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Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Ezra's Dion-Chretien-China column
I know I'm running afoul of blog etiquette with two consecutive posts, but I would be remiss not to highlight - by itself - the terrific column by the esteemed publisher on the Liberal Party's new leader and its history of coziness with Communist China (fifth item - Enlightened Comment of the Day).
Posted by D.J. McGuire on December 26, 2006 in Canadian Politics, International Affairs | Permalink
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Comments
I think it safe to say that Chretien, through Dion will be at the very least running part of the show should they get elected [the majority of the Lib Lackeys/MP's making up the cheering section or peanut gallery] as I prefer to call them.
Yes its true that Dion hasn't mastered his english very competently and that alone should make him suspect of the job of PM.
No don't give me any PC crap about this call,cause it won't wash. Officially bilingual or not, the vast majority of Canada is english speaking so you gotta have that one down pat.
I don't believe that we've seen the last of 'Da Little Guy'and smart Canadians would do well to look at it in that light.
D J
And though it may be seen as running afoul of blog etiquette it probably isn't due to it being a slow day.
Cheers Simon
Posted by: Simon | 2006-12-26 1:40:07 PM
That's a standout column, made me say "Yes!" after ever line. Ezra throws straight punches and speaks the truth, instead of dissolving moral and ethical considerations in the minutiae of self-importance and social networking. Ezra's approach is so...so...unCanadian.
No, wait, I wasn't looking back far enough...
I used to quip, whenever someone spoke an uncomfortable but glaring truth, "well, *someone's* gotta do it." But after the Libmedia years I realize it's demonstrably not the case; we seem to have reached a national concensus that it would be rude, or threatening to the existence of our nation, to comment on openly performed events in the bebe.
It's great to see Ezra Henry-Armstrong-Levant applying the Blalock Special on some of the more insufferably hypocritical captains of our embedded ruling class.
Posted by: EBD | 2006-12-26 2:22:50 PM
Who in their right mind could hand the reins of power over to the likes of Dion with Chretien right on his ass to pull strings and he's only just been given the leadership of the Libranos. It looks too much like a set up to believe otherwise.
Who in their right mind are going to support a pussycat like Dion being fed by and led by the petit Gar from Shawinigan behind the curtain?
Let's hope the people of Canada have more on the ball than to buy into such a plot schemed up by a pack of weasels who laid the groundwork to enable the worst corruption scandal this country has ever known.
Posted by: Liz J | 2006-12-26 5:56:59 PM
There is no question Chretien and Goldenburg Hi-Jacked the Liberal Convention for their Clone
Dion. But in my opinion Dion is not exactly bad news for PM Stephen Harper. Dion will prove to be no match for Harper in the House of Commons, and the arrogance of the Chretien crowd behind Dion wll do him in, since both the Martin and Chretien camps have consistently underestimated Harper. The hidden factor is the fact that many, many long time Liberals are as mad as hell, because the majority,
(over 86%) supported Ignatieff. Remember that both Chretien and Martin Hi-Jacked their leadership of the Liberal Party, which ultimately resulted in Harper's great victory for conservative Canadians.
MacLeod
Posted by: Jack Macleod | 2006-12-27 5:37:13 AM
I've often asked the question "How does le p'tit gars de Shawinigan, small-town lawyer, latterly Canada's PM, become a multi-millionaire?"
It becomes clear that under normal circumstances it couldn't happen.
So what's abnormal here?
First, Power Corportation, run by Jean Chretien's father- and son-in-law and then Total Fina Elf (the real reason the Liberals refused to join the U.S. in Iraq: bad for the Desmarais/Chretien family profits), then throw Mo Strong into the mix, with his entaglements at the U.N., in Korea, and now in China, and a rather "interesting" picture begins to emerge.
I'm afraid when I see Jean Chretien, all I see is a well-dressed thug. And now he's got the nerve to hi-jack the Librano Leadership Convention, with the Chinese Ambassador brazenly in tow, while he slags Prime Minister Stephen Harper for his courageous stand on human rights while he was in China.
Cretin's clear siding with big $$$ and even bigger human rights violations on the part of the Chinese government, for his own family's monetary benefit, is breathtakingly appalling, and it's a wonder that most Canadians can't/don't see through it.
Except, of course, the CBC, CTV,the Probe and Fail, and the TorStar aren't couching the Cretin/Librano shenanigans in these terms. Except for the blogoshphere, who would have known that the Chinese ambassador was at the crown-Chretien's-successor convention?
I'm clear that Prime Minister Stephen Harper can outsmart "little Dion," but what I'm not clear about is whether or not the Canadian public cares. We seem to be sleepwalking to the left/lib Pied Piper. I just hope that PMSH and the CPC have time enough in power to make it abundantly clear that they're a force to be reckoned with and that, given a choice, Canadians' only way to go in the next election is with the CPC--if they want principled, honest, and transparent governance, not the scam- and scandal-ridden dog's breakfast the Librano$ served up, and will again, if they're re-elected.
G*d spare us that.
Posted by: 'been around the block | 2006-12-27 7:46:57 AM
I think the "real" Dion was revealed in the early comments he made after being chosen leader, and before the spin-doctors could take him aside. As best that I can remember ... re Afghanistan, he was going to monitor the number of deaths, and act accordingly. Re Justice he slammed Harper for wanting to put juveniles in jail. Is it asking too much for some enterprising reporter to throw these comments back at him, and ask for elaboration ?
