That Harper wants a detente with Bush and the right wing politics of America is to be feared. It is to invite a leadership whose main constituents are the wealthy aristocracy, who divide people on surface issues concerned with religious values and racial prejudice (perhaps in Canada, antiFrench sentiment) in order to achieve greater wealth and income inequality. Conservatives in America cannot win elections except to use anti-abortion and antiBlack/antipoverty rhetoric to divide people, while stealing the national treasury under their very eyes. Change in tax policy is the first step to dismantling Canada's social democracy with the false assertion that making the rich, richer will benefit the income of all. The second step is to create budget deficits that will progressively contrain and diminish the funding of social programs. America has nothing to teach Canada except how greed can create pain and suffering for a significant portion of the population.
Posted at 2006-01-24 05:30:02 [PermaLink]Eo Jidlag,
I don't know how you confused Damian Penny with Harry Belefonte... But I think you stumbled to the wrong blog. Is it cold in Sweden?
I see Steyn overestimated the conservatives as well. Almost every right wing blogger did. The fact is whether we like it or not, Canada is a very liberal country. Think of how far Harper had to moderate his positions just to achieve a minority. I have little optimism for the next election as well. To get a true conservative government in Canada, Alberta will have to export more then its leaders, it will have to export its ideas. Until that happens, until the rest of Canada realizes that there is an alternative to Big government programs... I don't think we will have much luck. Watching Harper comprimise will be painful.
Posted at 2006-01-24 06:24:14 [PermaLink]Eo's comments were a good laugh for the morning. It's amazing how uneducated some people are. When all you can do is quote far-left, paranoid, conspiracy theory nonsense (uh, which party is the only one trying to get rid of corporate donations Eo?) you know you're finished.
Back to reality...
Anybody get the feeling that Paul Martin's resignation might have something to do with the fact that somebody else finally has access to the books? Remember that many people talked of how he limited investigation into Earnscliffe and how the Libs secretly threw in $1 billion spending last month that nobody knows anything about.
Could it be that he gambled that the Libs would win and -- now that they are out and the CPC is going to enact the Accountability Act -- that all the rest of the Lib slime is going to rise to the surface for everybody to see?
If that were the case and I were Paul Martin, you better believe I'd be clearing out of town. Better to walk out on your own than get thrown out onto the streets. And his resignation makes his political future his own choice, rather than being humiliated by being torn down in a scandal.
From south of the border, it looks to me like the optimum strategy for the Conservatives is to align with the BQ and stress decentralization--devolve power to the provinces instead of hoarding it at the federal level.
Posted at 2006-01-24 07:34:14 [PermaLink]I think it is the people that had the 'right of centre' thinking that got the Conservatives elected - myself included.
To go too far to the right will not work here and will just draw the voters back to the "left of centre".
Preston Manning couldn't do it, so Harper wouldn't.
As far as Mr. Martin goes, the pool of possible successors is somewhat limited with only Tobin with the horsepower to get the job.
Mr. Harper needs to follow through on his promises, which he will and convince the people that he doesn't have an ultra secret hard right agenda. If he does this, it guarantees him a majority in two years time.
The chicken hearted in the GTA (who didn't have the courage of Quebec I might add) will then see the guy we all see. The guy that took two parties that had no hope in hell of forming a goverment to Ottawa to take the lead. He is also the leader who brought back federal hopes in Quebec, probably staving off a sure referendum win for Gilles.
This is history in the making my friends.
I'm thinking of joining the Liberal Party in order to back Belinda for leader. Great idea, eh?
Posted at 2006-01-24 09:30:55 [PermaLink]Kam:
Personally I prefer Hedy Fry if she can be persuaded to run. Hey - she beat Sven, that counts for something.
"The Martin meltdown ends"
Or maybe not. Consider the entertainment America's Al Gore and Australia's Mark Latham have provided since losing their elections. The best may be yet to come.
If Martin's jobhunting, there's an opening for someone with experience, here:
[External Link]
I mentioned it on my blog, but one of the pollsters already did a survey on who the general public, and Liberals, want as the next leader. More than 40% said none of the ones listed. But if they had to pick, they selected Frank McKenna. Second, and close behind, was Tobin. I'm with you on this one. I have the Fear as well.
Oh, and Stronach was third. How weird is that?
The happiest man with the Conservative victory last night was a Liberal. Brian Tobin. Leadership aspirations. However Damian I think its either Frank McKenna, (Chretien notwithstanding) or John Manley.
Posted at 2006-01-24 18:47:17 [PermaLink]