Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Martin's Dismay



After cataloguing the numerous attempts to subvert democracy during the Harper regime, a dismayed Lawrence Martin concludes his column in this morning's Globe and Mail with the following observation:

At the same time, many other voices are raised in protest. But they don’t get enough traction. The dogs bark and the caravan – the mockery of democracy – moves on.

Allan Gregg has also catalogued the abuses; but, Martin writes:

It seems Mr. Harper has concluded that he can continually get away with in-your-face provocations. The media and the opposition parties, he reasons, will move on; at some point, everything becomes old news. Although the latest poll shows Mr. Harper with just a 35-per-cent approval rating (while Barack Obama, with a dismal economy, gets 50 per cent), he may be right. People have short memories.

The truth is that Stephen Harper has nothing but contempt for the citizens of this country -- even (and perhaps most especially) for the ones who elected them. Dan Gardiner recently wrote that Harper thinks we're morons. The proof of that claim is in the new omnibus bill which is coming down the pike. As has been the case for the last six years, he got away with it once -- proroguing parliament, misleading parliament, accusing the opposition of doing exactly as he did -- and so he does it again.

Martin's dismay is understandable. Perhaps we are morons.

15 comments:

Lorne said...

Your conclusion, Owen, is one that I have long tried to resist, but I think you are right. But even though those of us who blog about the abuses that essentially define the Harper regime may in fact be whistling in the wind, I can think of no other way to try to spread the word and rouse people from their lethargy.

And I write the above with no arrogance and no illusions about the small impact we have in our efforts.

Owen Gray said...

The impact we have is not revolutionary, Lorne. Nonetheless, I believe that moronic behaviour is reversible.

It's possible to learn from one's mistakes. I clung to that belief as a teacher. I cling to it as a citizen.

We may have acted foolishly in the past. That does not mean that we will continue to act foolishly.

Tossing Pebbles in the Stream said...

Someone with more researching skills than me should show how many times the Harper government has had to go to the courts for a adjudication or been taken to court over something they did or did not do would find they almost always lose. This would be a good indicator of how the Harper government is out of step with Canadian core values. I am always so thankful for our Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the judiciary that interprets and defends them.

Owen Gray said...

These days the only real opposition to the Harper government is coming from the courts, Philip.

Imagine what would happen if the Charter wasn't there.

Anonymous said...

You can not rationalize someone who isn't rational. Harper isn't rational. Harper doesn't make a lick of sense. He is so bizarre, it's scary.

I have lost count, of the lawsuits against Harper. However, he has access to out tax dollars, while the others don't. Harper also controls judges, police, courts, media, Elections Canada, his ministers, Scientists. Need I go on?

ICC's Chief Prosecutor found Harper guilty of, stonewalling and refusing to co-operate, in the investigation of the torture of the detainee's. ICC left it up to the RCMP, to pursue that matter. Of course, the RCMP did not do so.

The RCMP will be Harper's state police. Harper and Oliver are setting up the RCMP, into anti-eco terrorist squads. Those who object to the Enbridge pipeline, are terrorists.

Harper has the same typo personality as, Stalin, Hitler and Mussolini. All of them were paranoid dictators. All of them were obsessed to control, absolutely everything they could get their hands on. All of them lied, deceived, were corrupt, thieved, and cheated to win. Anyone opposing them, met very harsh punishment. Harper is no different.

Owen Gray said...

Which is to say, Anon, that the longer we let Harper get away with what he does, the bigger the price we are going to pay.

Kirbycairo said...

It is not a coincidence that Harper's approval rating is right around the number of people who would generally vote conservative no matter what. These people really have no concern for democracy or understanding what democracy even means in the context of the traditions of the British parliamentary system. These people don't have a conception of the seriousness of Harper's efforts against democracy have been. And most of all these people really don't see the dangers of the precedents that the Harper "government" is setting. Years from now when other parties have control of the government and are routinely proroguing parliament, shutting down debate, passing huge bills containing everything for the whole legislative session, and using the military for political ends, then many people who supported Harper will be up in arms about such practices. But then it will simply be too late.

But this is the nature of our system - there are a group of people who are simply so partisan and ill-informed that they will support "their" party regardless. But it is really sad that it is these people that can let democracy slip from our fingers.

Owen Gray said...

I suspect that, if you scratched below the surface, Harper's supporters would tell you they rule by divine sanction, Kirby.

The fact that Harper is sabotaging democracy is of no import to them -- unless and until someone else is in power and God no longer appears to be on their side.

lungta said...

harper thinking we are morons comes straight out his school of Calgary learning of Leo Strauss.
Then being absolutely frustrated by his time in opposition he coauthored “Our benign dictatorship “
Canada's system of one-party-plus rule has stunted democracy.
Two prominent conservatives present the case for more representative government
by Stephen Harper and Tom Flanagan”
Canada was ripe for harper as democracy wasn't really happening anyway.
democracy would mean i get a vote on every issue
I never did
I got to vote for a meatsack that could loose his mind, change his mind or just lie to me to get my vote.
In 1972 the LeDain commission recommended legalizing marijuana with the general support of the population ....did democracy happen? no
For me to be represented in parliament i would have to hire a lobbyist
harper simply worked the system and with his personality became what we see.
We cannot mourn the loss of democracy thru him however it never really existed for us .
Canadians could have taken lessons from Libya of all places with their jamahiriya, their 2000 peoples congresses and 40 year focus to have every Libyan involved in politics and vote on every issue.
Historically it exists (if you care to look) to now be now be liberated into meatsack democracy.
The morons may rise and remove the harper but the total lack of democracy will remain because if you win in this system ,you win big ....absolute power for a 4 year crime spree or whatever you and your caucus decide and the seduction of that appears to be impossible to resist.
If this was democracy it wouldn't have such a crap-shoot feel about it, you would vote on every policy not just vote for a representative party suit-tard.

lungta said...

for lorne
Statically 4 out 10 of your friends didn't vote
Next election get them to vote
If they are your friends they won't vote con will they?
Spread the word we have 3 years

PROMOTE UNITE THE CENTER LEFT
under one banner
or harper forever
pick one

Owen Gray said...

True responsible government hasn't existed in Canada for a long time. lungta.

You can go all the way back to Trudeau's crack about backbenchers being "nobodies."

That's why coalition governments are the most democratic. They prevent one party dictatorships. However, they also tend to be unstable.

We need at an entente between the opposition parties. Perhaps Unite the Centre isn't a bad slogan.

Anonymous said...

"Conservative Trojan horse bill"

Ya I am not a moron because I did not vote for the moron Harper and the longer he is in power the more he proves me right, he is the moron, I knew it all along.

Mogs

Owen Gray said...

The challenge, Mogs, is getting the people like you -- who knew who Harper was all along -- organized into the kind of voting block that will send him back to the National Citizens Coalition.

lungta said...

harper has made that same Trudeau "nobodies" backbench reference too.
I can go with
UNITE THE CENTER
Send harper back to the Northern Foundation .....it is a bit more suitable for him.

Owen Gray said...

That would take him back farther than the National Citizens Coalition, lungta -- back to the the Neanderthals.