RIP Clown Show 2008.
We hardly knew you. You didn't last long. The Liberal lust for power was just too strong.
Takeover
So what do you get when you put a Liberal, a socialist and a separatist in a room? A takeover plan of the government of Canada without a single bullet shot.
Here's a brief summary of the events of the past few days:
The government tabled an economic update. The economic update put a plan forward to tighten the government's belt to avoid a deficit. It also suggested eliminating giving welfare to political parties in the form of a national subsidy, along with reducing the pay of civil servants and MPs. The opposition went ballistic at the suggestion that we take away their dole. And they didn't quite like the idea that there wasn't a spending-ourselves-out-of-a-deficit-Keynes-style stimulus.
The opposition then met in secret to hatch a plan to bring down the government. A government just freshly elected. Then they would replace it with a non-elected Liberal-led coalition government. All of this is allowed constitutionally.
Since then the Tory government blinked. They scrapped the plan to get rid of the subsidy and are now talking about some more stimulus.
Now that we all know where we are, let's talk about the sheer irrationality of the opposition on this one.
We are in a recession. Deficits are bad. Debts are bad. A stimulus causes deficits.
And that's the bottom line. The opposition is pushing a coup d'etat so that they can drive the country into deficit and keep their dole going as long as they possibly can.
The opposition is afraid and weak. It's so transparent. If they were really confident about this new "coalition" and their reasons, why not call an election? Why not let the people to ratify this new "coalition"? Why not let the people make a judgment?
No - they wouldn't dare do that. They would lose so badly the Liberal Party would never be able to resurrect itself.
The Liberals are so badly in debt, so underfunded, so unprepared, and so much in turmoil right now that an election right now is not an option.
Not to mention that their reasons for going into an election would be to save welfare for politicians and deficits are good. Somehow I don't Canadians are going to buy that load of baloney.
So they'll just take power the old fashioned way : a Takeover.
Here's a brief summary of the events of the past few days:
The government tabled an economic update. The economic update put a plan forward to tighten the government's belt to avoid a deficit. It also suggested eliminating giving welfare to political parties in the form of a national subsidy, along with reducing the pay of civil servants and MPs. The opposition went ballistic at the suggestion that we take away their dole. And they didn't quite like the idea that there wasn't a spending-ourselves-out-of-a-deficit-Keynes-style stimulus.
The opposition then met in secret to hatch a plan to bring down the government. A government just freshly elected. Then they would replace it with a non-elected Liberal-led coalition government. All of this is allowed constitutionally.
Since then the Tory government blinked. They scrapped the plan to get rid of the subsidy and are now talking about some more stimulus.
Now that we all know where we are, let's talk about the sheer irrationality of the opposition on this one.
We are in a recession. Deficits are bad. Debts are bad. A stimulus causes deficits.
And that's the bottom line. The opposition is pushing a coup d'etat so that they can drive the country into deficit and keep their dole going as long as they possibly can.
The opposition is afraid and weak. It's so transparent. If they were really confident about this new "coalition" and their reasons, why not call an election? Why not let the people to ratify this new "coalition"? Why not let the people make a judgment?
No - they wouldn't dare do that. They would lose so badly the Liberal Party would never be able to resurrect itself.
The Liberals are so badly in debt, so underfunded, so unprepared, and so much in turmoil right now that an election right now is not an option.
Not to mention that their reasons for going into an election would be to save welfare for politicians and deficits are good. Somehow I don't Canadians are going to buy that load of baloney.
So they'll just take power the old fashioned way : a Takeover.
Kinsella's Not Back
Kinsella's conversion to the cult of Iggy is foolhearty and ill advised.
Ignatieff is no leader. He has no political experience or quite frankly any experience at all. He's barely even Canadian.
I figure Kinsella's real reason for his change of heart is that he's putting his money with the horse he thinks will win.
The problem is he's wrong.
Ignatieff is no leader. He has no political experience or quite frankly any experience at all. He's barely even Canadian.
I figure Kinsella's real reason for his change of heart is that he's putting his money with the horse he thinks will win.
The problem is he's wrong.
Deficit At Any Cost
"What we will never do is engineer a surplus at any price, because that price would ultimately be paid by Canadian families..."
