Fuck-face versus Parliament: What Now?

[Bragi]

The PM's statements Wednesday that there is need for balance between national security and releasing sensitive documents is quite correct, however, what he is blithely ignoring from the ruling is that he has to hand over the documents to Parliament, and it is Parliament that decides what gets released publicly, not him.

This tells me that he is either operating on the usual bad advice he generally seeks (himself, inexperienced political staffers) or that he knows what Milliken said and he has no intention of complying with the ruling.

Doesn't look good for "compromise".

So I'm predicting either a) an election, or b) a ridiculous and worthless SCC referral to buy more time.

With polls being what they are, I think the latter is more likely. The SCC will quickly boot it back saying, properly so, it isn't their job to resolve Parliament's problems. The earliest that would happen would likely be July or August, more likely in September.

I also think Harper's continued intransigence suggests that the docs show his own direct involvement or, at minimum, that of his office in ordering soldiers to hand over detainees for torture. Otherwise he would not be going as far as he is. If it was just Ministers who were implicated, he would have done what any other PM would do in that situation and throw them overboard.

- B

[Metric System]

1. And yet the polls STILL favour the Cons! Unfuckingbelievable. Ugh.

http://www.cbc.ca/politics/story/2010/04/29/ekos-poll-april-29.html

[ZeitgeistObserver]

2. Cons have a solid base in the west, that's why.

Libs are more popular in Ontario and the Maritimes. Quebec is of course mainly Bloc.

Cons are working hard to push Ont to their side, which would give them a majority.

[BolivarianHero]

3. Nobody likes Harper...

http://www.harrisdecima.com/sites/default/files/releases/2010/04/26/hd-2010-04-26-en640.pdf

But once again, the untold story if that the left is polling at 42, the right at 29, and the centre at 27.

*waits for Libbots to blame the NDP and Greens*

[ZeitgeistObserver]

4. Well since the country is never going to go NDP,

much less Green, the story will remain untold.

[Bragi]

5. My problem isn't with 30% voting conservative

My problem is that they have elected a government with a deep ideological disdain for the other 70 per cent, and as long as the 70 per cent continue to split our votes between 4 other parties, Harper will continue to shove the values of his core up our asses.

He has already moved the country sharply and, I fear, irrovacably to the right, and he is just getting started.

These are desperate times, and things will just get worse as long as the parties of the center and the left don't find common cause and, at minimum, start to campaign as a coalition.

[ZeitgeistObserver]

6. The country hasn't moved to the right.

It's just Canadians split the vote.

Quebec has effectively dealt itself out of federal politics, and the NDP and Libs refuse to merge like the 'right' did.

The PMO is there for the taking, and people are looking for a leader to do that.

[Bragi]

7. Appreciate your points, on one level...

I agree the Canadians haven't moved profoundly to the right, but the public policy of this country sure has, and at the same time, Harper has emptied the treasury and shut down key tax revenue sources, all of which will, on a practical level, impede our ability to do much as a country for many years to come.

As for people "just looking for a leader" to assert the values of the majority, I honestly don't think so. Most Canadians vote when an election comes, but they are complacent and don't care a whole lot one way or the other about what happens after that. And if a more charismatic version of Harper came along, they'd probably jump on board.

I hate to sound so despairing, but I'm not a youngster, and I'm doing fine myself, but I feel like I'm watching the country I used to be proud of go down the drain, and no-one cares enough to do anything to stop it.

It's akin to watching climate change take hold. You know pretty well what's coming, but there is just no apparent intention or will to do anything to stop it. I know we've passed the point of no return on climate change, and I feel like we're nearing the political point of no return for Canada.

- B

[ZeitgeistObserver]

8. I'll agree about Harper

having emptied the treasury,and moved our public policy way to the right. Unless another party can find some extra revenue, we are stuck. This was Harper's plan all along from what's been said. Drowning the fed govt in the bathtub. Power to the provinces and all that.

I think if we had a genuine leader it would raise interest in politics again. People were keen each time the Libs got one, and then after a few months the enthusism died. I don't think the Cons have anyone who's an improvement on Harper,which is sad in iteself, just a bunch of mediocrities. People apparently see Mackay as the next leader and that's scary. Last time he got the leadership of a party he threw it away, and his judgement has been monumentally bad ever since.

I agree we may be watching the country go down the drain. Harper is driving it in that direction with his devisive policies, and the Libs aren't picking up the slack. And the voters seem to be suffering from some kind of malaise. The prorogation was the only thing that's gotten them riled up in years, and of course now that's over with and we've sunk back into apathy.

I would have thought there would be more uproar about possibly being war criminals, but no. People are actually more interested in Helena and Jaffer, and they're a sideshow at best. Harp's dictator tendency should ring alarm bells, but apparently people see that as strong leadership. They don't want him too strong though, so after four years we still have a tie in the polls. Harper has one more chance at a majority before he's out, Iggy has had no improvement in the polls, and he's been there long enough to have found his feet, so it looks like minority govt for years yet.

Yeah, depressing.

[Fallenserpent]

9. NDP and Liberals merge

The only thing that these two parties have in common is they oppose the Conservatives. The Libs. and the Cons have far more in common then the NDP and the Libs. As well, the the Greens and the Libs have more in common with one another. This basically comes down to the Cons, Libs and Greens are all slightly different forms of right wingers.... not centre parties.

Te only two social democrats are the NDP and the Bloc, and I doubt they will get together.

Canada is and has always been a neo-liberal orientated country, with the exception of Mike Harris and Alberta being neo-cons.

[ZeitgeistObserver]

10. Neo-liberal

ne·o·lib·er·al·ism (n-lbr--lzm, -lbr-)
n.
A political movement beginning in the 1960s that blends traditional liberal concerns for social justice with an emphasis on economic growth

[Fallenserpent]

12. neo-liberals

concerns for social justice, but no action. All emphasis on economic growth... ya...capitalism and lining their pockets.

dinosaur politics...we need to change. We need to stop being led by the nose of these neo-liberals and their capitalist fiends. these people don't care about anything but themselves, and how much money can be made.period. we have decades of proof of this, and yet it's the same old debates, same old politics. I think this is why most Canadians are so sick of politics.

[Bragi]

11. Be that as it may...

I think the most important thing is to stop Harper from doing what he is now doing, and intends to do more of.

No single or multiple policy difference between the parties comes even close to trumping that issue, far as I'm concerned.

I wish voters could be given a way to just defeat Harper, and then let the other parties and their leaders and supporters fight over whatever comes next.