It's beginning to look, Lawrence Martin writes, like the revolt has begun:
Last week, the Supreme Court offered a declaration of its independence, reminding the Prime Minister that its power is constitutionally entrenched, not subject to his whims or arrogance. In pushing a highly controversial choice on the court, the PM tried to retroactively rewrite the rules via one of his much-criticized omnibus bills. The court’s stinging rebuke was applauded by pundits and editorialists across the land.
Criticism of the Fair Elections Act has become international:
The so-called Fair Elections Act appears to be meeting a similar fate. Universal condemnation and ridicule has greeted it. Even Canada’s academic community, usually silent in respect to abuse of power in Ottawa, has gotten in on the act on this one. Last week, democracy experts from around the world joined in, saying the bill would cripple the autonomy of Elections Canada and send a bad example to budding democracies.
And the RCMP -- which we assumed was under the Prime Minister's thumb -- keeps uncovering embarrassing revelations:
On the Senate expenses scandal, they were quick to come out with a report that revealed how the Prime Minister’s Office tried to shield the whole sordid affair. On this, there is still more fallout to come.
So to avoid the backlash, Mr. Harper has gone to the Ukraine to lecture Vladamir Putin on how his invasion of a foreign country generates international condemnation. This from the man who loudly supported George W. Bush's invasion of Iraq.
Could this be the beginning of the end?
18 comments:
One can only hope. However with Harper until I see his political corpse beheaded, mouth stuffed with garlic and his body burned to ashes I will not count on it (yes I know, rather extreme, but after watching how this man keep coming back from oblivion since the late 80s I am not willing to trust anything less). I was one of those that recognized Harper for what he was from the beginning of his political career, and one that took his threat seriously, although I also knew he was unelectable so long as he ran under his true Straussian beliefs, and he was until the 2004 election seemed to finally prove to him that he had to mask himself in "traditional Canadian Conservative values" to win even against a governing party as weakened by time and scandal as the Libs under Martin were. Indeed, it is in part because of all his difficulties in getting to where he is that I believe drives his rampant paranoia and extreme control freak nature (I mean on top of what his core political beliefs already fuel, because with him I believe it goes beyond even those, Harper is something truly horrific and unthinkable in Canadian political society/culture even as recently as a decade ago, the best succinct description I ever came up for him was Dick Cheney without the principles, and no that is not snark but something I believe to be a fair description, especially as both men are Straussians) as PM.
Regarding that Cheney without the principles bit, whatever one wants to say about Dick Cheney (and is there ever so much to say, anyone that can get someone to apologize for putting his face in the way of his shotgun blast is a truly ahem unique individual) his actions as the true President (which he was for at least 6 of the 8 GWB years) were consistent with his political beliefs as a follower of Leo Strauss, same as his core group such as Scooter Libby and company. He clearly practiced those core beliefs in his creation of that entirely new branch of government the VP's office, he clearly stuck to those principles even when it was finally costing his hold over GWB, and he continues to defend the choices and principles to this day whenever he pops up from his hidden bunker to do so even to this day. Cheney practiced what he preached, the fact that what he preached was something as ugly and disturbing as what it is does not change that (this is in terms of overall, I am not saying he was the perfect Straussian, just a clearly committed one). Harper has all of Cheneys political vices though without what few virtues he has (granted not many but still, compared to Harper he really does have them, and the idea that I would be using and defending Cheney as a politically principled man is also something I find truly bizarre and underscores just how warped reality has become with Harper as PM) as a politician and political leader, he would be bad enough in a system of government designed for internal conflict and as aggressively loaded with counterbalances as the American model was structured with, in our Canadian Westminsterian model he is truly destructive beyond all simple measure and description.
Sorry, I know that last was a bit of a tangent from your post and its thrust. As to your question, I would like to think so, I hope so, but I need to see a lot more before I will be at all willing to believe it to actually be so. Given the Harper record to date anything else in my view would be utterly foolish.
It's too early to write Harper's political obituary, Scotian. And, as a man who claims to like cats, he seems to have nine lives.
But one can hope.
I read, the Canadian Nazis had donated to Harper's Alliance in 2002? There has certainly been a lot of chatter regarding, Harper being a fascist and a dictator.
Harper has no honor, decency, ethics nor morals, what-so-ever. How any of Harper's team can have any self respect, supporting Harper? Boggles me.
Unfortunately it isn't only the Harper record that makes me as dubious as Scotian.
Harper will attempt to take vengeance on the Supreme Court. Whether he's willing to trigger a whole scale Constitutional crisis remains to be seen although it wouldn't come as much of a surprise if he did. He's already made it quite clear that he has little to no respect for the Constitution.
He'll probably start looking for ways to undermine/destroy the Alberta Progressive Conservative Party now that it's clear that some of the heavyweights there are active in the push to try and rid Parliament of Rob Anders. Gotta protect his bumboy after all.
And Martin may be the only voice in the media trying to make a solid case against Harper. Pretty much everyone else is either a Harper supporter or has come to the accommodation point.
And then...there's no real opposition. Justin still seems to think it's neither a knife fight nor a gunfight and so he shows lots of gums and teeth while trying to fend off the old guard who know it's a death match except they think they're supposed to be killing one another. Mulcair and the Honey Dippers appear to be trying to arm themselves appropriately but they don't have 1) the money, 2) the natural inclination and will or 3) any idea who the real opponent is or what the stakes really are.