So you'd rather push that expense on the children of those Canadian families who one day when they come of age will look at our national debt and wonder "How did it ever get that big?"
Sure - don't deal with the pain now lets just push the pain out so that we don't have to deal with it.
Flaherty should know better.
So you'd rather push that expense on the children of those Canadian families who one day when they come of age will look at our national debt and wonder "How did it ever get that big?"
Sure - don't deal with the pain now lets just push the pain out so that we don't have to deal with it.
Flaherty should know better.
Save The Cars!
At least that's what Drudge is calling it.
And he hits the nail on the head with that one. Lefties in the US want to save the environment, but not at the expense of saving socialism. Why not let the gas gussling SUV producing automakers fall? If anything having smaller sleeker autos from foreign automakers is the way to go to reduce CO2 emissions. But wait wouldn't that mean that the free market can do something right? That maybe just maybe we don't need a Pelosi or an Obama to plan our lives!
So go ahead Save Socialism! Bush has been helping you out on that note for last few years anyways...
And he hits the nail on the head with that one. Lefties in the US want to save the environment, but not at the expense of saving socialism. Why not let the gas gussling SUV producing automakers fall? If anything having smaller sleeker autos from foreign automakers is the way to go to reduce CO2 emissions. But wait wouldn't that mean that the free market can do something right? That maybe just maybe we don't need a Pelosi or an Obama to plan our lives!
So go ahead Save Socialism! Bush has been helping you out on that note for last few years anyways...
The Clown Show Files Redux II
The Liberals are 2 to 3 million dollars in debt and have raised less money than the 3rd place socialist NDP. All in all only 35,000 people out of a country of 33 million people donated to the Liberal Party between January and September. The Conservatives raised almost four times as much from almost four times the donors over the same period.
I don't care the leader, it will take a long time to turn a rut like that around.
I don't care the leader, it will take a long time to turn a rut like that around.
The Clown Show Files Redux I
Yee haa!!! Another edition of the clown show files has just opened up with Dion's departure.
Martin Couchon: "What I'm doing now is that I'm testing the water, phoning people, a bit like John Manley is doing..."
John Manley:"I'm not jumping off the diving board until I'm pretty sure there's some water in the pool."
Better make sure that the water hasn't been peed in either before either of you make the plunge...
Some initial thoughts:
-The Liberal Party brand needs rebuilding. The type of rebuilding that takes years. If the Liberals are serious about regaining power they have to start thinking about a long decade long trek out of the dark. And they need to start thinking about who has the longevity to do that.
-Where's Iggy or Rae? The silence says something.
-Cauchon, Manley, and Leblanc are the first to start going public with leadership bids or meanderings on bids - all Chretienites. Something tells me the old Chretien loyalists are brimming for a fight.
Martin Couchon: "What I'm doing now is that I'm testing the water, phoning people, a bit like John Manley is doing..."
John Manley:"I'm not jumping off the diving board until I'm pretty sure there's some water in the pool."
Better make sure that the water hasn't been peed in either before either of you make the plunge...
Some initial thoughts:
-The Liberal Party brand needs rebuilding. The type of rebuilding that takes years. If the Liberals are serious about regaining power they have to start thinking about a long decade long trek out of the dark. And they need to start thinking about who has the longevity to do that.
-Where's Iggy or Rae? The silence says something.
-Cauchon, Manley, and Leblanc are the first to start going public with leadership bids or meanderings on bids - all Chretienites. Something tells me the old Chretien loyalists are brimming for a fight.
Incremental Change
These election results come bring one thought to mind: incremental change.
That was the motto of the Harper Conservatives three years ago. That was even Harper's motto when he was Canadian Alliance leader.
The basic idea is that a country doesn't change opinions overnight unless something drastic and temporary happens. If you want something substantial and permanent in terms of electoral results you need to change hearts. Changing hearts takes time. It doesn't happen overnight.
So for years the Harperites took time slowly planning every next election.
And tonight you see the beginning results.
