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Countering the impasse

Posted by Joanne on 1 August 2010, 10:10 am

The Canadian political landscape has become stagnant.  Polls appear to be firmly entrenched with ‘non of the above’ being a popular option.

What to do?

The Liberals hope that the Iggy Express will rejuvenate their fortunes but so far Michael Ignatieff is having trouble selling himself as a commoner. Perhaps it was a mistake to even try. According to Charlie Smith at the Straight, it’s all the collective faults of all the Liberal Premiers across Canada anyway.

And of course Stephen Harper is not without criticism.  Right-leaning pundits are blaming poor communication strategies and the PM’s occasional tenancy to allow small issues and petty politics cloud an otherwise stellar performance.

Angelo Persichilli explains:

In the eyes of Canadians, Harper’s image is still blurry — and, after more than four years in government, he risks being defined by that blurry image.

He’s respected when he is on the world stage or handling tough issues, but he seems to have difficulty in running the day-to-day business of the government without upsetting someone. To many voters, the Prime Minister comes across as being like the successful athlete who likes to pick fights back home in the off-season.

One thing for sure. Unless both parties begin to deal with these challenges as honestly as possible, we are going to be stuck in a minority government situation for the foreseeable future.

And that means a Parliament  forever in election mode, instead of working towards what’s best for the future of this country.

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A fish out of water. I almost feel sorry for the guy.

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Tough love.

But ‘Conservatives are a tired old government’?

Or are Liberals just tired of not being the Government?

Filed under CPC majority solution, Canadian Government, Canadian Parliament, Election fever, Flicking politicians, Iffy, Iggo Waffles, Iggy, Iggyssiah, Liberal Party of Donolo, Liberal Party of Toronto, Michael Ignatieff, Pseudo-scandals, Puffin Stuff, Stephen Harper, The LPC is dysfunctional, Too many Fools on the Hill, Too many pigs at the trough, Voter cynicism, Your tax-dollars, democracy.
129 Comments

Happy Birthday Canada!

Posted by Joanne on 1 July 2010, 8:43 am

Would you rather live anywhere else?

Well maybe not in  Ontario or B. C. today.

However we do have so many reasons to be proud and thankful – not the least of which is our excellent Prime Minister, Stephen Harper.

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Update

You can catch live Canada Day festivities here. (H/T NNW)

Worth reading if you haven’t already —> Good intentions gone astray – Lorrie Goldstein

Filed under CPC majority solution, Canadian Government, Dalton McGuinty, Goldstein, HST, Harper best PM ever, Harper smartest PM ever, Stephen Harper, Stephen Harper Rock Star.
53 Comments

We’re all in this together

Posted by Joanne on 28 June 2010, 8:27 pm

If there was one message that I think Prime Minister Harper was trying to get out to Canadians this weekend, it’s that we can’t rest on our economic laurels. Canada has done very well in the recent economic crisis versus many other nations but we can’t afford to be smug. We must work together with other nations and try to forge a cohesive and integrated plan.

As we have seen with Greece, one country’s downfall can cause ripple effects across the globe.

Secondly, there currently exists no technology that can replace human contact and the affinity and understanding that comes with looking someone straight in the eye and greeting them with a firm handshake and a few jokes. And that human contact can generate some pressure to get results.

Beverly Thomson’s interview with Prime Minister Harper covers both of these points and more.

My fellow Canadians, there are still so many of you who don’t fully realize what a wonderful Prime Minister we have.  He is world class. But that’s o.k.

Someday you’ll get it.

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Tuesday Update

Summit a win for Stephen Harper: Editorial – Sun

Harper’s hour to shine - Conrad Black, Financial Post (H/T Richco)

Filed under Canadian economy, Global economic crisis, Harper best PM ever, Harper smartest PM ever, International news, International politics, Stephen Harper, Toronto.
26 Comments

Cheap shot

Posted by Joanne on 17 June 2010, 7:37 am

My first reaction after hearing that Rahim Jaffer was trying to suggest that the PM and others were responsible for Helena’s stress was ‘how low can they go’?

As Iceman notes, we all hope this pregnancy goes well, but for Rahim to attempt to somehow blame others for the stress caused by consequences of their own actions is ludicrous. It shows that they still don’t get it.  There comes a point when you have to learn how to take responsibility, and Rahimelena are not there yet.

So I have lost all respect and empathy for them.  It would appear others have too. The Record’s headline reads Guergis, Jaffer may have a little gaffer.  (O.K. That one was kinda cute.)

Adam Radwanski tweeted, “There are cheap shots, then there’s this RT@jenditchburn: Jaffer says wife faces high-risk pregnancy, takes shot at PM for causing stress.”

And the comments following the Globe story are merciless. Best one I’ve found so far is by Grant Q @ 6/16/2010 6:44:54 PM:

It takes a small man indeed to hide behind a fetus…

Yup. Especially one in the first trimester.

Filed under Accountability, Peter Principle, Stephen Harper.
53 Comments

The Party of the ‘Wet Noodle’ continues to lose its grip

Posted by Joanne on 11 June 2010, 8:35 am

Oh my.

