The shame and disgrace that is Stephen Harper

[FireFox]

Chretien & Broadbent huddling together...what a scary picture that was.

Rumour has it they were planning on appointing Buzz Hargrove the Labour Minister. ....nah couldn't be...could it?

[handyman]

Stephen Harper is the best leader Canada has ever known!

[Guest rattler]

Stephen Harper is the best leader Canada has ever known!  

Doesn't say a lot for those we elect to lead us, does it?

Despite being a supporter of the Conservatives (at least for now), PM Harper needs to brush up on his people skills.

In addition, if the latest plan was launched upon the advice of his advisers, he should can all of them, if he didn't consult any advisers, then he should give his head a shake.

[handyman]

Actually, it was brilliant. It exposed the real threat of the current Liberals being more NDP than Liberal.

[YYC I/C]

I apologize, article from Globe and Mail was already posted above.

[Don Hudson]

J.O.;

I would like you to know that I very much appreciate your post coming as it does from an aviator colleague and friend who has equally thick skin!

I have a feeling "Hadji" and I have "discussed" issues before in another life. An excellent writer if not a good combatant where the notions of "winning/losing" inform the dialog. There are other ways, but there it is.

Perception is a funny thing. Believe me, (and I have said this many times), if people see a halo there it's of they're own making not mine. Ego's a funny thing too. Less is more.

Mitch;

We're all little pieces of nothing in the end... All halo'd Hadji included. (Cliff Claven comes to mind)

... as for thick skin, this industry demands it, but all of us have our glass houses from time to time eh?

The truth, brilliantly stated, and in far fewer words! Hat's off to you, sir.

Glad to see the dialog's carried on the original thread.

handyman, "best leader Canada's ever had"?! Depends upon what kind of leadership one sees as "leading".

Is Mr. Harper a leader one would follow into the tracer bullets?, (I heard that said of Hollis Harris, and had to agree he was that kind of leader). Is he a leader with vision and courage, who builds those same qualities in "the followership"?

I don't think so.

Mr. Harper, as with so many instrumentally-driven managers, "lists" accomplishments; True leaders "tell the story" of those whom they are leading - they have a visceral, human conception of "the hearts and minds" of the people they lead. Not once has Mr. Harper given Canadians a notion of who they are and where the country is going. He is the kind of leader who mentally writes to you and has it checked for grammar and spelling before sending. Something's just missing...

Is he effective in getting Canada on it's feet? Probably but past PM's have done that with varying success - if anyone stood out in that field, it was Trudeau who at least was worth watching and he certainly gave Canadians a notion of who their country was.

Stephen Harper is a neoliberal's dream politician; a kindly country led by a manager-politician - a magician in fact, because he is creating a neoliberal country while convincing many Canadians he is not.

Now, the neoliberal experiments in Great Britain, the US, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, the Latin American countries south of Mexico to use a few examples, have all "succeeded" as measured by the post on neoliberalism; the idea of "country" has been replaced by the concept of the corporation - borders have been dismantled economically by free trade and currencies are at the beck and call of the U.S., the World Bank and the IMF; Such nations and, more critically their societies, are no longer informed by the musical language of ordinary people communicating with one another but by the specialized language and values of business which intends only to turn everything into an "it" and place a price on it.

Ordinary people are struggling to keep culture alive but words and language which describe "means of exchange and negotiation" can't describe "culture" anymore. Such words have lost the power to inform people of themselves and their culture.

It is like slowly "robbing" the Inuit of every word they have for "snow", and "legimating" in their schools and newspapers, only the one word we use because, so far as our own southern utilitarian purposes go there is only one use for snow - being shoveled. What richness of heritage and culture is stolen by a seemingly innocent and even noble act as engaging in commerce? Funny thing, greed.

Even in school today, it is the language of business, of exchange, of management, that is used to convey how learning is to be done. On the surface of it all, "accountability" seems absolutely the thing we parents would demand of our schools. But scratch the surface and discover what "accountability" means and what "passing" and "failing" mean for school staff and principal. Here is what it means for one New York "expert" on education:

Don’t mimic US school model: experts

Anna Patty Education Editor Sydney Morning Herald

November 25, 2008

EDUCATION authorities have warned the Federal Government against following the New York education model, saying it has failed to deliver reported improvements in student results.

