The pathetic nature of Liberal debate
This is bad news for Canada. I am not overly surprised. Whenever a potential superstar like Stephen Harper is beginning to emerge--and is looking to be a little teflon-coated like another PM who wasn't half bad for about 8 years--then it is not surprising, but it is bad news. Superstars need critics and opponents, however. Not opposition balley-hooers.
Please check the quote by the Honourable MP, Michael Ignatieff: "Beating Mr. Harper means defeating his narrative. The storyline: He loves power, but he dislikes government. He wants to make it impossible for future Liberal governments to do what they have done since Wilfrid Laurier: building the infrastructure, the health services, the income security, the transfers and equalization payments, the environmental policies that hold us together as Canadians."
To quote (I think) the Ben Stiller character from SNL's Celebrity Jeopardy, "Sometimes it helps to examine something if you just break...it...down." So let's.
First, Mr. Harper's storyline is that he loves power. Hmmm...loves power? Gave up his own leadership of the Canadian Alliance and put himself in a position to lose the leadership of the new Conservative Party. The power-monger! Hmmm....loves power? Continues to promise holding a free vote to repeal legislation that was won by abuse of power by the Liberal gov't on June 28, 2005. (Someone please remind the Honourable MP of Etobicoke-Lakeshore of his own party's recent history.)
Second, Mr. Harper dislikes gov't. Yet he has devoted the last twelve years of his life to public service. Hmmm.....perhaps he dislikes corrupt gov't. The dislike-monger!
Third, Mr. Harper wants to make it "impossible for future Liberal gov'ts to do what they've done since Wilfrid Laurier...." Let's just pause here and remark how vicious Stephen Harper is for campaigning for his own party! Someone please, please stop this man from campaigning for someone other than the Liberals! Please! But, we should continue... What has the Liberal party been doing since Wilfrid Laurier? Nothing less than developing the policies that have shaped what it means to be Canadian! Wow! Thanks for giving me my Canadian identity, Liberal policies--policies like unworkable health policies with waiting periods of years in some cases; non-existent and all mouth work environmental policies... Boy, thanks for that identity.
And then Ken Dryden reminded us all of why the CPC is now governing: "Today, we fight the Conservative government of Stephen Harper with its small, pinched understanding of the country." Hmmmm....Liberal policies have shaped Canadian identity says Ignatieff. Yet Harper is the leader of the party with the "small, pinched understanding of the country." I'll just let that irony speak for itself.
I suppose with those kinds of leadership candidates, you had better focus on condemning the leader of your opposition.
Please check the quote by the Honourable MP, Michael Ignatieff: "Beating Mr. Harper means defeating his narrative. The storyline: He loves power, but he dislikes government. He wants to make it impossible for future Liberal governments to do what they have done since Wilfrid Laurier: building the infrastructure, the health services, the income security, the transfers and equalization payments, the environmental policies that hold us together as Canadians."
To quote (I think) the Ben Stiller character from SNL's Celebrity Jeopardy, "Sometimes it helps to examine something if you just break...it...down." So let's.
First, Mr. Harper's storyline is that he loves power. Hmmm...loves power? Gave up his own leadership of the Canadian Alliance and put himself in a position to lose the leadership of the new Conservative Party. The power-monger! Hmmm....loves power? Continues to promise holding a free vote to repeal legislation that was won by abuse of power by the Liberal gov't on June 28, 2005. (Someone please remind the Honourable MP of Etobicoke-Lakeshore of his own party's recent history.)
Second, Mr. Harper dislikes gov't. Yet he has devoted the last twelve years of his life to public service. Hmmm.....perhaps he dislikes corrupt gov't. The dislike-monger!
Third, Mr. Harper wants to make it "impossible for future Liberal gov'ts to do what they've done since Wilfrid Laurier...." Let's just pause here and remark how vicious Stephen Harper is for campaigning for his own party! Someone please, please stop this man from campaigning for someone other than the Liberals! Please! But, we should continue... What has the Liberal party been doing since Wilfrid Laurier? Nothing less than developing the policies that have shaped what it means to be Canadian! Wow! Thanks for giving me my Canadian identity, Liberal policies--policies like unworkable health policies with waiting periods of years in some cases; non-existent and all mouth work environmental policies... Boy, thanks for that identity.
And then Ken Dryden reminded us all of why the CPC is now governing: "Today, we fight the Conservative government of Stephen Harper with its small, pinched understanding of the country." Hmmmm....Liberal policies have shaped Canadian identity says Ignatieff. Yet Harper is the leader of the party with the "small, pinched understanding of the country." I'll just let that irony speak for itself.
I suppose with those kinds of leadership candidates, you had better focus on condemning the leader of your opposition.
posted by Aaron Perry at
4:56 PM
6 Comments:
OF course, the wonderful irony of this all is that the best candidate for the Liberals actually supports major divisive Tory policies (Ignatieff on staying in Afghanistan, and leaving Kyoto).
And the front runner (who is not the best) created the conditions in Ontario for that wonderful premier, Mike "the Hammer" Harris. I speak of none other than Buffalo Bob Rae.
And then there's Joe "Where's your kid's piggy bank?" Volpe and Ken "Let me raise your kids" Dryden and Scott "I have awways been pwogwessive" Bwison for comic relief.
I love this.
Harper. In. For. Life. In Canada. I'm not making this up.
SGFMB
Nice post AP. I'm not as in love with Stevie "I have really bad taste in clothing" Harper as you are but I prefer him to the 11 running for the Liberal leadership. The best candidate (for any of the parties) has withdrawn his name from the pot months ago... Frank "I want all New Brunswickers on the end of a phone" McKenna... SGFMB...as you can see I like your style...especially "Scott 'I have awways been pwogwessive' Bwison for comic relief."
Cheers!
good to know that speaking to one's own party gives one the option of making unthoughtful statements.
in a way, it makes my profession a whole lot easier.
hey benson, i am not in love with harper. i was critical of the emerson and fortier action. i am not a fan of teflon natures. i was critical of him scrapping the public commission because he didn't get the guy he wanted--though the guy was a fine candidate. but i do have high hopes for him.
Maybe the Liberal leadership hopefuls have to resort to that kind of talk because all the best potential leaders in the party refused to run, eg Frank (which actually makes them even better suited for the job I think).
HEre's a quote from "pro-Kyoto" Iggy:
"I think our party has got into a mess on the environment," he said. "As a practical matter of politics, nobody knows what (Kyoto) is or what it commits us to.
"We think Kyoto has been an asset for us. It's actually been a huge political liability."
So, he's pro Kyoto, but he says no one understands it, says it's been a liability to the Liberal party, and says he's supportive of programs like biodiesel. On those three points of "support," he is indistinguishable from the current PM.
And just so we're clear, I like Iggy. And I think Kyoto needs more supporters like him!
SGFMB
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