Poly Ticks

Fiscal Responsibility

The Harper Gang is at it again. Remember the top scientist we left at home because we were being fiscally responsible? In a new display of the same sort of attention to detail, the Conservative Party decided to save money by getting their advertising printed at taxpayer expense. See here for the story.

Without a doubt, my favourite quote of the story was:

"We are correcting the situation with the statements that were mistakenly issued under (departmental) letterhead. This was an oversight on our part," said Ann Matejicka.

Oversight being the problem. Like the upcoming stimulus package spending spree they want to go on. Without any oversight to their spending. The one they are willing to plunge the country into another election over. And that's why they need the free advertising. Because this is as much about Stephen Harper daring Michael Ignatieff as it is about making sure it's his buddies who get the cheques. Stephen Harper knows that every obscene thing the Government passes weakens Michael Ignatieff in the eyes of Liberal voters. And that's something Stephen Harper doesn't have to worry about. He's already lost all but his most hard core conservative supporters, so his only road to power lies in forcing the Liberals into enough concessions that the Liberal voter base becomes annoyed. The Harper Gang will never rule through a majority of votes. Their only hope is in fracturing their opposition and alienating the electorate from the political system so that their 20% of the electorate is enough to stay in power.

Let The Games Begin, Again

First of all an explanation for the absence. There's a new job and it's taken some adjusting to the schedule and the routine. My apologies. And now, on with the show...

The Conservatives are terrified of losing power. That was why they took the extended vacation. That is why they've introduced a budget full of gifts. Of course it's not really a Liberal budget as some are trying to suggest. It also included some money to their friends in the tar sands. While spending money in Alberta it takes money from Newfoundland and Labrador. It still tries to take away pay equity for women. It's as mean spirited and as partisan as ever, it just spends a lot more money doing it.

Help Me, I'm An Economist

I will admit that the first time I heard the "ask two, get three answers" joke it was economists being referred to. But what's with Stephen Harper, the great economist and strategist suddenly asking for help. From anyone who will listen. And if you're Michael Ignatieff and suggest that it's the government's job to come up with a budget and an opposition's job to critique it then you get slammed for not helping. Or if you're the NDP and actually show up for the meeting you're ignored. The Bloc, one expects, are not invited to the party. So basically we have "No thanks, I can do it myself" to "Please help me" to "If you didn't help me it's all your fault." Remember that kid in grade school?

The kid who never did anything and always blamed someone else. The kid you wonder about years later in the "man, I wondered what happened to him when the real world hit" sort of way. That's Stephen Harper this month. Wonder who he'll be next month. Suppose that will depend on whether or not he manages to come up with a budget that people can live with.

Stephen Harper Finally Sees The Train, Soundtrack by The Who

It seems as if Stephen Harper has finally realised what's going on. There are suggestions from the Conservative camp that there will be far fewer confidence votes in the next legislation and that some more controversial legislation won't be pushed forward. It would be nice if this was happening because Stephen Harper looked up the definition of "minority government", but it would seem not to be the case.

Stephen Harper has finally come to understand that he might not hold on to power if he pushes this Opposition. There's also the fact that someone in the Conservative camp has done the math and reached the conclusion that if they can hold power until January next year, that they will be able to appoint so many Senators that they control the Senate. Seems like the new boss is looking a lot like the old boss. Let's hope we won't get fooled again.

Merry Christmas Senate Reform

Some people have suggested that Stephen Harper is not to be trusted, but personally I think you can trust him. You can trust him to speak loudly and passionately about what he believes in. You can trust him to change his mind about what he believes in if it doesn't help him. You can trust him to do the exact opposite of what he said he would do if he thinks it will help him push his agenda forward. You can trust him to ignore the conventions and accepted rules if they get in his way. You can even trust him to break the law if he feels he wants to make a point. In short, you can trust him to be Stephen Harper.

After years of railing against Senate appointments, and even making his point by not appointing any new Senators last term, Stephen Harper has done his usual about face and appointed himself some Senators. Of course he couldn't make those appointments while Parliament was in session like every other Prime Minister, because he suspended Parliament in order to avoid getting tossed out on his ass. So, after setting one precedent for being the first Prime Minister to use the formal procedure of prorogation to avoid a vote of confidence, he adds to that legacy by being the first one to appoint Senators during a prorogation. Does this mean Stephen Harper might actually be beginning to realise that he might not be around much longer and so this is his last chance to tuck some friends in?