Watching the Michael Ignatieff ‘leadership’ train wreck is somewhat entertaining but also so sad. The Liberal party is anything but unified and is now in danger of complete implosion.

In today’s National Post Scott Stinson examines the Yays and Nays of who might be leading the Liberals into the next election. His analysis of Mr. Ziffy is painfully right on the money:

Yay Well, he is the leader. Plus he was basically acclaimed to the job, and he hasn’t even run an election campaign, so you could forgive him if he feels he might as well stick around for a while.

Nay He doesn’t appear to rule his caucus with an iron fist so much as a wet noodle, with hardly a day going by without one MP or another telling the media that the leader is less than inspiring. At least university students would show him a little respect.

The problem with the Liberals is that they continue to look for that Messiah that will lead them out of the Opposition Darkness and back into the light of power and control.

But they still haven’t given themselves the chance to do some serious introspection regarding why Canadians would want to vote for them. If they are still relying on the Liberal brand, they are in bigger trouble than merely having a wet noodle for a leader.

A Conservative Majority would actually be a blessing in disguise for the Liberals because it would give them that badly needed opportunity to regroup without being constantly on the edge of their seats – or vacated from them in order to prop up a Government they despise.

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Saturday Update

Liberal turncoats harming both Ignatieff and party itself – Lorrie Goldstein:

…The way it looks now is if Ignatieff can’t run his own party, how can he run the country?

It’s ironic Liberals complain Harper runs the Conservative party with an iron fist, which he does.

Ironic, because all you have to do is look at the constant warfare inside the Liberal party, and how it’s wounded Ignatieff, to understand why Harper is a control freak.

It’s because he knows to be effective, the leader first has to be in control.

Exactly.

Hébert: Rift grows between Chrétien and Ignatieff – Star

Filed under Bloc, Bob Rae, CPC majority solution, Coalition of the swilling, Dion, Election fever, Goldstein, Harper best PM ever, Harper smartest PM ever, Iffy, Iggo Waffles, Iggy, Iggyssiah, Jack Layton, Liberal Party of Donolo, Liberal Party of Toronto, Liberal arrogance, Liberal entitlement, Liberal machine, Michael Ignatieff, Stephen Harper, The LPC is dysfunctional, Voter cynicism, democracy.
74 Comments

Coalition timing

Posted by Joanne on 4 June 2010, 8:49 am

It seems to me that the question that preoccupies the Liberals is not so much the matter of a coalition itself, but rather whether they should announce it to Canadian voters before an election or wait – and spring it on them afterwards.

But would this GG or the next allow a Coalition of Losers the right to govern anyway?  Especially if the support of  Gilles Duceppe and the Bloc were required again?

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Update

Lots of good stuff on this topic at Full Comment:

Dan Arnold: Liberal-Tory merger is quickest route to power

Steve Janke: Duel over coalition brings out Liberal factions

Kelly McParland: Liberals need a new pony trick:

...Liberals drank so deeply for so long at the well of their own superiority that they can’t believe the well is dry. Liberals lived for decades on the certainty of Quebec’s support. From Mackenzie King through Louis St. Laurent, From Trudeau through Chretien, Quebec’s seats meant Liberals didn’t have to care much about the rest of the country. Other than the 1992 anti-Mulroney landslide, the last election the Liberals won an election that didn’t depend on Quebec was in 1948.

That meant they could write off the West and get by in Ontario with their faithful Toronto bastion. The East Coast could always be counted on for a few seats as long as the federal subsidies kept flowing. None of it really mattered as long as the party could pander to Quebec and count on 40 or 50 seats in return.

They frittered away Quebec, however, and the result is a desperate party. There is no sign of the Bloc going away, despite the essential pointlessness of its existence. Quebecers seem happy to permanently return a large block of separatist MPs with no influence whatever over national affairs. Without regaining a big chunk of those seats, the Liberals are going nowhere…

O.K. So how about a Liberal-Bloc Coalition? Anything for power, right?

Filed under Bloc, CPC majority solution, Coalition of the swilling, Election fever, Jack Layton, Liberal Party of Donolo, Liberal Party of Toronto, Michael Ignatieff, Stephen Harper, The LPC is dysfunctional, Too many Fools on the Hill, Too many pigs at the trough, Voter cynicism, Your tax-dollars, democracy, strategy.
43 Comments

What happened to Travers?

Posted by Joanne on 27 May 2010, 7:22 am

James Traver’s column is very strange today. It is lacking a certain je ne sais quois…

Where is the anger and the venom? Where is the over-the-top pugilistic rhetoric?

Are you feeling o.k. James? Or could it possibly be that you want to work your way out of that Bad rating you received in our media survey?

As to the content – if your source’s allegations are true, we can easily see why PM Harper decided to rid the party of Rahimelena once and for all.

Filed under Canadian Government, MSM bias, Media Issues, Media Watch, Stephen Harper, Too many pigs at the trough, Voter cynicism, Your tax-dollars, scandals.
14 Comments
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