The architect of the system, the chancellor of the city's education department, Joel Klein, is in Australia this week at the invitation of the Minister for Education, Julia Gillard, who wants to embrace his model of publicly comparing the test results of schools. While Mr Klein says student scores have vastly improved under his watch, analysis by Diane Ravitch, a research professor of education at New York University and senior fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University and the Brookings Institution in Washington, shows the scores have been mainly flat or declining.

A former Productivity Commission economist, Trevor Cobbold, the convener of Save Our Schools, said reported improvements in New York schools had been artificially inflated and lacked credibility.

"The results of the national assessment of education progress administered by the US Department of Education show the student achievement in New York City has stagnated since 2003," he said. "Adopting such a model in Australia would lead to inaccurate and misleading comparisons of school performance."

An Australian education authority, Brian Caldwell, professorial fellow at the University of Melbourne, said: "If we were looking for international examples, we should be looking at countries like Finland that has no national testing scheme. Their schools operate with a high degree of autonomy and they focus on making sure their teachers are well trained."

Angelo Gavrielatos, of the Australian Education Union, said the US performed 29th in science and 35th in mathematics in OECD assessments.

"The New York model is not one Australia should emulate."

Mr Klein said national testing in the US required a smaller sample than the New York tests and Professor Ravitch was "looking at selective data". "I don't put any validity in her analysis," he said.

Ms Gillard said she agreed with Rupert Murdoch's criticism of the Australian public education system as a disgraceful failure. She endorsed his recommendation that corporations should become more involved in forming partnerships with schools in the same way News Limited had done in the US.

Private-Public Partnerships for our schools!!? The plan is merely business's Trojan Horse to ensure that school is "training student's properly" on how to be most useful for business's needs. That means values such as obedience, unquestioning respect for authority's knowledge and ideas, compliance in a group, concensus-building, public speaking etc are held higher than what was once known as a "liberal education" - knowledge of the arts, sciences, languages and a broad physical education curriculum. Are we surprised that our children are fat today? P.E. was removed from the curriculum not long after I stopped teaching in 1973 - "too expensive" in terms of valuable classroom time. "Play" is a notion which has long since been removed from both parents' and the schools' vocabulary. Books can be written on this, (and have been).

Katrina was probably THE model of a neoliberal response demonstrating Bush's hatred and worse, his contempt of ordinary people: To George Bush, New Orleans' people were folks who probably deserved what they got. To Bush, New Orleans, like Iraq, is also what Haliburton deserves. These espouse neoliberal values and have nothing to do with people and everything to do with power, accumulation of wealth and ensuring that the rules are in place to keep the rabble out, and from knowing what's going on behind the tall fence.

These are the touchstones of neoliberalism - this is about taking off one pair of glasses and, through reading and asking questions, viewing politics and values with new eyes. This is how neoliberalism is recognized and how it is examined and how it is changed and reversed so that profit is no longer the one singular value that a society and a country expresses.

Learning what neoliberalism and the tremendous damage such a political-economy is doing to democracy in the U.S. and to society means asking, "What values does a society and their government hold that permit a human disaster like Katrina to happen in a country with a 13-trillion dollar-a-year economy?"

Despite our squirrely politics, (permitting a separatist party to sit in that our country's government), Canada is a country already conquered by ordinariness and I think we should be thankful for that fact. It keeps many wolves at bay.

Is Mr. Harper the best leader Canada has ever had? Not this week, by any stretch of anyone's imagination. We'll see how long his minority government lasts. Canadians looked desparately to Mr. Harper for leadership and all they got from Flaherty was partisan, stupid politics. If he ends up through his actions forcing an election, I think the Conservatives risk losing more seats, Canadians will be so angry. But it presents an interesting scenario, doesn't it?

[dagger]

Looks like white flag time...

