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Monday, August 24, 2009
Iggy Plays Guitar
Above all a weak opposition. This is the great secret of successful and long-lived governments. No matter how good you are, the other guy has got to be worse. Politics is a game of perceived relative advantage. Lester Pearson was scarcely a knight on a white horse, but by 1963 the majority of Canadians - particularly in Ontario and Quebec - were convinced that Dief was slightly unhinged. Pierre Trudeau did not defeat Joe Clark in 1980. Clark, an otherwise decent and intelligent man, befuddled himself out of office, and then out of Stornaway. Having risen to power by shear energy and drive, he panicked himself into defeat. Like a gift from the mint for the Grits. Jean Chretien would have been a one term wonder if the Right had not been divided. If the Bloc did not exist Stephen Harper would probably have gotten his majority long ago. Looking across the House of Commons aisle these last few years must have been a heartening sight for the Prime Minister. 2008 was the year of Dion. The Liberals' answer to Joe Clark, with the exception that Clark was fluently bilingual.
Dion was leader because the Liberal Party couldn't decide who was more of a liability: The most unpopular Premier in Ontario history, or a man who has spent most of his adult life out of the country. Belatedly they decided upon The Visitor, as the Tories are trying to portray him. Yet during this two year interregnum, climaxed by the Grand Coalition, Stephane was such a gift. The 2008 campaign consisted of the Conservatives saying to the electorate: "No, but seriously. That guy? Prime Minister of Canada?" It worked beautifully. Iggy would change all that. He could speak both languages in an intelligible manner, he looked dignified - or as close as this is possible for modern politicians - he looks like a man who knows what he is talking about. He oozed charm and competence. The logical thing, it seemed, for the Grits was to put Mr Smart Guy in charge and let the Harper Tories defeat themselves. Heck, there was a massive economic crisis just about to break. Crises are very inconvenient for incumbents. The public blames them, despite the fact that the party in opposition would have done pretty much the same thing.
The Grits were counting on Harper's free market instincts to kick in - the Grits think he has them, sadly we know better - and squash any strong Keynesian medicine in the budget this past January. Fat chance. Having maneuvered the Conservative Party to within an order paper's width of the opposition's own views, one is left to wonder why bother throwing the bums out? The other bums would have done pretty much the same, as they were forced to admit during the budget debates. The usual Kabuki theater of minority parliaments aside, the Liberals have yet to explain to the electorate why they should govern. Canada is having a very good recession so far. The Tories have observed all the various orthodoxies of the conventional mixed economy. The Grits are left to haggle over details, like EI. Employment Insurance formulas are for bureaucrats and insomniacs. Whatever the general public has been able to shift through gives the impression of the Grits wanting to turn EI into an almost full fledged welfare program, as opposed to the pseudo-insurance scheme it is today. Only if the unemployment rate heads north of ten percent will EI become a genuine political issue. Now it's just background static. As is Iggy himself.
Posted by Richard Anderson on August 24, 2009 | Permalink
Comments
Don't forget that each candidate brings people with them. People with their own ideas which can influence the guy in charge. The ones behind Iggy are the same wealthy, privileged Ontarians who have caused so much havoc. Harper had his much-criticized "University of Calgary" bunch, much to the anger of the east and the disappointment of the west. So bear this in mind.
I'd rather have a disappointing Harper than the most successful Iggy administration because it can only harm Alberta. Imagine a second NEP or one Kyoto (same thing anyway!). He can take his Harvard educated hide someplace else.
Posted by: Zebulon Pike | 2009-08-24 8:34:19 AM
" Having maneuvered the Conservative Party to within an order paper's width of the opposition's own views, one is left to wonder why bother throwing the bums out? The other bums would have done pretty much the same, as they were forced to admit during the budget debates."