All it takes is a quick look at the last 3 elections to see where this is going:
YEAR CPC LIB NDP BQ
2006 124 103 29 51
2004 99 135 19 54
2003 73* 161 19 44
*Reflects combined PC + Canadian Alliance seats
Tonight the Conservatives are hovering around 140 seats. 155 is not too far away.
That was the motto of the Harper Conservatives three years ago. That was even Harper's motto when he was Canadian Alliance leader.
The basic idea is that a country doesn't change opinions overnight unless something drastic and temporary happens. If you want something substantial and permanent in terms of electoral results you need to change hearts. Changing hearts takes time. It doesn't happen overnight.
So for years the Harperites took time slowly planning every next election.
And tonight you see the beginning results.
All it takes is a quick look at the last 3 elections to see where this is going:
YEAR CPC LIB NDP BQ
2006 124 103 29 51
2004 99 135 19 54
2003 73* 161 19 44
*Reflects combined PC + Canadian Alliance seats
Tonight the Conservatives are hovering around 140 seats. 155 is not too far away.
Dipper Weehakeewoohoo
Jack Layton seems to believe that the financial meltdown south of the border was caused by Conservatives allowing the greedy rich to do whatever they want with other people's money:
Can someone please clarify to me - what money has the business class of the United States stolen from the rest of Americans? That comment "other people's money" implies theft on a massive scale. I don't understand why no one in the media would think about asking for clarification on that comment.
As far as I'm concerned the only REAL theft I can see is in the platform of the NDP: Massive corporate tax increases that can only lead to less jobs as companies flee elsewhere. Small businesses everywhere can expect no relief under the NDP. And expect manufacturing jobs in Ontario to continue their export elsewhere. In addition I'm expecting prices to rise as businesses try to cope with increasing taxes.
A $400 a month family allowance, affordable housing, and an energy efficient home isn't going to mean beans all if you don't have a job to begin with.
"We've seen on Wall Street this week what happens when the rich and powerful are allowed to do whatever they want with other people's money."
Can someone please clarify to me - what money has the business class of the United States stolen from the rest of Americans? That comment "other people's money" implies theft on a massive scale. I don't understand why no one in the media would think about asking for clarification on that comment.
As far as I'm concerned the only REAL theft I can see is in the platform of the NDP: Massive corporate tax increases that can only lead to less jobs as companies flee elsewhere. Small businesses everywhere can expect no relief under the NDP. And expect manufacturing jobs in Ontario to continue their export elsewhere. In addition I'm expecting prices to rise as businesses try to cope with increasing taxes.
A $400 a month family allowance, affordable housing, and an energy efficient home isn't going to mean beans all if you don't have a job to begin with.
Dion: Go Suck A Lemon
Dion had this whopper to say today:
Here's is one quote that might jog his memory a bit of an election a long time ago:
That's all I'm going to say.
"Never has a government spent so much to destroy a person and his policies as Harper has towards me..."
Here's is one quote that might jog his memory a bit of an election a long time ago:
"Their supporters are Holocaust deniers, prominent bigots and racists..." -Liberal cabinet minister Elinor Caplan
That's all I'm going to say.
All Hail Danny
Small Dead Animals just compared Danny Williams to Zimbabwe's Mugage:
Ok maybe he hasn't reached Robert Mugage proportions - but with these news reports coming out of Newfoundland I would say the words "Friendly Dictator" definitely apply.
"Well, perhaps that's unfair. We haven't yet seen rampaging gangs of PC'ers raping and pillaging political opponents."
Ok maybe he hasn't reached Robert Mugage proportions - but with these news reports coming out of Newfoundland I would say the words "Friendly Dictator" definitely apply.
Gas-Gouging?
Elections are funny things. They sometimes lead to spectacular stories like this one:
Rabid lefties everywhere must be eating this up - it came from self professed Libertarian Stephen Harper.
But wait - this doesn't add up. Somehow my cleaverly fine tuned 6th sense of media stupidity or "Damn Radar" seemed to go off.
This is how another source described Harper's comments on gas gouging:
So I still wasn't convinced.
Let's see what the Red Star had to say:
It's certainly different for someone to say it "appeared" to be the case that gas companies or gas retailers are gouging consumers rather than saying they "did" gouge consumers.
