Charles Adler doesn't appeal to me as much as it does to Chuck
Chuck,
I disagree almost completely with this...what is it...article? [
Ed. note: it's a blog entry that Chuck emailed to me]
In our parliamentary system all MPs are elected to the House. Some MPs form into groups and alliances before or after their election.
The Governor General offers the reins of government to those groups or alliances she feels has the confidence of the House.
It's not a coup if she offers the reins to another party or alliance if the first group fails to build consensus to hold the confidence of the House. (And there is no guarantee she won't simply dissolve the parliament and trigger an election.)
It's not an autocracy but a cooperative democracy we run in Canada.
A minority government, by definition, must govern with the consent and cooperation of opposition members in the House.
What the fuck is this sudden horror over 'separatists'? In a calculated political move Prime Minister Harper acknowledged Quebec as a 'nation' during the last parliament. He campaigned in 2006 and 2008 in Quebec with the statement, "Les Liberaux ne veux pas et le BQ ne peut pas former un gouvernment federal pour les Quebecois" which means essentially that the Liberals won't and the BQ can't form a government for Quebec. Harper offered himself as the Federalist option.
With the help of the BQ the Harper Conservatives, who were a minority government, passed the 2006 budget.
But now that the BQ are actually on the verge of forming part of a coalition government he (and others) are complaining that they're 'separatists' - you know, people who think they form a 'nation' within Canada. Once you eat your cake like that, you've got to shit it - you can't have it both ways.
The BQ are elected to the House by the people in Quebec, the majority of who chose to remain Canadians; there is no appetite within Quebec to reopen the question of sovereignty. Yet, nevertheless they chose to elect MPs from Le Bloc. Perhaps because they feel that the BQ represent their social values better than the Harper Conservatives, the Liberals or the NDP. Therefore it's natural the BQ form part of a coalition government as the government is supposed to represent all of Canada and all Canadians. What sort of 'representational democracy' would it be if it were otherwise?
And what if Ontario and Quebec said BC and Alberta MPs couldn't participate as members of the government? British Columbians would all be constipated with unexpressed anger and Albertans would all divorce their spouses.
The Conservatives received 37% of the popular vote during the last election; the remaining parties received 63%. It's the 63% that are pulling off this so-called 'coup'.
This is what a democracy looks like. I'm not big on authoritarian fucks like Harper telling me what is democratic and what isn't; what's the "biggest political gamble in history", or who's self-serving. I read history. I'm familiar with the look-and-feel of democracy. I know what self-serving smells like.
As PM had Harper spent more time building on points of agreement with MPs instead of creating conflict he'd have the support of the right-of-centre members of both the BQ and the Liberals. Harper is politically smart and a gifted strategist but he's flawed by being a sour man who leads a sour band of politicians; a leader must, by definition, be a team player. The when-I-say-jump-you-say-how-high kind of leader is the sort that gets fragged; people who want to be that kind of 'leader' should get a fucking dog; real people, honest people, don't put up with that sort of shit.
I'm enjoying this spectacle. Maybe a Prime Minister Dion, a man who certainly doesn't deserve the vitriol and disrespect spat on him over the last 24 months, will find Harper a nice job as Rat-catcher General.
Cheers,
M
PS: What out-ethics are involved in secretly taping a private caucus meeting and then broadcasting it as proof that people in Ottawa are 'cooperating' and 'working together' and 'building consensus' - all the things that people generally do when they work together for a common goal and cause.
The root word for parliament is 'talk'. It's sad that communication is held in such disdain around this country.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Charles Adler" To: "Chuck" Sent: Tuesday, December 02, 2008 3:16 AM
Subject: Re: Coup
The Three Stooges of Coupscam
by Charles Adler Dec 1/08
Let's be clear about something. The ECONOMY has NOTHING to do with the not so silent coup that is taking place as we watch history...need a name for it? remember Adscam? Call this one COUPSCAM. It's a perfect name for what's happening on several levels and it is so Canadian..So bilingual. So au bilingue. COUPSCAM. A coup that is dressed up as a bid by the opposition to help the economy. Of course it is not anything close to that, as we learned over the weekend when we heard the tape of Jack Layton telling his caucus, that he had a deal in place way back when with Gilles Duceppe, to strike when the iron became hot. The economy would simply be the rationale used to hit, and to hit hard. One needs to forgive anyone who regular votes Liberal if they feel some shame listening to Jack Layton the of the architects of the coup, who along with Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles Duceppe, leading the Liberals into the corral. The Liberals were at one time known as the natural national governing party. They now have become the sheep being herded by the two great sheep herders of Canada, the two men who are motivated by their love of country? Now to quote from Sheep herder Layton from his weekend NDP
caucus meeting..."We’re in the middle of a very historic time, *and we’re
playing a key role in it, in some ways a catalytic role actually, because as
we think back, we’ll realize that nobody really imagined that it would be
possible for the Bloc Quebecois, the Liberal party of Canada ever to enter
into any kind of a discussion around the future of the country and it turned out that we were the glue*, and spotted and prepared for the opportunity, and had taken the steps that were required so that when that opportunity arose, which was when Mr. Harper made his disastrous strategic error, by not providing stimulus to the economy, and instead playing political games, we were able to move, and things began to move very quickly, however, many obstacles remain in our way, and so we’re in a real battle now. The negotiating process, I am, by the way in very regular touch with the leader of the Liberal party, and the leader of the Bloc, frequently every day."