I like the Senate, I believe in the Senate and I think it has, generally, served this country very well. On most days it continues to. I also believe in appointed Senators. Typically they are not appointed by some unknown and unelected hermit, they are appointed by the person who, having achieved the majority support of Parliamentarians, achieves the office of Prime Minister. What could be more democratic? This person, usually, has won at least 3 elections to get there. The election to leadership of their party, their home riding election, and then the more nebulous election of having the most seats in the House of Commons. This year, however, only two out of three of those elections were won. There is no doubt in anyone's mind that Stephen Harper has lost the support of the House of Commons.

The Senate's function is to stop populist politicians with from running our country like a dictatorship. And we need them now as much as we ever have.

Does Anyone Check Facts Before Reporting Them Any More?

GM workers make, on average, over $70/hour. Heard this stat lately? I just heard it on Newsworld and was shocked. No, not at the amount, but at the fact that Newsworld was repeating the figure even after Media Matters pointed out a few days ago that this number is a gross error. The average GM worker makes just under $40/hour. So where did that number come from? GM. And it's easy to guess why.

The Media Matters story here.

If There Were Any Doubts

Stephen Harper was interviewed today on CBC. He was asked a couple of times whether or not he thinks he did anything wrong in the last two weeks, if maybe some of the madness was his fault. Nope. Not a bit. Screw you all! It was interesting to watch what he did with his hands and which questions made him ball his little fists up and turn his knuckles white.

If anyone had any questions about Stephen Harper and if he had been chastened any by the last two weeks now has their answer. Nope. I think the NDP are right on this one, Stephen Harper only sees his plans for dictatorship as being wrong because they didn't work. That is still the plan. The moment he thinks he can get away with it he will bring in every single thing he's backed down on. He has not backed down on the ideas, just on the timing. The man is dangerous. The man has no respect for the Canadian system of parliamentary government. The man has no respect for his party, and no respect for Canadians.

Politics And Fear

An interesting study (article here) suggests that our political leanings may be influenced by our biology. After testing the fear response and corelating it to our political persuasion, the reaserchers suggest that those with a high fear response tend to vote conservative. Those with a low fear response tend to vote liberal.

It would suggest that for the conservatives, raising the fear level would help mobilise their base. That certainly explains a lot about the right wing politics we've been seeing a lot of lately.

Stephen Harper Speaks

Wow.

Stephen Harper asked for and got 5 minutes of tv time to convince Canadians that he's right. There was much wondering whether or not Stephen Harper would use this opportunity to apologise for creating this crisis. Whether or not there would be some contrition. There was none. It was nothing but pure politics again and that should anger every Canadian regardless of political affiliation. Worse yet it was filled with, well, lies. I know I shouldn't be so blunt, but there it is. He lied and he knows he's lying. It is a disgrace.

Let's look at his speech. One of the things that the Conservative Party has been doing in the House of Commons lately is to say different things in English and French. It seems that the text was the same in English and French except for one word. In English the Bloc are separatists, in French they are sovereignists. Very telling that. It's guaranteed to rile up his Conservative base in the west. Just what we need in a time of economic crisis.

From Stephen Harper's televised speech:

"Constant in every case, however, is the principle that Canada's Government has always been chosen by the people." Wrong. Canada's Government is chosen by the House of Commons. The House of Commons is chosen by the people. You would think the Prime Minister should have this fundamental fact down by now.

"Unfortunately, even before the Government has brought forward its budget, and only seven weeks after a general election, the opposition wants to overturn the results of that election." - Utter bullshit. And he knows it. No-one is asking for seats in the House of Commons to be changed and that is what the results of the election are.

"Instead of an immediate budget, they propose a new coalition which includes the party in Parliament whose avowed goal is to break up the country." Same smell as the above quote. The coalition is between the Liberal Party and the NDP. The Bloc are only relevant in that they have agreed not to vote against the coalition in 3 votes - a speech from the Throne and 2 budgets over the course of 18 months.

"At a time like this, a coalition with the separatists cannot help Canada. And the Opposition does not have the democratic right to impose a coalition with the separatists they promised voters would never happen." Again, the Bloc is not part of the coalition. And actually the Opposition not only have the right, they have the duty to replace any Government that has lost the support of Parliament.

"The Opposition is attempting to impose this deal without your say, without your consent, and without your vote." There was a vote. And the majority of those MP's Canadians voted for want Mr Harper out. Mr Harper knows this.

That's one lie a minute in his 5 minute speech.

Mr Harper must go. Now. And please, let the door hit you in the.....