Is it possible that the Red Star actually got this story right? (Gulp!)
The high quality level of journalism in Canada is staggering.
PS - If supply reduces just what do people expect gas retailers to do? Sell more?
"The Conservative Leader said it appeared to him that oil companies were guilty of price-gouging, an accusation echoed by his Liberal and NDP counterparts, Stéphane Dion and Jack Layton."What's this? Businesses in collusion? The Free-market has broken down and only government can interfere!
Rabid lefties everywhere must be eating this up - it came from self professed Libertarian Stephen Harper.
But wait - this doesn't add up. Somehow my cleaverly fine tuned 6th sense of media stupidity or "Damn Radar" seemed to go off.
This is how another source described Harper's comments on gas gouging:
Conservative Leader Stephen Harper said in Halifax it appeared retailers were using the shutdown of refineries as a pretext to gouge consumers. Harper said his government could not make policies in response to the daily fluctuations in gas prices, although he hinted that he will have a policy announcement that addresses the price of gasoline later in the campaign.Wow. Not only did he say that consumers were getting gouged, but that they were using the excuse of refineries getting shut down as an excuse. You'd think that a sudden reduction in North American supply would seem like a reasonable excuse to a noted Economist Libertarian from Alberta no less.
"We are prepared to take steps," Harper said.
So I still wasn't convinced.
Let's see what the Red Star had to say:
Asked point-blank whether he thought soaring costs at the pump were price gouging, Harper responded, "It certainly appears that way to me.Wait. No mention of how he thought the shutdown of refineries was just an excuse. And what's better this actual quoted response seems more vague that we were first led to believe.
"I've learned not to make policy on a day-to-day basis," he said. "We will be making some announcements on this issue a little later."
It's certainly different for someone to say it "appeared" to be the case that gas companies or gas retailers are gouging consumers rather than saying they "did" gouge consumers.
Is it possible that the Red Star actually got this story right? (Gulp!)
The high quality level of journalism in Canada is staggering.
PS - If supply reduces just what do people expect gas retailers to do? Sell more?
The emperor has no clothes...
I just watched Ben STEIN's Expelled last in Buffalo because for whatever reason Canuck's don't play Ben Stein movies.
The climax of the movie had to be the final interview with well known atheist neo darwinist Richard Dawkins. In the span of a few minutes he admitted to the possibility of there being a 'designer' from somewhere else in the universe.
Dawkin's just put his foot in his mouth over that whopper.
I was also surprised to see so many neo-darwinist's run away from from the chemical soup plus lighting theory for the creation of the first organic molecule.
Hell, that was the way Star Trek portrayed the beginning of life less than ten years ago. I was aware that lab experiments trying to prove out the theory were not promising but I was surprised to find out that most scientists no longer find the idea credible. That theory, as far as I was concerned, had received widespread acceptance by the media and society.
To me that is a real crisis for the atheist scientific elite which prides itself on supposedly being able to explain everything. Well this is one thing destroys that credibility.
The climax of the movie had to be the final interview with well known atheist neo darwinist Richard Dawkins. In the span of a few minutes he admitted to the possibility of there being a 'designer' from somewhere else in the universe.
Dawkin's just put his foot in his mouth over that whopper.
I was also surprised to see so many neo-darwinist's run away from from the chemical soup plus lighting theory for the creation of the first organic molecule.
Hell, that was the way Star Trek portrayed the beginning of life less than ten years ago. I was aware that lab experiments trying to prove out the theory were not promising but I was surprised to find out that most scientists no longer find the idea credible. That theory, as far as I was concerned, had received widespread acceptance by the media and society.
To me that is a real crisis for the atheist scientific elite which prides itself on supposedly being able to explain everything. Well this is one thing destroys that credibility.
Ban it!
Really, am I the only one that didn't know that clothes lines were banned in Ontario?
I never thought Dalton Mcguilty would ever admit that having the government banning things can have unintended consequences (ahum!-guns!).
Ontario residents can now hang their clothes and linens out to dry after the premier lifted the ban on outdoor clotheslines on Friday.
I never thought Dalton Mcguilty would ever admit that having the government banning things can have unintended consequences (ahum!-guns!).
