. Apparently, Kim developed the department and it seems to me that Trump, unofficially and quickly, adopted it for his own use. Although the USA does not have a formal ministry, it has certainly been known to use information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view. I think that is the Webster definition of propaganda. 

And agitation seems to be a fundamental Trump technique to stir up the masses whether the topic is immigration, taxes, the Mexican wall, the economy or another of the failings of the Obama administration. I find it rare not to experience an immediate sense of irritation when I see Trump wearing his ridiculous red baseball hat with his suit and tie. In fact, he himself is a one man agitation department.

I wondered if the Canadian government had any ministries that might replicate the Propaganda and Agitation one of Kim Jong-un. I am pleased to report that we do not have a Canadian counterpart, but we do have some rather unique and possibly unnecessary ministries (in my opinion). For example we have a Ministry of:

• Intergovernmental Affairs and Youth - a rather strange pairing of portfolios, kind of like serving broccoli and chocolate.
• Agriculture and Agri-Food - Agri-Food?
• Crown-Indigenous Relations - a squeaky wheel development?
• Sport and Persons with Disabilities - another pairing of convenience or ?
• Science and Sport - would there not be some confusion with the the ministry above?
• Democratic Institutions - not sure what this ministry does.
• Border Security and Organized Crime - what if the organized crime does not cross a border? Does it matter or are the two issues unrelated?
• Seniors - I love the idea, but what is their mandate?

There are 27 other ministries that are more traditional, but the above examples just caught my eye as being rather unique or unusual. There does not appear to be any department that specializes in propaganda and agitation which leads me to two possible conclusions. Either, there is no propaganda nor agitation allowed by our esteemed Prime Minister or it is so pervasive and culturally engrained in our governmental model that ALL ministries practise both of them.

I would like to propose one new ministry that would oversee all of the other 35 - namely a Ministry of Common Sense. Do you think it would ever work?