The pettiness of the Harper political machine has finally pushed the opposition parties to push back – and really, really hard. Harper’s ill-conceived, idiotic and ideologically focused “Fiscal Update” (Harper’s FU Canada Statement) was lacking in service of the common good and was oblivious to the rapidly deteriorating fiscal reality of the country.
Harper is now running away from his FU Canada Statement so fast and farcically that he could be accused of rehearsing for a Monty Python sketch. He has already ditched all but one of his FU Canada Statement pronouncements, namely his suspension of the rights for women to use Human Rights processes to achieve pay equity. That is likely to be withdrawn soon.
He has withdrawn his draconian idea of legislating away the right to strike for public servants. He has retreated on his goal of bankrupting the opposition political parties through withdrawing the vote subsidy provisions. Now he says he will push up the budget speech up to the end of January from late March. That hardly shows a renewed sense of urgency.
Harper’s retreat has not been motivated by any commitment to principles of good governance. He is merely trying and stop momentum behind the Liberal-NDP coalition planning. His retreat and political messaging is having the exact opposite effect and only seems to invigorate the coalition parties.
Harper has been allowed to bully, belittle and browbeat opposition politicians, especially Stephane Dion, for over two years. Harper got away with it because the Liberals were not ready to fight another election after changing leaders and polls showed Canadians did not want another election.
Canadians wanted Harper to use his 2006 minority victory as a chance to show that he could govern and use his first minority parliament for the common good. Instead Harper used his offices to serve his own lust for personal political power. What we got was trite tax cuts like the GST and debased childcare subsidies. He mastered the dark arts of misleading messaging and political trickery.
Harper has proven that he has no respect for Parliament and he has even less respect for the rule of law. Harper’s own law for fixed election dates passed unanimously in Parliament. It was immediately ignored by Harper’s quick election call. He “justified” the early election by ironically claiming that Parliament was dysfunctional – even at a time when it wasn’t even sitting. Well Parliament is sitting now and it is very dysfunctional now, all thanks to Stephen Harper.
It is obvious that the opposition parties have had enough of Stephen Harper. The country is entering into the worst economic crisis in our history. Harper is not only dithering about his duty to govern, he continues to be politically diabolical and ideological - as his recent FU Canada statement proves, yet again.
So there is going to be a coalition formed between the Liberals and the NDP with some passive but sufficient support from the Bloc. They intend to form a government by defeating Harper on a non-confidence motion and offering the Governor General a viable alternative, without the need for an election.
Harper has tactically delayed the timing of the Liberal’s non-confidence motion from December 1st to the 8th. That has not bought Harper any useful time to try and retain power. It has just given the coalition parties more time to design the coalition partnership, plan for the next Parliament and to develop new policies that are for the good of the country.
Harper has outlived his usefulness to the country and he has overplayed his political hand. He is all tactics and strategy. He has shown that he has no substance and no intention of acting decisively or with alacrity to manage the growing and accelerating economic crisis facing the country.
I hope and expect we will have a new coalition government to replace the hapless and feckless Harper Party by midmonth. It will be neither left nor right but will be progressive and forward looking. It will be focused on how to best respond to the current economic crisis, to deal with climate change and do what needs to be done to support the growing number of vulnerable citizens who are going to bear the brunt of this recession.
As for soon-to-be “former Prime Minister Harper,” I hope to be able to say very soon, and with great zeal, “So long Steve. Your 35 months of fame are over.”
I, for one, will be cracking open a bottle of bubbly when Harper resigns.
ReplyDeleteI've always believed that if Harper was put on the defensive, he would prove to be his own worst enemy. Duceppe did just that during the election, and Harper lost big in Quebec. Now this newest move has him lashing out desperately.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile,
Pierre Poilievre just made a total ass of himself on CBC Newsworld. The desperate conservatives have released "news" regarding an NDP caucus meeting that they were invited to listen in on. Oh the scandal? That the Bloc (or should I say SEPARATISTS) and NDP have been conducting "secret shady meetings"to reverse the election results in their quest for a MASSIVE power grab.