Electorial law interpreted...
So... The RCMP raids the offices of the Conservative Party for a common financing practice done by the liberals for years yet it's the Tories that are dirty?
Now I don't think that Harper's crew are saints, but I find It strange that they would knowingly violate electorial law and yet be open and honest about doing so. Somehow I think a touch of liberal bias at elections canada brewed over decades of liberal rule may be the real cause of this raid.
That's really how electorial law is interpreted in this country: trough a glass of tainted liberalism.
Now I don't think that Harper's crew are saints, but I find It strange that they would knowingly violate electorial law and yet be open and honest about doing so. Somehow I think a touch of liberal bias at elections canada brewed over decades of liberal rule may be the real cause of this raid.
That's really how electorial law is interpreted in this country: trough a glass of tainted liberalism.
Sounds... like a "bully"...
"I'm the leader, and I don't want any more indiscipline..."
I can't believe Dion actually said this. I can still remember the shouts of "bully" whenever Harper had the audacity to defend his opinion. I wonder how Dion rationalizes these comments in light of previous comments.
The emperor has no clothes, he's on fire, he's lost three limbs, he's blind, and he thinks he's smarter than everyone else.
I can't believe Dion actually said this. I can still remember the shouts of "bully" whenever Harper had the audacity to defend his opinion. I wonder how Dion rationalizes these comments in light of previous comments.
The emperor has no clothes, he's on fire, he's lost three limbs, he's blind, and he thinks he's smarter than everyone else.
Sell-Out
That's what Harper's government just did with this cash infusion:
Tell me again where "public transit" and the "Ontario economy" falls again in the BNA act of 1867? Definitely not in the federal government's jurisdiction that's for damn sure. It's definitely not in line with Harper's "federalism of openness" that relies on the principle of "respect for jurisdiction" - not that McGuilty's Fiberals care about jurisdiction anyway.
A good chunk of this cash is being used on Liberal state funded make work projects under the guise of funding for "public transit." If they really wanted to solve the public transit problem they would privatize the 401 so they could start charging tolls and reduce the congestion caused by people that don't need to be on the road but chose so anyways because it's "free".
Now that's more in line with "conservative" principles of individual responsibility when it comes to public transit.
This is a sell out plain and simple.
"Our Government is committed to the federalism of openness, an approach to federal-provincial relations that relies on respect for jurisdiction and productive collaboration to get things done for Canadians," Prime Minister Harper said.
(...)
"I want to congratulate Premier McGuinty and his Government for developing programs that will use these federal funds to strengthen the Ontario economy, improve public safety, and expand the public transit system," said Prime Minister Harper.
Tell me again where "public transit" and the "Ontario economy" falls again in the BNA act of 1867? Definitely not in the federal government's jurisdiction that's for damn sure. It's definitely not in line with Harper's "federalism of openness" that relies on the principle of "respect for jurisdiction" - not that McGuilty's Fiberals care about jurisdiction anyway.
A good chunk of this cash is being used on Liberal state funded make work projects under the guise of funding for "public transit." If they really wanted to solve the public transit problem they would privatize the 401 so they could start charging tolls and reduce the congestion caused by people that don't need to be on the road but chose so anyways because it's "free".
Now that's more in line with "conservative" principles of individual responsibility when it comes to public transit.
This is a sell out plain and simple.
Deficit Anyone?
With the Senate set to review whether or not they will pass a private member's bill that would effectively put the federal government into a deficit situation, the genius Hervieux-Payette had this to say:
The Tories according to Hervieux went "overboard" in characterising the Senate as "Lazy", "incompetent", and "partisan."
I disagree. I think they didn't go far enough. The Senate is irresponsible, irrevelant, and corrupt. The institution has not bothered to be a place of "sober second thought" in over a generation as far as I'm concerned. It's unelected, unaccountable, and not in line with the Canadian principle of Responsible Government which is what this Country was founded on.
Canadians have gone from wanting the Senate to be reformed, to many wanting it abolished.
It's the Senate and it's Liberal puppet master that should show some humility. Canadians will not be forgiving if they force Canada into a deficit over a purely partisan issue.
