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Monday, March 16, 2009

Harper's Red Populist Alliance

This past weekend I attended the Manning Centre Networking Conference in Ottawa.

That's the good news; the bad news is that while in Ottawa I was computerless.

Hence, I was unable to voice my outrage on this blog over the speech Prime Minister Stephen Harper recently delivered in which he basically threw libertarians and fiscal conservatives under the bus.

Imagine my frustration!

Even more frustrating was that I actually heard his speech in person.

Yet, although frustrated, I am not surprised. Not a bit. In fact, about a year ago, I wrote a column in the Globe and Mail basically predicting this sad turn of events.

In that column I stated Harper was intent on creating what I called the "Red Populist Nationalist Alliance."

I wrote, "it seems Mr. Harper is trying to unite Pierre Trudeau-style Liberals, Reform-style populists and Québécois-style nationalists under the Conservative Party banner."

And that's exactly what's happening. Harper's pathetic attack on Wall Street capitalists and free markets was simply a cynical attempt to woo both left wing voters and Reform-style populists.

Actually, on second thought, maybe I'm not outraged.

Just depressed.

As I wrote in my Globe piece, "there is room for everybody in Mr. Harper's Red Populist Nationalist Alliance – everybody, that is, but conservatives who believe in the equality of citizens and want more freedom and less government. Sadly, these Canadians no longer have a political home."

Posted by Gerry Nicholls on March 16, 2009 | Permalink

Comments

Several other threads qualify PMSH's speech as anti-libertarian but in fact it is anything other than conservative. Still I do not get caught up on labels since they almost never mean the same thing to different people. What I do hope for are politicians who are honest and ethical as opposed to those motivated by greed or lust for power. Of course one has to be inspired and motivated to enter politics, but it does not have to be the way it has become.

I am well aware that the Liberals, NDP, Greens are not an acceptable alternative, but the performance of the CPC is far from acceptable. The reneging on their promise to dismantle the gun registry, the silence and lack of any effective action concerning the Stalinist tribunals and their supporting legislation, the lack of any serious support of the traditional family and finally the increasing size of government and government spending. What this shows is that the desire to cling to power overrides honesty and principles. When our leaders have lost their way, it is a sure indication that we, as a people, have lost our way.

Posted by: Alain | 2009-03-16 8:15:08 PM


Posted by Gerry Nicholls on March 16, 2009

Did your computer run out of black ink?

Posted by: The Stig | 2009-03-16 8:20:34 PM


Don't vote. It only encourages them.

Posted by: Grant Brown | 2009-03-16 11:47:25 PM


Harper is a disgrace.

Posted by: Werner Patels | 2009-03-17 12:30:13 AM



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