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Thursday, November 25, 2010
The Traitors and the Spendthrifts
A coalition of sorts:
The Bloc Québécois and the Harper government are rumoured to be engaged in a sensitive Pas de Deux that will likely see Québec City win federal funding for a new arena to host the NHL—with possible other victories for the Bloc—while the government wins unexpected support in crucial House votes.
The scenario could throw all current election speculation out the window and, combined with other events and timetables for next year, possibly set the stage for Prime Minister Stephen Harper (Calgary Southwest, Alta.) not only surviving through another budget next spring, but possibly for another year at least.
So, what was all the fuss about? Remember? Almost exactly two years ago when Stephan Dion, Jack Layton and Giles Duceppe planned their coup d'etat? Remember the outrage. Hell, I was outraged. But two years ago I was still willing to give the Harper Tories the benefit of the doubt. How young was I once? How many moons have passed? There is no reason to grant quarter now.
The Coalition horrors warned of by the Conservatives have come to pass, at the hands of the Conservatives themselves. They have spent like drunken Trudeau-era Grits. They have compromised their principles and told a key part of their base to stuff it. They have put patronage ahead of promise in their Senate appointments. Short of holding another referendum on national unity, they are as bad as what they claim to abhor.
It should then come as no surprise that Stephen the Spendthrift is rumoured to be in bed with Giles the Traitor. The deal at hand is classic pork-barrelling: Federal subsidies for an uneconomical Quebec City NHL arena. The region is the Tories only stronghold in La Belle Province, naturally a little electoral sweetener wouldn't go amiss. Tis' the season to be generous, with other people's money. The Bloc serve no function except as a pressure group for the Quebecois. Their tautological platform has only one plank: What is Good for Quebec is Good for Quebec. It's a deal made in political heaven, or hell for those who believe that principle should play a role in politics.
The much-abused Tory base remains loyal. The question is to what? To conservative values? Unlikely. Yes, the Tories have a minority government. That does limit what they can do. Lester Pearson also had two back to back minority governments, and he introduced sweeping changes to the country, albeit most of them bad.
Is the failure of the Harper Tories one of opportunity, or courage? And should the Conservatives at long last win their majority, what mandate will they have? They have governed from the center for so long, how can they justify governing from the RIght? Won't the rationale then become we can't take risks because we might lose the majority? So when will the Reform come? As time passes it becomes clear that many Conservatives' loyalty lies with Team Blue, not conservative ideas or values.
Posted by Richard Anderson on November 25, 2010 | Permalink
Comments
I think that the only thing that might get the Tories to finally govern from the right is an external shock, such as a deteriorating economy and a subsequent collapse in tax revenues, that will force them to finally put the brakes on their ludicrous vote-buying spree.
Economic collapse is not a desirable outcome in the least, but the overwhelmingly collectivist intellectual and political climate of this country is basically asking for it to happen. New Zealand, Greece, Spain and countless other nations have traveled down similar paths in the past and that was their reward.
Why must a nation court bankruptcy before it even begins to question the usefulness of central planning? Blind faith in the philosophy of altruism provides an answer.
Posted by: Dennis | 2010-11-25 8:48:21 AM
Dennis I agree with you but would add that the same situation would also be required for the entitlement mentality of the people to end. Politicians of all parties have become political whores all promising to give the voters what they want, knowing that honesty and reality in politics spell death to any hope of getting elected.
Posted by: Alain | 2010-11-25 11:54:20 AM
Perhaps Harper has come to the realization that there just isn't enough fiscal conservative non-entitlement corrupted voters in Canada to ever get a clean mandate and therefore he has evolved full circle to the Mulroney-level of Quebec deal making (corruption) to maintain power. IOW Canada's Conservative Groundhog Day.
Posted by: John Chittick | 2010-11-25 12:18:52 PM
Absolutely true, Alain. Ask the average Joe citizen which of his governmental benefits can be cut, and he will probably get indignant and admonish you to cut someone else's benefits instead. Usually, he will maintain that those "other people" are much less deserving of taxpayer funds than he is.
Posted by: Dennis | 2010-11-25 2:09:24 PM
When you look at the field of players it is getting harder to tell them apart. They all want to spend more than we have or can give them with little consideration given to the taxpayer.
That's what started the Tea Party movement in the USA and I think it's only a matter of time before we see the equivelant in Canada. Harper is still the best of the "big three" but he is morphing into Iggy and Jack. None of them understands the concept of living within our means. Just the power of taxation.
Posted by: peterj | 2010-11-27 7:02:14 PM
Of course, to bring good sense back to governance will include a massive shock, which will and should destroy the nanny state and permanently bankrupt the government. Then and only then can the setting be assured where Liberty will flourish unmolested by statist perverts and their pedophile fellow-travellers. And it will be Stephen Harper who will drive us over this edge. Completed lost to what true conservatism is, Harper has betrayed Liberty in the name of his own precious majority, which he is prepared to buy at any price. At the very least, the destruction of this perversion called Canada will happen at last. I certainly will rejoice at that outcome!
Posted by: AB Patriot | 2010-11-27 8:05:53 PM
There's nobody left to vote for. I strongly support the Bloc's desire to separate, but I can't vote for them even though I want to, I won't vote NDP as they are communist dictators in wolf's clothing and all they want is my paycheque, I can't vote Liberal as Cretin promised to ged rid uv duh GeehessTee and we still have it, and the conservatives, both Federal and Albertan are dictatorships hiding under the guise of democracy.
There is no one left to vote for, so nobody gets my $1.75 / vote.
Posted by: Del | 2010-11-28 9:15:09 PM
There is no one left to vote for, so nobody gets my $1.75 / vote.
Posted by: Del | 2010-11-28 9:15:09 PM
Although I totally agree with you, the biggest problem we have in this country is the apathy permeating the system at election time. When too many people endowed with common sense stay home rather than vote because they are sick of this perpetual shell game, then the activists on the fringe always seem to have enough clout to steer agendas in their direction and politicians seem to heed the noisiest rabble.
Maybe we need to get a lot angrier and write,email, phone and let them know we have had enough. The wingnuts are far better co-ordinated than the mainstream voters.
Posted by: peterj | 2010-11-29 12:06:53 AM
Publius, the speculative article you based your post on is now 2 weeks old. Meanwhile, in much more recent news the Mayor of Edmonton is smarting over the rejection of Fed financial support for a 2017 Expo bid.
It will be interesting to see how today's Fed & Quebec by-elections influence future speculations.
Ron
Posted by: Ron | 2010-11-29 2:49:24 PM
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