It's also important to note that this private member's bill made it through the house of commons in a Conservative parliament. I wouldn't doubt that this was due to new rules that this Government either implemented to deal with private member's bills or oversaw.
Either way, it's a far cry from the cynical suggestions of some that power is becoming more concentrated in the PMO than when the Liberals were in power.
PS - I dont' know what possessed Liberal MP Dan McTeague to author such a bill. He is usually a reasonable guy from what I've seen of him. Somehow I don't think he ever thought this bill would get this far.
"You'd think they could be humble enough to admit they went overboard,'' Hervieux-Payette said of the Tories.
The Tories according to Hervieux went "overboard" in characterising the Senate as "Lazy", "incompetent", and "partisan."
I disagree. I think they didn't go far enough. The Senate is irresponsible, irrevelant, and corrupt. The institution has not bothered to be a place of "sober second thought" in over a generation as far as I'm concerned. It's unelected, unaccountable, and not in line with the Canadian principle of Responsible Government which is what this Country was founded on.
Canadians have gone from wanting the Senate to be reformed, to many wanting it abolished.
It's the Senate and it's Liberal puppet master that should show some humility. Canadians will not be forgiving if they force Canada into a deficit over a purely partisan issue.
It's also important to note that this private member's bill made it through the house of commons in a Conservative parliament. I wouldn't doubt that this was due to new rules that this Government either implemented to deal with private member's bills or oversaw.
Either way, it's a far cry from the cynical suggestions of some that power is becoming more concentrated in the PMO than when the Liberals were in power.
PS - I dont' know what possessed Liberal MP Dan McTeague to author such a bill. He is usually a reasonable guy from what I've seen of him. Somehow I don't think he ever thought this bill would get this far.
To the Courts!
I've always been the first one to say that the first guy to sue in politics is the first guy to run out of arguments... I guess now I have to eat my own words:
This Cadman circus is a joke. It's only intent is to stir up controversy - because scandals are great for the media. People buy more papers. People watch more news. People will buy that damn "Like A Rock" book now for sure.
In the end the facts are that Cadman said himself before he died that "no offer was made"... ie no bribes by either side.
His wife's comments must be interpreted in that light. There's no rhyme or reason for Chuck Cadman to lie to the public over any of this, and surely no reason to lie to his wife. It's a high probability that an insurance policy offer was made, but it's likely it wasn't made by someone acting on an official capacity by the Conservative Party of Canada, and even more likely it wasn't never serious. That's the only way to reconcile the facts. But hey who cares about the facts anyways!
Scandal! Scandal! Scandal! Sex-er-I mean Scandal!
Bottom line about the suing - this is bogus. It's only intent is to Shut up Dion on this point. The Liberal Party was stupid enough to repeat the comments they are legally capable of making in Parliament outside of parliament.
That's something the Liberals for years dreamed of catching a Conservative doing. They would never have flinched to do the same. And I'm sure some officials in the Conservative Party are justifying this move on that premise.
The problem is just 'cause the other would do it if the tables were reversed, don't make it any righter.
Mr. Harper filed a notice of libel suit Monday against Mr. Dion, two other top members of his caucus and the party. Court documents obtained by CTV and The Globe and Mail say two articles published on the Liberal website were “devastatingly defamatory” to the Prime Minister.
This Cadman circus is a joke. It's only intent is to stir up controversy - because scandals are great for the media. People buy more papers. People watch more news. People will buy that damn "Like A Rock" book now for sure.
In the end the facts are that Cadman said himself before he died that "no offer was made"... ie no bribes by either side.
His wife's comments must be interpreted in that light. There's no rhyme or reason for Chuck Cadman to lie to the public over any of this, and surely no reason to lie to his wife. It's a high probability that an insurance policy offer was made, but it's likely it wasn't made by someone acting on an official capacity by the Conservative Party of Canada, and even more likely it wasn't never serious. That's the only way to reconcile the facts. But hey who cares about the facts anyways!
Scandal! Scandal! Scandal! Sex-er-I mean Scandal!
Bottom line about the suing - this is bogus. It's only intent is to Shut up Dion on this point. The Liberal Party was stupid enough to repeat the comments they are legally capable of making in Parliament outside of parliament.