I sure hope it was caught on YouTube because it is so over the top you can't help but laugh. What a weasel.
Also go vote for coalition:
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/
"Harper has been allowed to bully, belittle and browbeat opposition politicians, especially Stephane Dion, for over two years. "
ReplyDeleteSTEPHANE DION allowed this to happen. You need to take responsibility for imcompetent leadership.
The Liberals and NDP may be tired of dealing with the Conservatives but Canadians have increased the Conservative seat count. To ignore that fact and use an insignificant fiscal update as a partisan rationalization for a coup d'etat would be foolish. This "deal" would link the Liberals and BQ for years. Good thinkin'...hyuk.
Nice try anon @ 3:00 - Now Harper has his people eavesdropping on another party's caucus meeting conference call, taping it and releasing selected elements to the meida. Classy act these Harper guys.
ReplyDeleteWhen the Alberta EUB intervened in conference calls of ordinary citizens on transmission line hearings heads rolled and the regulator was split in two and the leadership compeletely overhaulded. Harper should take a lesson from Premier Stelmach in that regard.
During the last federal election the Harper Cons War room had a revolving door of folks resigning for innappropriate comments. I am not surprised the ethics in this group are still situational. If you can get away with something seems to be the only morla test they abide.
This behaviour by the Harper Party is so reprehensible and contrary to our system of governance and democracy and the core values of Canadians. harper better fire some folks and roll some fat heads over this. If not he should consider quitting politics himself. His character is flawed but to ignore this would be evidence of a fatal flaw for is suitability to govern. He could still lead the Cons I expect because they would see all this as just part of the political games they line to play.
What is next from Harper, illegal wiretaps, seach and seizure and arrests without charges like his buddy George Bush has done to his citizens?
I am glad to see the NDP taking legal advice on this matter. Harper like to sue. He can take the oppportunty to defend a few lawsuits now too.
As for Dion and comments of incompetent leadership, we will have to see how he leads this coalition before we can make any conclusions. One thing for sure about Dion's leadership. It is more trustworthy, honest, forthright and he has more personal and political integrity than Mr. Harper. That
is a fact that is beyond dispute.
Totally agree with you Ken!
ReplyDeleteHarper and the conservatives have had their last hurrah. Now it is time for a coalition of the willing to come together to deal with Canada's serious financial/economic crisis. Harper and his boys have certainly shown they are not up to the task. Personally, I never thought they ever were.
As usual with a Liberal rant - over the top and way beyond reasonable discourse, but one expects that from libs in the first place, so Ken's rant should be viewed as 'normal' within this context, even though in normal discourse, the words are so.....extreme. It should be noted that as a standard, Libs are all for free speech......unless you disagree with them, and then they go ballistic.... and beyond reason. The next set of words describing Harper will ascend to the usual "Nazi". Machiavellian, gestapo" - the usual loss of reality.
ReplyDeleteI think this whole mess was summed up best by Lorne Gunter: "The Conservatives were too clever by half and the opposition parties were too disingenuous by a factor of six".
Did Harper overstep? - obviously
Did he now retreat - whithout question
Will the coalition succeed? - not a chance.
Why? Four words: "Prime Minister Stephane Dion".
Why would Iggy suffer the ignominious existence of Dion to further devalue the LIberal currency. Answer - he wouldn't. If a few Libs abstain from the vote, the issue is moot, and four months from now Iggy runs the Libs, and in true personal Liberal political expediency, he wins, and lets Dion get hung with a close association with the Bloc.
No I agree with Anon @ 3:00. It should have been clear to the Liberals last year they needed a new leader. I've talked to many people who said they didn't want to vote for Harper in the last election - but they didn't know what else to do. If the Liberals had had a credible leader and a credible plan for Canada - I do believe that Harper would have been out.
ReplyDeleteMarnie Tunay
Well they have done it. For those who were not here for the National Energy Program, you will now find out what it means to be an Albertan in a socialist, hate-the-west Federal Government.
