These days, Canadians and Brits are being treated to lessons in caucus management. Robin Sears writes:
This government is still fighting a controversy that has cost them two ministers, an MP, the clerk of the privy council, and the prime minister’s most essential adviser. Angst over the disarray erupted in a very tense, sometimes hostile, caucus meeting last week. It is reported that senior staff have been assigned to do a better job of listening to grievances, sending and receiving messages from the centre to caucus and back. In the nine weeks of parliament left it seems unlikely that this will do much for wobbly morale.
Again, last week, it is the mother of parliaments that offers the most gripping real-life reality TV about the strange combination of family politics and biker-gang style turf wars that are the nature of every caucus. The U.K’s delightfully irascible House Speaker John Bercow dealt a savage blow to the May government, forbidding them from a third whack at the same Brexit bill. Theresa “one-note” May has nonetheless told EU leaders she will try again. A deeply frustrated EU gave her only 14 days to get it done.
In the end, both governments will be faced with the question of whether or not they will keep their leader. In both cases, their opponents are playing peek-a-boo. And, in both cases, the life is being sucked out of each government:
A constantly fissiparous caucus leeches valuable resources from the job of governing. Treacherous caucus deal-makers can deliver some very poor policy — a Brexit referendum, for instance. Even in opposition it can be wounding, as voters reasonably ask whether a leader who cannot manage their own tribe should be given the keys to the kingdom.
Consider how many files must be gathering dust on ministers’ desks due LavScam management sucking all the resources at the centre. Consider the deep divisions among lifelong friends it has already wrought. Then contemplate what a body blow is has been to morale and to planning a campaign only weeks away from soft launch.
The question that should be discussed seriously -- and is being overlooked -- is whether or not the opposition party would make things better.
Image: Indy 100
12 comments:
.. its a struggle to remain detached from the Lavalin imbroglio eh ?
Its polarized much of the political population's perspectives, perhaps not such a high percentage of the voting population. Its the all consuming crusade of Mainstream Media and revived the pathetic aspirations of the Royal Memorial Harper Reform Rump brigade under field marshmellow Andrew Scheer and his pedantic 'war room'.. Hi ho and onward marching christian partisans !!! We must rescue the true holy grail ! The NDP utter the similar & expected 'feet to the fire' utterings
Meanwhile, the salamander cabal wonder if we're just seeing another 'tipping point' blithely trampled via the 'embedded behaviour' of political parties such as the Liberal Party, currently running or ruining our government process. The Lavalin conundrum seems more the initial stages of a 'cascade of political failure' which will of course trash many of Canada's great strengths.
Start with Canada's Environment, rhen examine every Government Ministry - as they will indicate or encompass respective components of the coming collapse.
Procurement ! (say hello to Ms Henein!) Defense (hello Scott Brison.. how is your BMO family? Say hello to Ms Henein too, thanks) Resources ! (say hello to BMO, a big investor in the pipeline Trudeau bought for Canadians, Hello again to Scott Brison at BMO) Fisheries ! (currently blowing off the west coast marine food chain, starting with the herring fisher being overfished - east coast fishery collapse redux !!)
Indigenous Affairs (there's a great term! Affairs!) ..
oh lets see, what's left ! How about Justice (what a punching bag that's become!) Agriculture! (oh dairy me!) Immigration (uh oh)
Foreign Affairs (hint - its really the Dept of who to sell Tar Sands ethical discount Dilbit and fracked Liquified Natural Gas to, while posturing about climate change while pretending the spread of toxic pollution is 'nation building' or 'energy security for Canadians' - or both at once)
Impossible as it may seem to certain polarized partisans.. The vaunted Trudeau Government is tracking to not only outdo the abject failures of the Harper Government but to return them to power under (gulp) old stock Andrew Scheer. Is this why we held an election ? Like, why don't we just advertise & hire competant people to staff up the heads of the various ministries ? Fire them if they fail, toute suite ?
You are absolutely correct Owen, "the question that should be discussed seriously ....is whether or not the opposition party would make things better?" The Conservatives would be even more devious in the SNC Lavalin Affair. When I hear Scheer, Pollivere, Bergen and company spewing their venom I see absolutely zero credibility on their part. The problem, as has always been the case, is the Liberals electioneer from the left but rule from the right. They like the Conservatives will always support the status quo of the upper crust. RG
Business has placed its claws deep in every government, sal. And the cancer has metastisized.
Our politicians know who pays the bills, RG. And they're not about to bite the hand that feeds them.
One of my libertarian friends, a middle-management type in the federal public service, suggested that leaders need to look for a balance of sycophancy and competence in the individuals they select as ministers and parliamentary secretaries. In his view this one is all on Justin because he doesn’t have the background that would have provided him with the ability to make that type of judgment. He thinks that the boy didn’t know what he was getting into and should never have sought the job. This provided me with some insight into what some CRAP Party supporters seek and then expect the rest of us to tolerate in their leaders.
I know that my friend is one guy who always votes but would never even consider discussing the important question you’ve posed. And I’ll admit that I’m really not open to it either because I won’t waste any time trying to find something positive in libertarian political parties, and especially in ones that have accumulated debt to theocons and the precious B&R segment. It always comes down to the fading twenty percent that can still manage to keep an open mind. I think that this time all they need to do is ask it. But of course, that’s what this closed mind will think next time too.
Deomocracy is founded on the principle that there are open minds to be persuaded, John. But it appears that the closed minds now far out number the open ones.
Enough time and energy has been devoted to the SNC mess, although I doubt that is the real issue. Its like people arguing about something but the issue is really something else. Sort of like re directed anger. Canada's parliament has work to do. the last time I checked we still had an fent. crisis, there were communities which did not have clean drinking water, there were children, seniors, and mentally ill people living in dire poverty. enough of the first world pissing contests.
As to G.B. well, the racists got what they wanted and some others got what they wanted, which was the beginning of the break up of the E.U. Theresa May needs to get over herself and decide what to do what is best for G.B. If there is a hard brexit, the Brits, need to understand they will be out of toilet paper within 24 hrs. That ought to give them some thing to think about besides the shit show they have going on in Parliament.
As a child I can remember stores like Woodwards and Eaton's at Christmas having food baskets you could order here and have delivered to your relatives in G.B. In the 1950s G.B. was still playing catch up from WW II. They may find they're in a similar position with a hard Brexit.
Britons are going to have to pay a price for not thinking through the consequences of their decisions, e.a.f. -- a lesson we should take to heart. Unfortunately, it appears that Canadians are blind to this teachable moment.
“”Business has placed its claws deep in every government””
The video below shows how the USA got there and now it’s practiced in Canada.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6niWzomA_So
CS
The link is excellent, CS. And it skillfully makes the point that inequality has reached the point where it is destructive and can't be sustained.
It is an excellent video that highlights the revolving door between big business and Government. It may be about the USA; but, it is definately happening here in Canada. If our elected officials are not concerned with fighting the corruption, money laundering etc, it means that they are benefitting from it. How much of the laundered billions in BC made it into Federal coffers? Also notice how these same players are mostly inter related through marriage etc. Is that not “gaming” the system for their own benefit? So if voting only changes the players and not the game, what is the purpose of it other than to manipulate.
CS
Precisely, CS. The faces change. But the agenda remains the same.
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