That's something the Liberals for years dreamed of catching a Conservative doing. They would never have flinched to do the same. And I'm sure some officials in the Conservative Party are justifying this move on that premise.
The problem is just 'cause the other would do it if the tables were reversed, don't make it any righter.
A really bad joke...
Really, this has to be some sort of bad joke:
Courage? Prudence? Aren't those essential character traits of a leader? John Not-So-Tory seems to lack both.
Look - to be fair the man has positives. He has the work ethic, and the personality ethic that's required of a leader.
But it's precisely the quality that his supporters cling to as being essential for the PC party to win in Ontario that is his ultimate flaw: his uncanny ability to change his mind.
His supporters say he's "open to input."
I think he wants to be friends with everyone.
That doesn't make for a good leader let alone a good Politician.
All the PC Party can do now is salavage whatever's left of John Not-So-Tory's leadership and hope everyone forgets by 2011.
LONDON, Ont.–John Tory abruptly changed his mind late last night, deciding to stay on as Progressive Conservative party leader less than four hours after telling delegates their 66.9 per cent support might not be enough.
The stunning switch came after Tory was slammed by critics for being indecisive about his future following a leadership review vote and urged by supporters to stay on and make his intentions clear.
Courage? Prudence? Aren't those essential character traits of a leader? John Not-So-Tory seems to lack both.
Look - to be fair the man has positives. He has the work ethic, and the personality ethic that's required of a leader.
But it's precisely the quality that his supporters cling to as being essential for the PC party to win in Ontario that is his ultimate flaw: his uncanny ability to change his mind.
His supporters say he's "open to input."
I think he wants to be friends with everyone.
That doesn't make for a good leader let alone a good Politician.
All the PC Party can do now is salavage whatever's left of John Not-So-Tory's leadership and hope everyone forgets by 2011.
Tory or not to Tory?
Lo' and behold John Not-So-Tory was in town last night. The venerable PC party leadership convention is being held in London Ontario - my humble abode as of sometime last year - who cares when.
The Delta Armouries "hotel" is a confusing place. It used to be an "armoury" I'm assuming based on the exterior and it's name. Somewhere along the lines Delta Hotels must have bought it or something.
It looks like a military museum turned into a resort. There's waterfalls. There's fancy carpets. There's see through elevators.
I can just imagine some flight seargants are rolling in their graves.
I managed to catch John Not-So-Tory in the elevator. Not much speech in him. His overall appearance could be summed up in one word: ticked.
Who wouldn't be? His leadership is on the line. And it's a job he'd like to keep.
So in John Toryland, that means it's ok to use his influence on the party apparatus to disqualify delegates in good standing that happen to mostly come from the "Yes let's boot Tory" camp.
Of course He'll deny he's done it. And the party apparatus will deny along with him.
This really should surprise no one. I don't think for a moment that most people in the "yes" camp wouldn't use these tactics if their roles were reversed. Morality becomes pliable for eveyone once they've attained power unless they're particularly adept at fighting temptation.
In the end the "Yes" camp has laid down the gauntlet of legal action.
Great. Six months will go by and then, much later, the courts will deliver justice. By that point the debate over John Tory's leadership will be long done.
The "Yes" camp should smack itself into shape.
If they didn't expect something like this to happen they should have. The thing to do right now is not to complain and worry. The thing to do is to counter the attack.
The real attack here is directed at the momentum of the "Yes" campaign. This move is primarily meant to reduce the number of "yes" delegates surely, but secondarily it's meant to discourage others from even showing up.
The "yes" campaign should be rallying the troops against this with the simple battle cry "They must be worried!"
The Delta Armouries "hotel" is a confusing place. It used to be an "armoury" I'm assuming based on the exterior and it's name. Somewhere along the lines Delta Hotels must have bought it or something.
It looks like a military museum turned into a resort. There's waterfalls. There's fancy carpets. There's see through elevators.
I can just imagine some flight seargants are rolling in their graves.
I managed to catch John Not-So-Tory in the elevator. Not much speech in him. His overall appearance could be summed up in one word: ticked.