So, at what point do we realize that the system is broken? There isn't really a party out there anywhere that represents anybody. While these clowns play one-upmanship, we the people, are no longer even a consideration here in the land of the Nanny Welfare State....Glorious and Free
Posted by: The original JC | 2009-08-24 9:20:06 AM
Liberals lead Tories 36% to 33% Vancouverite - A majority (55%) ‘disagrees’ (28% strongly/27% somewhat) that ‘the Liberal Party is ready again to govern Canada’. However, 45% ‘agree’ (12% strongly/33% …
Conservatives jump to big lead in poll Reuters Canada Monday, Aug. 24, 2009 The impression that the economy was recovering from a recession helped propel the Conservatives to 39 percent support and cut the Liberals to 28 percent, the Ipsos Reid poll said.
so what spin do we believe here too?
Sems even the Polls, news media lies too..
"Canada’s Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper instead of governing properly now has spent the summer travelling across Canada trying to buy taxpayers’ money left and right ,in his case, mostly right, doing hypocritically something that while he was an opposition leader he condemned the governing Liberals for doing and said he would not do it, but now he is doing it as well. Harper counting that for all the money he’s liberally spending – about $23 billion in 63 days — voters will support him on election day. Harper calls it “stimulating the economy.” Pierre Trudeau used to call it “passing out the candies.” Same thing. Often it has been the very same thing. The $90 million Pitt Meadows Bridge in B.C. was first announced in 2005 as part of the Liberal government’s Pacific Gateway Strategy. Harper went there this month to re-announce it. He jumped up and down on the bridge to announce the same construction over again."
"Let’s face it: The stronger the Dippers and the more they eat into the Liberal vote, the greater the chances that Stephen Harper and his family will continue to enjoy their chef’s fine food and that great view overlooking the Ottawa River after the next election, notwithstanding the Conservatives being supported by a mere 36 per cent or so of Canadians. Plus he’ll have the power to name senators and judges and fly around the world in his own jet meeting interesting folks like Barack Obama, Sure, Mr. Harper will not achieve a majority Conservative government; as long as the Bloc remains strong in Québec, no party will. Still, being in power atop three successive minority governments has its rewards: unless he comes up with a new game plan, it’s looking less and likely that Michael Ignatieff will ever get the chance to show whether he can measure up to that standard "
Sad rge self centered Stephen Harper and the Conservative clearly, often do not care about the good welfare of anyone but themselves..
Thank God for the BQ, they serve a useful purpose after all, they do keep these really bad leaders from getting full power.
There are yes too many false sheep who worship those crooked leaders, shelpherds, pastors dressed in nice suits. Not trying to impress anyone, or showing off I next went to a new Calgary NW church dressed in my clean, regular daily clothes. I next too was surprised when no one said hello to me nor did they great me, and a few services later this continued to happen. So I prayed about it and to my surprise God said they were harlots, prostitutes. Embarrassed at this revelation I decided I would fully proof for myself this was true. So next Sunday I put on a white shirt, tie, nice black pants, and a white sports jacket and most everyone said hello to me. Incidentally the same thing happens to me on the bus as well.. Why? Also the very same pastor of this professing Christian church dressed there in a nice suit who also did not talk to me as well was next charged with abuse, slander, lying, misappropriation of church funds, and was eventually fired. Now these days when I see these peacock members, deacons, ushers strutting around church in their fancy suits trying to impress the others , it causes me to be sick to my stomach still. It would be better if they used the money rather to help the poor and needy in their own church.
Evangelical Prime Minister Stephen Harper now included.
Posted by: Ex Conservative | 2009-08-24 3:43:34 PM
Iggy had nothing to do with this as well. Stephen Harper once said he had no plans to stack the Senate with unelected representatives, suggesting it was "a dumping ground for the favoured cronies of the prime minister." Next when he's actually a prime minister, he's done exactly what he said he wouldn't do. Amd falsely Harper still blames the Liberals for his lies, poor acts, or whatever but clearly he Harper lacks and thus patronage and croneyism continues to rule the day in Canadian politics and taxpayers are still the big losers.
Posted by: Ex Conservative | 2009-08-28 6:04:54 AM
The Conservatives blame the Liberals for their patronistic hirings too? Alberta believes these lies...
