Reboot Alberta

Thursday, December 04, 2008

Harper's Blind Ambition Jeopardizes the Unity of the Country

Harper escapes accountability to Parliament and lives to fight one more day. Thanks to Harper’s reckless rhetoric and personal ambition, Canada is more unstable and its citizens are more uncertain and at a greater risk than at any time since World War II.


If the Governor General did not place limits on this autocratic politician we will see even more abuse of his office. He can’t abuse Parliament anymore than he has today because he shut it down.

Harper has consciously divided us one again on regional and linguistic lines again. He is an opportunistic political chameleon with little commitment to any personal principles that will serve the nation. He will say anything that is convenient to shift his share of the blame or to divert attention from the serious issues Canadians are facing. He always defaults towards the petty partisan posturing to pander to his radical right-wing base.


It is not time for a pause. It is time for decisive action based on collaboration and good governing. All of us are wise and smarter than any of us…but Harper has no sense of that reality. He is convinced what is good for Harper is good for the country. His blind ambition for gaining and keeping power is something he sees as his personal entitlement as Prime Minister.


Now without the accountability of Parliament, which he connived to close rather than respect, Harper has garnered all the power he has ever lusted after. Will he use the power wisely? Or will he spend his party war chest and start the propaganda was for the next election campaign with the bullying, misleading and outright lies of the last 3 years? I’m pretty sure it will be the latter.


This is not a time out for a government to regroup. It running away from Parliament is a cop-out by a coward. Canada just lost its last vestige of political innocence today. This political diversion and abject decline to govern is the most egregious example of just how far Harper will go to avoid accountability to perform his duty to the country.


The ugly side of Harper has prevailed. He is jeopardizing the unity, stability, diminishing the respect for the rule of law and undermining the confidence of the country in our political institutions. Did any one vote for that on October 14? Say a prayer for Canada this Christmas.

11 comments:

  1. When you add up blind ambition, lawlessness, lies, lust for power and and opportunistic political chameleon, what do you get. A psychopath, that's what. We have a psychopath as a dictator. Say a prayer for Canada, indeed.

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  2. Hey Theresa - Dictator is a tad harsh. But unless the GG put some limits on him in exchange for the proroguation - Harper could become that.

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  3. Hmmmmm, IF there is any logical and rational thought behind the 'cooling off period' and the delay in introducing economic measures....

    ....It must be the "we need to wait and take our cue from the USA"

    ...so gentle readers, and politico Ken, how about some postings on what is being signaled from down south?

    .... did I hear embrace vigorous differences of opinion and debate prior to determining directions?

    .... did I hear putting former political foes, both from within and without the party in power, on the key team as significant players AND advisers?

    .... did I hear economic support for repair of City infrastructure, both physical and social/ cultural?

    .... did I hear economic stimulus that will encourage green industry/ green job development?

    JUST WHAT ARE WE HEARING FROM DOWN SOUTH AND FROM THAT what will Harper choose to emulate? or not?

    JUST ASKING....

    greengirl

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  4. hmmm,
    IF there is any logic to the little delay in governance...
    ...it seems to be that we need to wait and emulate what is happening South of the Border in the USA....
    ...that IS the rationale for why no economic action can be taken at this time, no?
    ...that is why a budget can not be brought forward at the present time, no?


    So gentle readers, fellow bloggers, and of course Ken, what IS happening, down south?

    ...did I hear that vigorous debate and discussions will take place BEFORE policy is put forward?

    ....did I hear that former foes, both inside the dominant party and outside, have become key team members or Advisers?

    ...did I hear that economic stimulus would address improving conditions in Cities... such as infrastructure repair, transit, new energy sources?

    ....did I hear that economic conditions for encouraging development of green industries/ green jobs would be developed?

    So just what will Harper emulate, and what will he ignore? Not saying, just asking?

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  5. Anonymous3:30 pm

    The only way that the coalition would have been successful is if it could tell the big lie fast enough, and slide the coalition through before anyone really caught on.