ReplyDeleteThe Canadian stock market took its second biggest drop in history, the last one being 1987. This is only the beginning.
God help us all - the sh##storm is coming, and you will not believe how fast the Alberta economy will start to unravel. We might have skated through the downturn with the steady and appropriate handling of a Harper Government.
The NEP Libs in Trudeau's day will look like pikers compared to how badly the west will be treated by both a spend-it-all green Prime Minister, and a shut-it-all-down-oilsands project NDP, irrespective of how many union jobs go with it.
We are so f####ed!!!
In my view Schoolyard Bullies have a way of taking themselves out of the game! They seem to miss the point that ther are always folk that will take a stand and win.
ReplyDeleteThe Liberals are complaining that Harper didn't talk about the funding during the campaign . . . so the funding issue shouldn't be discussed.
ReplyDeleteIt needs to be pointed out, Dion specifically said he would not entertain a coalition with the NDP during the campaign . . . and now signs a coalition agreement with the NDP.
You say, no shout, Harper can't be trusted. I submit the evidence shows Dion can be trusted even less.
Dion and company, keep saying Harper didn't talk about his proposals during an election, and are demanding these proposals be put to the Canadian public before they can be discussed. Yet, none of Dion's proposals have been talked about, let alone during the election, when Canadians can question, and accept/reject them. Talk about a hidden agenda!
No body runs in an election for a minority position...even Harper. Te wisdom of Canadians was that no party and no leader was to be granted a majority in the last election. The essence of minority government is collaboration and coalitions and that is the message Canadians sent to parliamentarians in all parties on October 14.
ReplyDeleteCanadians decided that collaboration and coalitions were what they wanted to happen when they elected a minority government. Harper knew that and said right after the election that he got the message. He promised that he would govern in a more cooperative way than the classless abuses he used on oppostion politicians in the previous parliament.
He lied about that intent as the Fiscal Update showed. The pending alternative coalition government is the legitimate result of a failure of Harper to govern as a minority.
Harper should call Joe Clark and get some sound advice on how to proceed as a Statesman.
I received a great poster from my wife last week. It has Harpers face and under the face is one word. "OBEY"! Harper and worst his gang of inept tacticians haven't got the message. We live in parliamentary system that is built on the representatives of the people. We do not elect a Prime Minister. This is not the U. S. of A. This is not a personality issue although it appears that Harper wants it be so. However, never tell the electorate to OBEY. Frankly you will get to the electorate responding in kind especially to a bully.
ReplyDeleteLets not forget that this would be less of an issue if we hadn't just come out of an election. OH, was it called early by Harper? Didn't he make the 4 year rule? Didn't calling an election break the rule?
The two messages I am hearing are: how could he screw this up? He must have this huge blind spot. Even some of my favourite rabid conservative neighbours are in shock over his inept petty politics. There is more important things like the economy, pensions, manufacturing, trade, infrastructure... working down the list of accumulating disasters. And frankly how could he blow it? He has a responsibility to develop confidence in the house. Maybe he and his advisors missed that class.
This is new political ground and those who like to panic, will and can call Mr. Rutherford to get revved up. Fear will abound, threats will be everywhere. The interesting bit I listened to this morning was, they are just doing this to get "our" oil. I beleive someone once said; we in Canada don't realize how big our literacy problem is... Maybe if Harper has more time on his hands he can get back to building that Alberta fire wall one paranoid at a time.
Maybe it is time to learn how to build alliances and collaborative working relationships "in the house" for our nation.
Remember the Harper government brought us to this point. Remember we elected a parliament not Harper and the principle is confidence. Our representatives (coast to coast) have decided that they have no confidence in the Conservatives and Harper BULLY, foolish, poor advisors or not. Like an election our representatives will vote Harper et al off the island. Will Harper ever be Pissed, that tantrum I would pay a great deal to see..
I'm disappointed with all the political leaders. I'm an ordinary, hard-working Canadian and I'm very scared that political powerplays are skewing common sense. I don't trust any of the leaders. They are not acting in the best interest of me, my family or the public good. We deserve better.
ReplyDelete