Who wouldn't be? His leadership is on the line. And it's a job he'd like to keep.
So in John Toryland, that means it's ok to use his influence on the party apparatus to disqualify delegates in good standing that happen to mostly come from the "Yes let's boot Tory" camp.
Of course He'll deny he's done it. And the party apparatus will deny along with him.
This really should surprise no one. I don't think for a moment that most people in the "yes" camp wouldn't use these tactics if their roles were reversed. Morality becomes pliable for eveyone once they've attained power unless they're particularly adept at fighting temptation.
In the end the "Yes" camp has laid down the gauntlet of legal action.
Great. Six months will go by and then, much later, the courts will deliver justice. By that point the debate over John Tory's leadership will be long done.
The "Yes" camp should smack itself into shape.
If they didn't expect something like this to happen they should have. The thing to do right now is not to complain and worry. The thing to do is to counter the attack.
The real attack here is directed at the momentum of the "Yes" campaign. This move is primarily meant to reduce the number of "yes" delegates surely, but secondarily it's meant to discourage others from even showing up.
The "yes" campaign should be rallying the troops against this with the simple battle cry "They must be worried!"
Leadership? Anyone?
I can't help but conclude that this a fundamental mistake both strategically and politically for Harper's government:
Firstly Harper's popularity in the polls puts him in an extremely good bargaining position. The deal he's getting isn't as good as he could have gotten out of Dion.
Secondly, this is bad politics. We were taken the lead in Afghanistan - doing the work no one wanted to do. We were taking up the slack. It's something that has no material rewards and that alone makes it good politics because it's the principled position to take.
We shouldn't be passing the buck - we should be at the forefront of fighting for what's right.
That used to be something Canada wasn't afraid of doing.
The Harper government has unveiled a new motion to end the Canadian military mission in the volatile Kandahar region of Afghanistan by the end of 2011. And the Liberals appear ready to support it, apparently removing one possible election trigger.
Firstly Harper's popularity in the polls puts him in an extremely good bargaining position. The deal he's getting isn't as good as he could have gotten out of Dion.
Secondly, this is bad politics. We were taken the lead in Afghanistan - doing the work no one wanted to do. We were taking up the slack. It's something that has no material rewards and that alone makes it good politics because it's the principled position to take.
We shouldn't be passing the buck - we should be at the forefront of fighting for what's right.
That used to be something Canada wasn't afraid of doing.
Blah, Blah, Blah... Spend my money why don't yah?
Dion's latest is a classic:
So basically, spend spend spend and the economy will explode with growth. The only problem with that concept is that the state is not a source of wealth - it's a leach at best, a destructive helluva bear at worst.
It isn't the federal government's role to fix pot holes. The BNA act of 1867 was pretty specific on that point.
Municipalities should suck it up, and make the cutbacks they need to make sure the world keeps on spinning and the roads keep on getting plowed.
And if that isn't enough, they should consider privatization of services. Toll roads are an obvious choice that is environmentally beneficial and are way overdue in this country.
OTTAWA — A Liberal government would spend any windfall surpluses beyond $3-billion on fixing Canada's failing infrastructure, Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion promised Friday.
Mr. Dion's windfalls-for-potholes pledge is a direct attack on the Conservative government's refusal to fork out more cash to fix what Canadian mayors have described as an infrastructure crisis.
The promise also mirrors former Liberal prime minister Jean Chrétien's 1993 campaign pledge to create "jobs, jobs, jobs" through infrastructure spending.
”Canada is facing an aging population. We will not pass onto our children crumbling bridges, leaky water pipes and insufficient public transit,” Mr. Dion told a Federation of Canadian Municipalities meeting in Ottawa.
So basically, spend spend spend and the economy will explode with growth. The only problem with that concept is that the state is not a source of wealth - it's a leach at best, a destructive helluva bear at worst.
It isn't the federal government's role to fix pot holes. The BNA act of 1867 was pretty specific on that point.
Municipalities should suck it up, and make the cutbacks they need to make sure the world keeps on spinning and the roads keep on getting plowed.
And if that isn't enough, they should consider privatization of services. Toll roads are an obvious choice that is environmentally beneficial and are way overdue in this country.
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