Posted by: Calgary Junkie | 2006-12-27 7:55:07 AM
It appears clear that the Opposition Strategy is focused on defeating the Harper Government is the
Military Exercise in Afghanistan predicated by the assumption that the Canadian electorate are not ready nor able to accept the costs in lives lost and injuries sustained. Journalist Peter Worthington summed up the strategy without defining it precisley,
but it is clearly defined in Toronto and Ottawa based media. The showcase Military Funerals are played for maximum negative effect by both CTV and the CBC. Dion is incapable of defining or directing
a strategy. That is generated by the power block around Chretien (and to a lesser extent Martin)
both abject failures as Prime Ministers, but the fly in the ointment maybe the very angry Ignatieff supporters who are the power brokers in Ontario from the Trudeau era, and know that in fact they were scuppered by dirty tricks. These are the Liberals who may decide to terminate the somewhat naive Dion (which is actually what I expect to happen)
(foregiveness is not part of the Liberal Party's game plan) MacLeod
Posted by: Jack Macleod | 2006-12-27 8:56:05 AM
Given the medias hostility towards PMSH, we should work out a campaign trying to by-pass the medias. How is a good question. But it is supremely important that we get together and give a clear majority to Stephen Harper.
We should start working right now on how to convey true information to the voters. For Afghanistan, we have to underline the consequences of our departure and what would happen to women and children there. And recall how it was like in 2001 there.
I would like a movie made on the condition of women and children in 2001. Who could undertake such a project? It could be made also into DVD and sold to the general public.
Posted by: Rémi Houle | 2006-12-27 9:26:20 AM
Good column by Ezra ...needed to call attention to the fact China is still democratically and ethically unevolved to have as a business partner.We can never forget they are an unprincipled competator.
I'm surprised Ezra missed the obvious reason for Chretien's (and all ex Powercor employes who cycle through the PMO)Pro China business agenda and weak human rights optics in the same policy....Other WS contributors like Kevin Steel have made the connection between Powercor it's PMs and their foreign policy favoring investment where Powercor is heavily invested.
Given that a large block of Powercor capital is working in China with Moe Strong as the deal broker and given that the last Librano PMs were deeply involved in Powercor though investment, business ties and family, it is understandable that they would promote Canada-China business in foreign policy...it may be collusionist and ignorant of human rights atrocities but it is understandable.
Chretien's China policy is like his Iraq policy, a product of Liberal corporate cronyism. Seing how Dion owes much to Chretien for putting him where he is and the fact he will still be surrounded by Powercor patrons in his caucus, I think it's safe to say he will tow the open for business line with China regardless...it is telling that he is so pro Kyoto as this is a prime policy developed by his pal Moe Strong to disadvantage North American productivity with punishing carbon taxation that China will escape.It is a key plank in giving Chinese industrialization a competative advantage and if you are invested in China or your boss is you will want Kyoto on line doing its job of stiffling the competition in NA and Europe.
You can always get liberals to flock like geese to any hair brained insider policy if you paint it as being something America would not like and I suspect he will do this with a repackaged version of Kyoto and Chretien's China policy.
Posted by: Wlyonmackenzie | 2006-12-27 9:33:20 AM
Only Liberals could have the ability to sidestep China's severely challenged ethical standards and human rights abuses,to do business and sing their praises as a great trading "partner". The Liberal moral compass is set just right to do so.
Mo Strong, Chretien, Martin and a cabal of hustlers and like minded hangers on are well entrenched in dealings with China and it isn't all about Canada. How else could they be so passionate if personal gain were not involved?
Posted by: Liz J | 2006-12-27 10:09:43 AM
Neither Strong nor Chretien are skilled enough as negotiators to out manoueuvre highly skilled and
mercenary Chinese bureaucrats and political flunkies
whose game plans are put in place by Veteran Communists, most Veterans of the Civil War and vicious confrontations in China, which make both Canadians look like a couple of Quebec high school
hockey players. Plus the fact that Canadian voters and Canadian media know virtually nothing about the Power Corporation nor the assimilation of "Carbon Credits" which they would identify with a long term electrical storage battery. Playing gamesmenship in the PRC is not like playing Politicals with a gathering of ignorant Liberal delegates in Muslim dominated Montreal. MacLeod
Posted by: Jack MacLeod | 2006-12-27 10:14:59 AM
The Chinese Bureaucrats seemed aware they would not be able to manipulate Harper, thus we witnessed their hissy fits and the resultant outcry from the usual patsies, Chretien et al.
Posted by: Liz J | 2006-12-27 11:35:30 AM
Agreed I was particularly impressed with PM Harper in China. It appears to me, (with no actual personal knowledge however) that the Chinese are impressed with toughness. Have watched Harper in action however and he is impressive, no question who has the floor when Stephen Harper is operational, Premier Danny Williams NF and LAB (Rhodes Scholar
and top flight lawyer would agree I'm sure).
MacLeod
Posted by: Jack MacLeod | 2006-12-27 12:11:32 PM
I'd bet Danny Williams has more than a bit of respect for Harper!
The MSM were hunkered down for a big shaggy dog story on the Harper/China "event"but it soon fizzled.
The most sickening and less reported and ragged on about was the presence of the Chinese Ambassador at the convention, invited to hear Chretien's "speech"by Chretien himself! It's even more galling since we equate Ambassadors with non-partisan diplomacy.
They know who they can manipulate and who is still the puppeteer in the Liberal Parti du Canada, it's their only hope at this point.
Posted by: Liz J | 2006-12-27 1:50:32 PM
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