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=1011574

Let's see what Flaherty has to say tomorrow. This could be the end of this melodrama, and if it is, the opposition now has a card to play each and every time Harper tries to make a routine legislative vote a non-confidence vote. I really don't think that was his goal, so all he has succeeded in doing is circumscribing his own power. I wonder if the raw-meat Tories will forgive him... or start plotting the succession.

[Don Hudson]

Looks like white flag time...

There was no choice. "Circumscribing" his power is a perfect description for what Harper volunteered to do. Where on earth was his caucus?

[Mitch Cronin]

I have a feeling "Hadji" and I have "discussed" issues before in another life.

I'm sure I've seen that hunch from someone else... (Greg suggested he might deserve some respect for some reason?) If you guys know something we don't about the man, could you maybe share it with the rest of us, so we'll know what respect we might want to bestow upon him before we trash him based solely on his constantly displayed arrogance in here? I've seen very little to respect so far?

...anyway... Re:

Where on earth was his caucus?

Probably all cowering in silence, as directed by their leader. ... wonder if he might do with some CRM training?

[Guest rattler]

I'm sure I've seen that hunch from someone else... (Greg suggested he might deserve some respect for some reason?) If you guys know something we don't about the man, could you maybe share it with the rest of us, so we'll know what respect we might want to bestow upon him before we trash him based solely on his constantly displayed arrogance in here? I've seen very little to respect so far?

...anyway... Re:

Where on earth was his caucus?

Probably all cowering in silence, as directed by their leader. ... wonder if he might do with some CRM training?

And I guess at the same time we should get the CV of Dagger. Both share some of the same debating skills. Some of us know who he is but I imagine the same puzzlement exists in the mind of others.

Names not needed, just a redacted CV. Names and places removed.

[Moon The Loon]

I still can't wrap my head around the idea of having a citizen of France as Prime Minister of Canada.

I also can't wrap my head around how stupid Harper has been this past week.

Layton turns my stomach.

So what choice do we really have?

Constitutional Crisis - yup. Iron clad.

[handyman]

So what choice do we really have?

Constitutional Crisis - yup. Iron clad.

Becoming the 51st!

[Guest rattler]

Becoming the 51st!

GOD NO!!!!!!!!!

[handyman]

So if the coalition does occur, would this not require another election as this coalition would effectively be a new left-winged party?

I hope this occurs as we all know some MP's would cross the line from both the Liberals and Bloc parties. A two party system is what we should have in this country!

[Guest rattler]

I totally agree but if we can't live with what we have...the alternative is south.

Learn to live with what we have and things will be just fine!

South is not necessarily the alternate. Some Provinces could go on their own or even by joining with a couple of others (BC, AB, SK) as but one possibility.

I hope we never come to that but our many party system (and the splitting of the vote) does leave us open to the possibility. I don't think we will continue to be happy with our governing party being elected by a minority of voters or indeed with how our representation is apportioned ( Representation should clearly be some form of Proportional Representation). Next we need to deal with how our Prime Minster is elected, party appointment appears to be breaking down.

No I don't want the US system, we could come up with something superior, if we took the time to review what countries are doing and also of course had the will to do so.

[dagger]

So if the coalition does occur, would this not require another election as this coalition would effectively be a new left-winged party?

I hope this occurs as we all know some MP's would cross the line from both the Liberals and Bloc parties.  A two party system is what we should have in this country!

The two party system does not serve any country particularly well, certainly not the US. The US is a functional basket case, heading towards a $55 trillion debt as its entitlement programs kick in for the boomers. I'm saddened by the fact that we're tethered to that country - a bunch of nice people with a 200+ year constitution, a completely incoherent voting system that differs from state to state, county to county, out of control health care spending (14% of GDP vs 8% in Canada), deep racial divisions - having just been in Tennessee, you get a much different picture of racial attitudes than you do from network TV - and an absolute sense of denial. Greatest country on earth, best, smartest, blah, blah, blah. Unlike Canada where we tackled the deficit/debt issue head on, you can no more fix major problems in the US than you can reverse the earth's rotation.