The Governor General

I like our Governor General. When Michaelle Jean's nomination to Governor General was announced I smiled. I also like the Office. No one would suggest that Parliament could function without the Speaker of the House, we can all very easily see that things would descend into name calling, hair pulling and spitballs in a day. It's because his role is constantly being required that makes it so easy to understand. It's a little tougher with the Governor General.

Like the Speaker of the House, the GG's role is to make sure that the Government of Canada remains stable. If it isn't stable, then it is the GG's job to find a way to fix it. Most of the time it's easy to fix - call an election. This has many people looking on the Office of the GG as purely symbolic. It isn't, and if the latest round of high drama and low theater from Ottawa doesn't make that obvious, well, let's just say it does.

Whatever the GG decides in our present "crisis", someone is going to be seriously peeved, so I propose an interesting exercise. Listen to what each party is saying in regards to both Michaelle Jean, and the Office of the GG right now. Remember it once the GG has decided what will happen to try and fix this mess, and listen to how it changes. It will be telling.

Speaking of listening to the parties speaking.....have you notice that one side of this discussion is jumping up and down and using highly emotional language? Just today I heard treason and sedition used to describe the Liberal Party and Stephane Dion. Do you think for a second that if M. Dion was honestly engaged in treason that there wouldn't be charges laid against him with great haste? Surely that would take the steam out of the coalition. Must be just another cheap gimmick to try and take the minds of Canadians off of what's really going on. Stephen Harper and the Cons have lost the support of the majority of Parliament. They had a chance to play nice with at least one other party in Ottawa and couldn't bring themselves to do it. It's time for them to go.

$300 Million Later...

Many Canadians woke up this morning wondering just what this latest $300 million exercise in politics was good for. It's a damn good question.

Elizabeth May didn't manage a single seat.The Green's popular vote did increase and so will their funding. The one bright light for the Green Party is that a great many Canadians got to hear more of their platform than we were even aware existed. From proportional representation to guaranteed annual income there were a lot of ideas I like and they will definitely be worth watching as the party matures. At the very least some of their ideas might find themselves getting picked up by other parties. Let's hope so. All in all a disappointing finish for the Greens, but some glimmers of hope for the party.

Jack Layton ran a strong campaign, but still hasn't managed to convince Canadians that the NDP is a real option for government. While there was an increase in seats it certainly wasn't the jump they were hoping for and are trying to sell to Canadians. I think before the next election the NDP has a choice. As a third or fourth party, many people see the NDP as an irrelevant force in politics. And perhaps as a mainstream party trying to form the government they are. However they could always run as the conscience of a minority government and this is a place the NDP have performed spectacularly in the past. Think health care. Think EI. Think most of the things we now use to identify ourselves as Canadians.

Gilles Duceppe was his usual charming self, but realistically was handed his victory by the Conservatives. Once they realised that the arts cuts and tough on crime were not going to get them any seats in Quebec, the plan for Quebec was to block the Liberals. When the Conservatives attacked Dion's command of the English language and replayed the tape of his interview problems they knew it would push people to the Bloc. So did Duceppe and he took full advantage of the gift.

Stephane Dion put a brave face on the election last night, but his time is up. The Liberals were sharpening their knives before the polls closed, and perhaps rightly so. There was a moment in this campaign when there was a chance of a Liberal minority, and the movement from there to losing seats in the House will not sit well with the Liberals. I have no trouble with the Liberal Party fielding intellectuals as their party leader, but those intellectuals need to have something more. Because I'm smart and several smart people agree with me is not a way to win elections in Canada. People expect the Liberal Party to inspire them, to make them dream of a better Canada, and this inspiration was lacking from the campaign. It wasn't the Green Shift plan that killed them, it was that they allowed the Conservatives to define their plan. It's difficult to understand was the Conservative message and the Liberals never over came it. It's not difficult to understand. Tax polluters and pass that money directly to Canadians thru tax cuts. The tax cuts will be written into the same legislation that implements the carbon taxes. There you go - two sentences.