Harper's patronistic hiring practices. It all has further fuelled opposition claims that the prime minister has abandoned election promises of transparency and merit-based public-service and judicial appointments. Harper has been invoking a long term war, campaign, and he has systematically hired, placed in the government key Conservative party supporters, organizers paid for by the Canadian taxpayers and RIGHTFULLY they must be all fired, removed, or at least take away all work from them and give them an empty desk, and you can ALSO rightfully start with Preston Manning now as well. Pigging out, living high on the hog, or patronistic hiring practices, getting drunk are clearly an unacceptable abuse. Stephen Harper once said he had no plans to stack the Senate with unelected representatives, suggesting it was “a dumping ground for the favoured cronies of the prime minister.” Next when he’s actually a prime minister, he’s done exactly what he said he wouldn’t do. And falsely Harper still blames the Liberals for his lies, poor acts, or whatever but clearly he Harper lacks integrity too and thus patronage and croneyism continues to rule the day in Canadian politics and taxpayers are still the big losers. Conservative supporters go along with Harper’s lies again too. He has declared to the Canadian public that he would not name unelected people to the Senate. … His word means less and less every day he’s in office. Like I have often said the truth and the news media confirms it, the new Conservatives clearly had lied when they had said elects us and we will show ourselves to be a better government, better than the others before us, but now instead they show us daily how big liars they are . Harper has yet to establish his promised Public Appointments Commission to set standards and criteria for cabinet nominations to federal posts. "He has done everything that he has criticized. I think the prime minister and his team should be well aware of the fact that there frankly isn't a single pledge they can make now or down the road that the Canadian public can take seriously."
I have often heard it said that most Canadians Canada wide now are still like fearful sheep they are too ready to be fleeced, sadly it also seems they must have ostrich genes in them for when you present negative truths they tend to often rather bury their heads in the sand as well it seems.. especially in in too many of the evangelical churches.. or the ostrich sheep in Alberta who also now too often seem to think no Conservative politician can ever do any wrong rather it has to be the other bad guys, you know the liberals, or the BQ separatists, the communist NDP… Ironically the wolves in sheep clothing exist Canada wide, in evangelical churches, political circles too now..
I USED TO BE NAÏVE ONCE AS TO WHAT GOES ON IN CHURCHES AND WHAT PASTORS CAN BE REALLY LIKE NOW TOO. ALSO WHAT POLITICS, JUDGES, LAWYERS, COPS, PROFESSIONALS CAN BE LIKE TOO.
I still would rightfully rather see pastor first live a sermon instead of too often now merely preach it to others and I really do think it is so farcical how some sinfully, proud evangelical pastors are ready to condemn others, to gossip about, to now preach about the other person’s sins but someone how they can’t seem to deal with their own false abuse of others, their own sins, and their own false pride. Sadly I have often been in bad Christian churches where the clearly crooked pastor to turn off attention off himself would bash some other churches, some other denominations and some other persons, but all that bashing of his now did not still deny his own sins and his own wrong doings though now. The Bad preacher are not the only ones who can preach about other people’s sins and demand others to repent, so can I, bad pastors now included and I rightfully do often as well.
One of the things I have found so confounding is how many evangelical preachers now also can be filled with both truths and lies, falsehood, errors. I was passing through the city of Chicago on the way to Winnipeg and I had decided to stop in a Fundamental church, that I had read about in Christians magazines, books now too, this Church had regular Sunday services casting out demons out of Christians too. I was dismayed to hear the preacher at a Sunday morning service also preach that the Russians had an army of tanks on the US border in Canada ready too invade the US, and most people there had next accepted this as the truth. Funny or sad how so many people seem to be ready to believe gross lies over the truth, reality from their leaders now even in churches as well. For certainty I next saw no Russians tanks at the Canadian border when I drove on to Calgary Alberta as well.
Posted by: Yahoos | 2009-08-31 12:43:26 AM
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