If the US was smart, they'd offer to buy us out - a friendly takeover. They could assume our national and provincial debt and create a heritage fund of a few trillion dollars - chicken feeds against all of the stimulus poured into the system this year alone - and have our oil, gas, minerals, wood, water, etc. We'd be granted some kind of special status, like the First Nations, in which we pay no state or local taxes.

And if Canada were smart, we'd still telling them to take their offer and stick it where the sun doesn't shine.

[CD]

Donate now and donate often!

Conservatives use talk of coalition to appeal for 'emergency' donations

30 Nov, 11:31 AM

OTTAWA - The Conservative party is using opposition threats of taking over government to issue an emergency plea for political donations.

Irving Gerstein, the chairman of the Conservative Fund Canada, is appealing for "emergency donations of $200 or $100" from party faithful to avert what he says is the hijacking of Canadian democracy.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper's minority government precipitated a looming constitutional crisis last week when it delivered a highly provocative fiscal update that included no economic stimulus measures, cuts to government spending, an attack on collective bargaining rights of civil servants - and a partisan poison pill on party financing.

The government has since withdrawn its plan to cut the public subsidies that are the lifeblood of its political opponents.

But after initiating a collapse of confidence in the government by the opposition majority, the Conservatives are now using the party financing debate to further pad their coffers.

Over the past two years, the Conservatives raised twice the private political donations of all the opposition parties combined.

The Liberals, who publicly acknowledge their modern fundraising machine is inadequate, have also appealed to donors by citing the government's attack on the $1.95-per-vote party subsidy.

[rudder]

So if the coalition does occur, would this not require another election as this coalition would effectively be a new left-winged party?

No. In the parliamentary democracy provided for by our constitution, minority governments exist only with the support of parliament (which is what the Conservatives had up til Thursday). However, a coalition constituting a majority has the implied support of parliament due to numbers and no election is required.

[Don Hudson]

CD;

I have the Conservative "request" envelope on my desk, ready for mailing. I joined the party seven or eight years ago, much to my later regret. When they call, they are always offended when I offer my frank opinion - it's as though they never knew and didn't want to know.

The comments scrawled on the donation form (asking for the amounts you indicate) are clear and succinct enough although their sensitivities will probably suffer again.

Sooner or later, hubris will out. What a mess Harper has wrought. Imagine that - the biggest boost in history to those representing the "left", accomplished by a leader of the (religious?) right. The irony is delicious for observers but the prospects are disconcerting and disappointing for those looking for intelligent, true leadership during the present financial crisis.

[RFL]

Ok help me out here. The $1.95 poison dart is grounded, stop chewing on that old bone. We have had an economic update, NOT a budget. We don't know statistically if we are even in a technical recession. We don't yet know the plans of our largest trading partner.

Yet the trio wants to start spending indiscriminately asap. Build more autos & widgets when the world is awash in them? More defunct greenhouses in Nfld. & white elephant airports in Que? Throw away years of fiscal sacrifices and balanced budgets to go back to a devalued dollar, inflation etc?

I think it's time to move more of my assets to a safe haven.

[FireFox]

the biggest boost in history to those representing the "left", accomplished by a leader of the (religious?) right.

I vote Conservative & consider myself religious.

Don, help me out here...

I don't attend church very often, but the other day, in church, I looked over my Conservative right shoulder & spotted a friend of mine...an NDPer.

I looked over my left (I don't use that side much) & spotted another friend...a Liberal.

All in church, imagine that!

Your attempt to somehow discredit the Conservative voting side of this country is rather weak to say the least and quite frankly...insulting.

[dagger]

Ok help me out here. The $1.95 poison dart is grounded, stop chewing on that old bone. We have had an economic update, NOT a budget. We don't know statistically if we are even in a technical recession. We don't yet know the plans of our largest trading partner.

Yet the trio wants to start spending indiscriminately asap. Build more autos & widgets when the world is awash in them? More defunct greenhouses in Nfld. & white elephant airports in Que? Throw away years of fiscal sacrifices and balanced budgets to go back to a devalued dollar, inflation etc?