Stephen Harper's lot is more difficult to figure out. There shouldn't be any doubt that this election was called because Stephen Harper thought he could get a majority in parliament. There were other bonuses to be had, but the real goal was a majority government and the ability to unveil a plan that could then be pushed thru without any opposition until it hit the Senate, and any slowdown there would be used as fodder for eliminating the Senate. The main goals of this campaign were not reached. However there was an increase in seats and he has very effectively splintered his opposition As long as one party supports his legislation it will get thru the House. The fact that their main opposition will shortly be once again undergoing a leadership race should also give the Conservatives some satisfaction and some breathing room. There is one inescapable fact of this election tho, and it is getting a lot of press. With the opposition is complete disarray, with a fiscal crisis and the Conservatives usually seen as the fiscally responsible government, with the Green Shift being so easily managed, this should have been a stomp. This election should have returned a huge majority for the Conservatives and yet Stephen Harper could only manage to hold on to his minority. Surprisingly, when asked about this and whether he would resign because of it, Stephen Harper said he would fulfill his mandate, but didn't sound so enthusiastic about leading the Party through another election. Perhaps even Stephen knows he blew what will probably be his only chance to be King without opposition.

That leaves us with the Canadian people. You know, the folks who are supposed to be represented by parliament. $300 million dollars buys us a new Liberal leader, but not much else has changed. There's a chance that the Conservatives will strike a more cooperative tone once the House resumes, but I'm not holding my breath. Experience has told us that when Stephen Harper thinks the other parties are reluctant to force an election, he makes every vote a matter of confidence and acts as if he has a majority. I'm hopeful but not holding my breath. Then there's the voter turnout. The lowest voter turnout in Canadian history.

Voter turnout should be telling our politicians something loud and clear. The conservatives may have won just under 38% of the popular vote, but that's just 38% of half of the eligible voters, or somewhat less than 20% of eligible voters. Our country is now being run by someone that over 80% of eligible voters could not see themselves voting for. This should be sharing the stage with the economic crisis. It is as important. The strength of our democracy depends on people voting. The more people vote, the healthier our system is. There's not enough discussion in the mainstream about this, and when there is discussion the prevailing sentiment seems to be election fatigue. Too many elections in too short a time and so people drop out. I think this is a simplistic explanation, but it does touch on what I think the problem is.

Canadians overwhelmingly did not want an election, and yet we had one. Canadians expect our politicians to represent our views in Parliament, and yet there's been nothing but political infighting. Canadians voices are being ignored and lost in Ottawa. People see their vote as useless. That is what you hear if you actually ask the people who didn't vote instead of media pundits. "My vote doesn't mean anything." And you know what? They're right. Perhaps it's time we started talking about that.

All in all it was a disappointing evening for everyone involved. Now we have another minority government. Maybe we'll get that election in the fall of 2009 like we were supposed to after all.

Stealing The Bully's Marbles

Stephen Harper has often been called a bully, and it's a name that has, in the past, fit. His attitude and actions were seen as taking advantage of his opponents weaknesses, and repeatedly kicking them while they were down. His political maneuvering has displayed a ruthlessness that stood apart in a city of ruthlessness. And while most professional politicians have mastered the two face dance, Mr Harper is exceptionally good at it.

Mr Harper's plan this election was to win a majority government. He was watching support wane for the Bloc in Quebec where he knew the Liberals were disorganised. The new Liberal leader had been having problems reaching out to members of his own party as well as the public at large. And while the NDP may be getting better at wielding their third party power, I don't think Mr Harper ever took the NDP seriously as a threat to his quest for power.

This morning Stephen Harper rearranged his travel schedule to let the reporters following his campaign watch tape of Stephane Dion. Seems Stephane had a bit of trouble during an interview last night and the Conservatives grabbed tape from the cutting room floor to show off and claim it proved Stephane wasn't ready to rule. Normally this would have been seen as another classic bully by Mr Harper, but what happens when the bullying no longer inspires fear and respect?

Mr Harper's move hasn't gotten the expected response. No-one is willing to jump on the bandwagon with him and even Jack Layton brushes it off as irrelevant. Which it was. Unfortunately for Mr Harper, when a bully no longer inspires fear, his actions are seen in a very different light. Perhaps in a more realistic light. Stephen Harper's actions this morning seem less like a bully, and more like a spoiled child stamping it's feet when he doesn't get what he wants.

Fool Me Once

There's a reason the neo con label gets attached to the Conservative Party. Watch what's happening in the U.S. The Republicans that are helping stop the theft are old school, not neo. Stephen Harper is neo. Deregulation is his mantra. We've seen it's reprecussions in our food inspection. Even after the listeriosis outbreak, they didn't back away from deregulation - in fact they blamed it on there not being enough. Do we really need to watch the neo cons perform their second act here in Canada?

(my favourite quote from the U.S. - "we're being handed a cow patty with a marshmellow in the middle and I'm not going to eat the cow patty")