    The first cross-Canada poll (Leger) out after this Coalition mess says clearly that, after you take out respondents from Quebec, that 70% of Canadians are "concerned" to "very concerned" about the role of the Bloc in this coalition.

    Harper did everybody but the Bloc, and the lame duck Dion specifically, a favour in proroguing Parliament so that the Libs and the NDP can rethink, in the light of Canadians' horror, their partnership with the Separatistes.

    The Coalition will fall apart, and expect Ignatief to be invisible until after the throne speech. He wants nothing to do with supporting the Bloc three months after the January throne speech when replacing the hapless Dion. He can read polls just like everybody else.

    Layton looked so disappointed today - so near and yet so far. He and Dion actually thought they were going to get away with this, and could smell the Power. Blind amibition blinds people to reality, and Dion has been living in such an unreal world, he thinks he really knows what's going on. Memo to Dion: get more than a chronically Youtube oriented formatter to film your presentations.....or did the Liberal caucus cut this loose cannon off from production values for bringing upon them yet another disaster.

    The CBC and Don Neuman (with whom I never agree) had it exactly right when Neuman talked about how the coalition would be in trouble once caucus breaks up and goes home, and people ponder the progression of Dion events, such as the Green shift (political disaster) and the Coalition (political disaster). The polls today show the Cons up 44% - let me spell that out - forty four per cent - in response to saving the country from the veto and domination of a Separatist party that has a vested interested in Canada NOT WORKING.

    Anyone supporting the Bloc in running our country is a @$T$$@*$#Y^.....sorry - a public blog. Can't say those words on a public blog.

    Blaming Harper is a mug's game. This troiika was plotted, designed, executed before Parliament came back into session. These political.....opportunists (I meant to say "scum").... had this plotted and planned before Harper opened his mouth.

    btw - the letter that Duceppe was waving around that he said came from Stockwell Day?.... the lawyer who wrote it was on Rutherford today saying he doesn't know how Duceppe got it, but it certainly came from his office, may have been stolen, and did not through ANY politician....

    btw #2 - the support that Duceppe and Layton said that Harper was seeking from them for a coalition - another lie according to the record in 2005, where Harper said a coalition with the Bloc is simply not on.

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  6. Anonymous9:52 pm

    Come on Ken, your Liberal underwear is showing on this one. What Harper did was fully within his ability and constitutional right as the Prime Minister of Canada, and the GG appears to have agreed as well.

    To go from an election where the Conservatives fell just short of a majority to a Coalition government that would be lead by an individual who gained the lowest public support for any liberal leader in the last 100 years is an abuse of process.

    Yes it is within the powers of the Liberals, NDP and Bloc to form a coalition, but it is also within the power of the PMO to suspend parliment to allow for a sober and careful consideration of the options by the people of Canada.

    You will get your chance at the end of January to see if the people of Canada support this coalition. From what the polls are saying and what I've heard from just about everyone across the country, a coaltion will not pass the review of the public of Canada.

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  7. Anonymous10:03 pm

    If HArper spent a sliver of his energy on governing rather than trying to destroy Liberals he might be a decent PM. But his conniving Darth Vader side will not go away. The fiscal update was a pure political document. Harper was too arrogant to believe the opposition would do nothing.

    BTW, even if the coalition falls apart he still needs the support of one of the parties. His scorched earth attack on all three parties makes me wonder which party he beleives will vote with him. I suspect that he has changed his strategy and will try to force an election when Parliament resumes.