I think it's time to move more of my assets to a safe haven.

I don't know how a Liberal-led coalition would function. There is more than one model. The Liberals could form a government alone, offering specific policy action but no representation in cabinet to those other parties. The Liberals could offer less on policy, but give cabinet posts to a handful of NDPers and then agree to follow for a period of six months a narrow agenda focussed on economic recovery and the environment.

As as student of economic history, I'd say that your view that we don't know if we're in a recession, and don't know what our trading partner is planning to do and that stimulation will mean throwing away hard earned sacrifices is short-sighted. Stephen Harper sounds more and more like R.B. Bennett and Herbert Hoover every day. A scenario can just as easily be constructed that Conservative "do nothingism" will boomerang on the country the way Bennett's "do nothingism" crippled Canada during the first four years of his administration. Sometimes, the times call for audacity.

There is at least one more and maybe multiple crises ahead before the economy turns around. There is auto crisis, but behind it is coming the collapse of commercial real estate values and credit card debt. This is more a US phenomenon, but if it plunges the US deeper into the mire, it can only impact us in a major way. Hopefully, all the stimulus will be able to overwhelm these looming crises.

We certainly know what Obama is going to do in general, and we are quite capable of crafting a made-in-Canada infrastructure-based stimulus package. We don't need to do a mortgage relief program like the Americans so we don't need to wait to touch that area. We know Obama will promote infrastructure, give money to the states to cover deep deficits, extend unemployment benefits (which Bush has started to do anyway) and spend on infrastructure which he has defined as roads, bridges, schools, updating federal building to higher environmental standards and so on.

It doesn't take a Rhodes Scholar to figure out what Obama will do. And with the exception of the auto bailout, where it would be prudent to wait while signalling our intention to be a player in an industry restructuring, any person with a reasonable level of intelligence can single out good works to be done, many of which have to be done sooner or later, and many of which have been promised by the past two federal governments (Martin and Harper).

You can go city by city, region by region, and find good things to do that will make the country better in a range of ways.

In Montreal, there is a dire need to rebuild basic infrastructure, including the Turcut Yard Interchange which is threatening to collapse.

In Toronto, there is a whole regional transit plan you can view at TTC.ca for light rail lines that would get people out of cars, make us less dependent in Central Canada on foreign oil, make strides on reducing greenhouse emissions. Toronto has waterfront development and the redevelopment of Downsview Park, projects the feds have said they would support but for which they are slow to write cheques.

Every city has some of these projects. I can go on and on.

As for inflation and a devalued dollar which you cite as concerns, when every country is doing stimulus, it's hard to see currencies being devalued although if any currencies are likely to be seriously devalued by debt and inflation, it's the US greenback (which scares me since it will make our dollar TOO strong) and UK sterling.

[dagger]

More backing down by the Tories.

Budget moved up.

Proposal to limit civil service pay increases dropped.

We may get out of this situation without voting out the Tories (my speculation), but the opposition will likely emerge with a coalition agreement they can bring out any time now Harper tries to act like a majority.

It's hard to see Harper as anything but severely weakened - cooperating with the opposition is not in his genetics and now he has lost the ability to browbeat the other parties.

Might Harper have to go now?

[Guest rattler]

More backing down by the Tories.

Budget moved up.

Proposal to limit civil service pay increases dropped.

We may get out of this situation without voting out the Tories (my speculation), but the opposition will likely emerge with a coalition agreement they can bring out any time now Harper tries to act like a majority.

It's hard to see Harper as anything but severely weakened - cooperating with the opposition is not in his genetics and now he has lost the ability to browbeat the other parties.

Might Harper have to go now?

Guess this will give the Liberals a chance, not linked with any deal with the devil to topple the government on something of substance rather than just on their pocket being picked.

[Fido]

I don't know how a Liberal-led coalition would function.

Who says the Lieberals would lead the coalition?

If it happens to be a Lieberal as leader, who says that they could lead and not the NDP?