Cornwall ON – Don’t you hate gloaters? I know I’m not terribly fond of them. As I read a lot of news. It’s part of the territory; part of the job; part of what I have to do no matter how filtered, jaded, cryptic, and many times innacurate it is.
Our Prime Minister Stephen Harper finally has his majority government. You’d think he’d be happy. You’d think that now that the people of Canada have made the choice, which I have a hunch many will regret, he’d simply take that tribute and do what’s right to make sure Canada is as great as it should be and not just be a sellout to Corporate and US interests.
But like the little pudgy boy with the chocolate on his face and someone else’s toys in his wagon he can’t help himself. He can’t be gracious in victory. He hasn’t learned the value of ” One Word Less” as he sputtered out some quotes which I’ll post in a moment.
Now I give Mr. Harper and his team full marks in the last election. It was a play book that would make Jean Chretien proud and I have to respect that to a degree. A scant 7,000+ votes were the difference between a majority or a minority run like a majority.
All the Brigitte DePape’s in the world won’t change that. And of course the puffering voices of complaint challenging the neutered opposition to behave with decorum from a party that never really could spell decorum is kind of laughable as well.
This weekend our esteemed Prime Minister was in Calgary where he stated the following:
Quebec’s honeymoon with the NDP will pass. As many provinces know well, no honeymoon passes as quickly and as completely as one with the NDP
Ow. That’s not cool when it was the NDP that helped get you your majority, and Canadians should not mistake that. Nobody, I’m sure even Jack Layton, who I like, I bet thought they’d get as many seats as they did? The media planting seeds and stories at I’m sure some of the Conservative spin doctors behest (remember the media, the ones that Mr. Harper says don’t like him?) played a role in the spin of the Orange Crush. Not taking anything away from Thomas Mulcair and the NDP, but at some point I think Mr. Harper’s team realized that for them Quebec was a wasted effort, but that the NDP could and did swing Quebecers to a Federalist party with Separation dwindling as a true option in Quebec.
I believe the long Liberal era is genuinely, truly ending. As with disco balls and bell bottoms, Canadians have moved on
For a man that wears sweater vests and looks to have his hair cut by Floyd the Barber from the old Andy Griffith show I have a hunch that this quote will one day come back to bite our Prime Minister in the buttocks; like a distant sting in the night that will make Jean Chretien smile.
In the meanwhile we have 3 years and too many days to go before we all get to see which Private members bills come up and how many pointless filibusters make the news.
In the meanwhile we can read on the internet as the hijinks continue; unless the CRTC capitulates to the big ISP’s and broadcasters and makes it even more expensive and difficult to gain access to information, news, and opinion.
Jamie Gilcig – Editor – The Cornwall Free News
(Comments and opinions of Editorials, Letters to the Editor, and comments from readers are purely their own and don’t necessarily reflect those of the owners of this site, their staff, or sponsors.)
I am glad you high-light these two quotes, even though I approach things differently from you. These two of Harper’s quotes are really predictions which will be judged by history. The first quote about the NDP in Quebec seems obvious as a near certainty. The second quote about the Liberals is very bold, but puts pressure on the Liberals to deny it.
Now that you, and others, are keying on these, “bold” predictions, Harper will appear visionary when one or both come true. i don’t think this is what you hoped for when you penned this article.
Rick I’d love for Mr. Harper to prove me wrong 🙂
This is how Jamie really thinks of our PM. He did before the election and still does evidently. This event was a in-party rally of supporters in the PM´s own riding.
“But like the pudgy little boy with chocolate on his face….”
If this column is fair comment, ok but why did Jamie NOT write about the “snub” and the complete lack of coverage of the snub by Mr Ignatieff of the PM´s big win.
Ignatieff never congratulated Harper on election night. Or the next day either.. Duceppe refused to as well, but Mr. Ignatieff was the leader of the former ruling Liberals. Jack Layton was gracious enough to do the right thing. Ignatieff not.
You were writing about decorum Jamie? For all Canadians.
Susanne I’m not a hypocrite when it comes to this. You can’t run a house the way Mr. Harper did while he had his minority and then cry foul when he has a majority. That’s grade school; not even high school. Mr. Harper had a choice to observe decorum while in opposition and since elected as PM. It’s always been his choice. As for Mr. Ignatieff I think my position regarding that “gentleman” was quite clear as well.
Thanks though for reading and posting on The Cornwall Free News.
So, was Harper born with a mean streak, or did he have to work on it over the years?
He does seem to have it pretty much perfected.
He does seem to make Mr. Deifenbaker feel all warm and fuzzy….although I’ve been told that Mr. Harper is a great guy to have a beer with and he did send me a Christmas card this year….
All this fuss because Harper spoke the truth! The NDP is a flavour of the week in Quebec, the Liberals are in the waste land, the Bloc is toast (for now). Thinking Canadians know we have weathered the recession thus far under Harper and are happy with the Conservatives. But I always have to ask ( I know the answer), what if these statements had been made by Jean Chretien? I bet it would’ve been met with glee…
Conservative leader Harper tells the truth to party faithful in Alberta and you eastern media maggots crawl all over his words. Must be a slow political day, or y’all are practicing your ‘opposition’ duties.
Decorum or Why Gloating in Politics is Rarely a Wise Thing Mr. Harper.
Read the whole article,…. what is the answer to why gloating in politics is rarely a wise thing?……..
……….and what does his haircut or his sweater vest have to do with anything?
Yes, but I know all kinds of people who are fun at a party, or in a pub, that I’d never turn my back on. I got a Christmas card from Bob Runciman once, and I know he hates my guts.
Peter I can’t ever imagine Jean Chretien making statements like the ones made by Mr. Harper that I referenced in the story. Maybe it’s a class thing? I’m not sure..as for the recession I think you have to give some credit to Provincial Liberal governments in Ontario, Quebec, and other provinces. I think they had something to do with economic survival as well.
“eastern media maggots”…I like that one. If you’re planning an Alberta vacation, don’t be driving around in a car with Quebec or Ontario plates. I’ve done it…..not a good idea.
yeah, that was a great gesture for being Canadian as well as a novel way to try and communicate a point???
If the opposition was gloating over the discomfiture of the government, those numbnuts would be all over that like white on rice. A simple test is: How would you feel about this if the roles were reversed? Not good? Then put a sock in it.
Yes 🙂 It would be wrong if any party behaved the way Mr. Harper did.
There sure are a lot of sensitive Cons hanging out here.
“There sure are a lot of sensitive Cons hanging out here.”
That’s the only flavour they come in.
Harper has the talent of saying crap to piss people off. And, it works doesn’t it? He is a majority government, not by much but he is. Show’s what Canadians like 🙂