*All* of Harper's supporters will show up at the ballot boxes.
The rest of the voters?
That's the real issue, Dana. The next election will be determined by turnout. Harper knows that.
That's precisely why he's doing his best to suppress it.
The evidence has been there for a long time, Anon. The trouble is that Canadians have figured that a man who dresses in blue sweaters can't be a threat to them.
Image trumps substance.
As a political observer for at least 55 0f my 70 years, I have to lesser or greater degree, admired,liked and disliked, praised and crticized a goodly number of prime ministers.
All deserved a measure of respect, grudging or otherwise, and some were truly great, but I never hated or despised any of them, content in the knowledge that they would be given their just desserts by the electorate in the fullness of time.
Now I not only despise and dislike with a fury the current pm, I fear for my country, my family and myself in ways that I would never have imagined before.
We need desperately to rid ourselves of this evil and his retinue of cold hearted, mean and destructive followers.
Harper is a prime minister unlike any before him, Ron -- precisely because he feels nothing but contempt for this country's institutions.
And, strangely enough, he calls himself a "Conservative."
The revolt has not yet started and it may never. The e.g.s. listed above have simply been cases of where Harper has over extended himself and various organizations within government have seen fit to do their job. Now there may come a time Harper and his harpots will change the laws so that work can no longer be done Once that happens there maybe a revolt or if a fair election is held, oil can will un-elected. That will however depend upon the voters.
Organization is key. If the progressives can work on Olivia Chow's campaign and win; there will be hope. Harper has wanted Toronto to go Harper and they elected Ford. Now we see Conservatives, Liberals and N.D.s all working on the campaign. In Toronto a revolt has started.
A revolt, in Canada, will mostly come about, if oil can continues on his merry way ignoring Canadian values, traditions, and laws. At that time those who can no longer stomach oil can will get together to rid the federal Conservative Party of he and his ilk. The federal Conserative Party run by Harper is not the Conservative Party of earlier times.
We can only hope to live long enough to see the back end of Harper and his crew.
Harper is so shallow oblivious to the fact that many of us see his antics across the sea are more aimed at getting Ukrainian votes at home than anything else.
"Prime Minister Stephen Harper is rejecting a senior Russian parliamentarian’s contention that Canada has no legitimate reason to be playing such an active role in the Crimea crisis, saying the more than one million Canadians of Ukrainian descent gives him a mandate." -From;
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/harper-rejects-russian-lawmakers-charge-that-canada-should-back-off/article17667578/
Yes Owen you were right again when you stated last year that you thought Harper would go out of his way in 2014 to bring all stripes of minority voters to him. Note the trip to Israel and who was in his entourage '...208 Canadians representing diverse businesses, Jewish organizations and community groups... Joining the business leaders are 21 rabbis and a number of representatives of Jewish organizations, including B'nai Brith (the oldest Jewish service organization in the world). The party also includes Christian groups, such as the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada." -From;
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/stephen-harper-travelling-party-reflects-significance-of-israel-trip-1.2503398
And now Stephen is all of a sudden Paul Grod's saviour, Paul is head of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress. Its the people who ordinarily would not be on the radar but now that Harpers grandstanding for votes > 'I'm a great prime minister look at me Jewish Canadians and now look at me Ukrainian Canadians."
Don't forget his Chinese New Year in Toronto at the Confederation of Greater Toronto Chinese Business Association's annual Lunar New Years Gala. As the year unfolds we will be seeing more of this I'm sure he is doing everything he can to bring new voters into his rip-off tent and exclude those who would not vote for him. If he steals this next election we are doomed, his first new act of 2015 will be to appoint himself 'prime minister for life' he dreams at night...
mogs
There is a long way to go, e,a,f. But -- as Alison Redford's recent demise proves -- when the end comes, it can come quickly.
Harper's foreign policy has always been about winning votes at home, Anon.
His obvious hypocrisy on Putin's invasion of Crimea simply underscores the reason for his rhetoric.
a- i hope the earlier new citizens to canada have their PET photographs displayed prominently for the kids an' grandkids to remind them what progress + grit adds up to.
b- please, repeat after me-
There are no Tory's!There are no Whig's!
AWA', WHIGS, AWA'.
chorus.-
Awa', Whigs, awa'!
Awa', Whigs, awa'!
Ye're but a pack o' traitor louns,
Ye'll do nae gude at a'.
...
THE BATTLE OF SHERRAMUIR
tune- "The Cameron Rant"
...Some fell for wrang, and some for right;
But money bade the world gude-night;
Say, pell and mell, wi' muskets
knell
How Tories fell, and Whigs to hell
Flew off in frightened bands, Man!
La,la,la,la,etc...
i say it's the- northern alliance/christian deformist/ conservative pretend party- of canada.
Never give in and never give up, Loving It.
thanks for encouraging Owen.
I can't give up. tried to-
but it won't leave me alone.
There are lots of people who agree with you, Loving It.
i know.
so many people have good hearts
but
sometimes we need inspired & fired-up...some need motivation- others need demotivation.
morale, is a fragile, powerful weapon, as i believe.
good generals know that, right Owen?
Good generals, good teachers, good parents know that, Loving It.
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