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  8. Anonymous10:12 pm

    You need to save the dramatics for acting school Ken. We get it you don't like Stephen Harper.
    Turn the clock back a few years and look at former PM Jean Chretien. Any one who got in his way was crushed and humiliated, he abused his power and his authority continiously, we all grew weary of his continious dictatorial nature. Yet when all is said and done the country survived and prospered.
    Governance at any level is a very difficult job. (I'm a retired elected official) The job draws a great deal of negtivity and continual criticsm from opposition and from media. It is a very difficult medium to work in and to stay positive in and and it takes someone with a very strong nature and sometimes overbearing personality to stand in. I have a great deal of respect for Stephen Harper and for those who have led before him.
    I believe the GG made the correct decision.
    I hear in the news today that Toyota just opened a new auto plant in Ontario, creating 1200 new jobs. I heard some of the major banks announce today that they have made third quarter profits. They tell us that they are well financed and are still lending money. I haven't heard that the unemployment rate has grown dramatically. I hear this and wonder where is this crisis?
    Someone once said that you can create the impression of a crisis and that alone will cause people to panic and when people panic they tend to follow the line that appears to be moving, even if it is moving in the wrong direction.
    Everyone needs to take a time out and assess the situation. The sun will come up tomorrow.

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  9. You are right Albert...I think HARPER just as deceitful as Chretien and Mulroney...and mostly for the same reasons.

    Time for Canadians to speak of many things...as the Walrus said...and dump these bastards.

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  10. Anonymous7:41 am

    Ken , I have no issue with selecting our government through a general election. Problem is though, who would we vote for?
    The Liberal party has a huge leadership void at the moment. The ND's are to far away from reality. The Greens are only a protest vote.
    This country was designed to and functions best with a strong majority government in place along with a strong opposition. We are a long way away from that.
    In my view the Liberal party NEEDS to take a time out. They need to redefine who they are, then they need to rebuild and refinance the party before they will truly be credible again.
    Very much like the Conservatives, PC's and Reformers did.
    In the last election more Canadians voted for Stephen Harper's government than any other because they showed the greatest ability to take this country through a recession. The polls still reflect that Canadians still think that.
    No nody wants an illegitimate PM who takes control through the back door. Though it may not be illegal, it isn't true democracy and we do like to remind the world that we are a democracy.
    Bob Rae says he will criss cross the country in the next couple of months selling the idea of a coalition to Canadians. I believe that Bob is a salesman with nothing to sell. He will not gain credibility for the Liberal party by pushing this propoganda.

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  11. Anonymous11:56 am

    Meanwhile back in Alberta we see rallies in support of the coalition. Let me add this up.

    Layton flew over Ft. McMurray, observed thousands of union jobs, and said "we have to shut it down".

    Duceppe has said: "Carbon tax, and not on cars - only on production - hammer Alberta"

    Dion said: "Green Shift"

    So here we have Albertans rallying for three parties whose policy range from tax grab to oil business shut down.

    This is what I don't understand about the Left in Alberta. They support parties that would eliminate the jobs of their family, neighbors, friends, and other Albertans, and rally for a coalition that would leave us with 1 - that is "one" - MP in power (Linda Duncan).

    Why do these people hate Alberta and Albertans so much? Their hate for us equals their hate for Harper.

    I don't get it. We've spent years getting people in Federal power that represent us, and in one week, there are people outraged in Alberta because we have one tough, strong Prime Minister who has offended and thwarted the planned and executed attempt by a coalition who would destroy Alberta.

    The vitriol that has been poured on Harper is extreme, and in my view silly. The best guy the Libs, in a country of 30+ million, can find is a guy who cannot communicate adequately with 75% of the Canadian population, and is not Prime Ministerial material, according to his own party. And yet Harper is a bully, when out maneuvering and out thinking a weak, ineffective leader.

    The Libs had no effective Conservative Opposition during the Chretien years, and he was able to do what he wants. Now that there is a strong Conservative opposition, they are whining to everybody about that mean bad man Harper. Awww. The Libs have hit an historic low with weak, flabby unpopular MPs, and are so lacking in renewal, that they have to develop a sleazy coalition with the very people they have vilified and fought against for years, to hijack their way in to a power structure they no longer deserve. Try earining it Liberals, with good people, a worthy leader, and policies and plans that appeal and excite. Let's not blame Harper for the obvious deficiencies of all three Coalition parties.

    I don't get Alberta Coalition supporters at all.

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