Are you getting dizzy? Stephen Harper is trying desperately to save his job and he's intent on doing it with nothing more powerful than political spin.
He's telling you that the coalition is outrageous and detrimental to national unity. He's telling you that the Liberals and NDP have abandoned Canada. Nevermind that the Bloc isn't a full member of the coalition (they've merely agreed not to bring down a coalition government). Nevermind that in 2004 Stephen Harper was actively trying to broker a coalition with the Bloc to replace Paul Martin's government.
He's trying to tell you that the coalition is disrupting Parliament and that he wants to keep working to move Canada forward. Nevermind that he's asked the Governor General to shut down Parliament until the end of January.
If a coalition between the Conservatives and the Bloc is good for Canada, why is a coalition between the Liberals, the NDP and the Bloc bad for Canada? If Harper wants Parliament to work for Canada, why has he shut it down?
Harper caused this turmoil by losing the confidence of the House. He showed the inability or unwillingness to support Canadians. He even tried to destroy democracy in Canada! He tried to pull the funding of political parties in Canada knowing fully that this would bankrupt his competitors leaving him to run alone in the next election (which he likely would have called in 2009) . A one-party election is not a democracy. That was Harper's hope and all other members of the House of Commons recognized this as an assault on democracy akin to Germany's Enabling Act.
On another note, shame on the Governor General. She has virtually guaranteed that Canadians will weather the global economic storm without help from their own government. She has essentially left Canada without a government. How can Harper justify spending Canadians' money knowing full well that he has no legitimate claim to the Prime Ministership? He knows his government is walking dead. The Governor General has hung Canadians out to dry. She's simply delayed the inevitable and given a dead government another few weeks of air.
The Governor General, knowing that Harper does not have the confidence of the House, should have refused his request for prorogation and allowed Canada's elected officials to lead Canada through the economic maelstrom. Stephen Harper has lost the support of Canada's elected officials and, with the help of an unelected official, is stopping our representatives from representing us.
I've never trusted Stephen Harper. I've long known his only goal was power, but I never thought he'd take it so far as to shackle our elected representatives. And he did it with the assistance of a witless neophyte out of place in her job.
Did I wake up in Haiti?
Hmmm... you say that Harper's only goal was power.
ReplyDeleteWhat exactly is Dion's goal? It certainly can't be to help Canada, since he's already decided to walk away and step down.
This is a naked power-grab if I ever saw one.
I'll raise the white flag if the coalition agrees, should they form a government, to seek the approval of the voters.
However, I suspect that you will say No to this idea.
I can only suspect it is because the voters will surely render a negative verdict on this Unholy Triumvirate.
Harper did not actively seek to replace Martin and form a coalition; to read that into the letter to the G-G shows you can't read or understand basic English. He simply and clearly said that she should consult with the Opposition (which you acknowledged she is constitutionally bound to do). There was no coalition agreement, so the point is mute.
Liberals don't want to talk about hypothetical situations, but clearly aren't above acting on them.
You can bash the Martin-appointed G-G all you want, but this is probaly the best thing for the Liberal Party. Dion is a washed-up leader with no party to lead. Had the coalition formed a government, it would have spelled the end of the party in Quebec (whatever remains, anyway) and in the West. I know you hate the West anyway so perhaps you don't care too much about that point.
Also, this coalition firmly plants the Grits on the left of the political spectrum. When Broadbent says his dream of having a "socialist government" in Canada has been realized, he's not just talking about the NDP; he's including the Liberals in there as well.
What ever happened to being the sensible party of the center?
Can't govern from the center when you're reliant upon the socialists and the separatists. In fact, they would have more power in the government than the Liberals do (imagine - a minority coalition government with the PM representing the minority party of the minority coalition - that is just weak!)
Oh, and one other thing I wanted to ask you.
ReplyDeleteCan you just come out and say what is really on your mind?
You hate Harper, you hate the Tories and you despise everything and anything these two group stand for?
It would really clear the air for me.
I recently read a book entitled "Whose War Is It?" by J.L. Granatstein. While the author spreads the criticism fairly evenly, he does applaud some Harper policies that I really like. Harper, in his first successful election campaign, promised to bolster Canada's presence in the Arctic via new ports and upgraded/new ships to patrol the region. This and other foreign policy options he's chosen should be continued and potentially expanded on by the coalition government (sadly, they likely won't be). Further, he's stood up to Quebec without (until recently) insulting and alienating them (unfortunately, since the coalition was created, Harper has done nothing but push the separatists closer to the brink).
ReplyDeleteSo, do I hate Stephen Harper? I don't know him personally, but if you require a yes or no answer, I'd have to say yes. I think the majority of what he's done is wrong. I think he's standing in the way of democracy. I think he's protecting Albertan interests before Canada's. I think he has shown an extreme anti-Ontario bias. I think he's chosen not to be proactive in protecting the economy. I think he's repeatedly pushed the environment aside. In general, he's jeopardized Canada's future for either ideology or power.
Thank you for acknowledging your hatred for Stephen Harper. It goes a long way in understanding the positions you take and the rationale for them.
ReplyDeleteI may not agree with Dion or any of the Liberal or NDP leaders, but at least I can say I respect them.
I think that is the dramatic difference between the typical "Tory Supporter" and the typical "Liberal" or "NDP" Supporter. The Liberals and the NDP simply hate the Tories and Stephen Harper and believe they are morally right to do anything that will take him down.
I think that says alot more about the Liberals/NDP then it does about the Tories.
Your writings belie your claim that you respect Dion.
ReplyDelete