So there you have it Sheep Herder Layton saying that they were preparing for the opportunity and it arose last week. This is known in polite circles as opportunism. Many of you who have emailed me in the last few days have been calling it treason. For the record this is not legal treason. But one would not be on shaky ground in calling it ethical treason. Nobody doubts that this plot is undermining confidence in Canada and nobody doubts that this will sew seeds of resentment in various parts of Canada. Nobody doubts that it will make this a less unified country. Imagine the reaction in Western Canada if a coup led by the the Toronto based NDP of Jack Layton and Quebec separatists manages to succeed and in doing so , immediately does damage to their number one economic target the ENERGY industry. Does anyone doubt that the pols in the east who want to hit the Conservatives will, if given power, hit the energy industry? The can do with carbon taxes and other schemes designed to attack Western Canadian wealth. These sheep herders know that the flames of Western Separatism will immediately be ignited and how could that possibly damage the fortunes of Quebec Separatism? A growing western separatist movement is Quebec sovereignty's best friend. Is it any wonder that Gilles Duceppe acts like a guy who knows he will have one very Merry Christmas? Does anyone find it ironic that people like Jean Chretien and
Stephane Dion who made reputations for themselves as staunch federalists would now in the lust for naked power lie down with the separatist lion. Coupscam has many consequences. And a damaged confederation is just one of them. Those who thrive on chaos, people like Jack Layton and Gilles Duceppe and Bob Rae are loving this. One of the big questions today is What is Michael Ignatieff thinking? If he is using that big brain of his, as opposed to the little brain some of the plotters are using, he will understand that a Liberal government dog that is being wagged by a NDP/BlocQuebecois tale is a dog that will be euthanized by the Canadian voter.
Folks what you need to remember the most about COUPSCAM is that it could not happen without an incredible amount of blood lust coming from ancient liberal party hacks who have seen the set on their empire. One of those hacks is Scott Reid. He used to be a Paul Martin guy, his communications guy, during the decline and fall of Liberalism in the wake of ADSCAM. Scott Reid took his bitterness and blood lust to his computer key board on the weekend and tapped out the following. If you have some tiny shreds of doubt about what motivates Liberals to get on board Coup Scam, this will shred the shreds.
"After all, Stephen Harper is the most dangerous animal lurking in the
jungles of Parliament, writes Scott Reid. Kill him. Kill him dead. Do not,
whatever you do, provide him with an opportunity to extend his hold on
power. Because you can be damn certain he will never again be so reckless as to give you a chance to finish him off. ..The other elephant in the room is leadership. Stephane Dion has bargained his way to the drive wheel of the new government. Good for him, but only if it suits the greater good. If Mr. Dion can make his case, then great. If he can't, move to an alternative - and do it fast.
Mr. Harper knows that his greatest advantage lies in Mr. Dion's weakness.
The coalition can't let that impulse triumph. Don't permit the defeat of Mr. Harper to depend upon Mr. Dion's personal credibility - or that of any
single individual, for that matter. There's too much at stake."
Those are the words of former Paul Martin communications director Scott
Reid. They tell you 2 things. 1) Coup Scam is not about serving the public
interest. It is about putting hemlock in Stephen Harper's orange juice. It
is not about economic satisfaction. It is about political assassination. 2)
Reid points out while Harper is the target, Dion needs to be either a useful dunce or an expendable nuisance. The plotter who wishes to kill Harper could care less about whether or not Dion is collateral damage. There's too much at stake says the Liberal hack. No single individual matters. No single individual can be permitted to get in the way. And so the man who was part of the plot to overthrow Jean Chretien,not for economic reasons or patriotic reasons but for the most partisan of reasons, now wishes to destroy Stephen Harper.
There are a few things I'd like to say personally to the major players in
Coup Scam.
To Jack Layton:
Jack a couple of months ago you said you wanted to be prime minister and that was the job you were applying for. You had to know at the time that you would not get that job going through the front door and that was confirmed with the election results. But since Harper was a dozen seats short of a majority, you saw your move and you made it and over the weekend, you confessed it. It's now on tape as historical record. I guess if you are looking for a seat at the cabinet table, this is as good as it gets. Bet you're disappointed as hell that Svend Robinson is no longer a member of your caucus. Bet you think he would make as good a foreign affairs minister as you would a finance minister. Good luck with that Jack. And wish us all good luck. The Stock Market is just above 8 thousand 4hundred today. I guess from your perspective that is still 8 thousand four hundred more than your favorite number for Capitalism, ZERO.
To Gilles Duceppe:
Well I have to admit you must be laughing all the way to the bank these
days. When it come to fund raising your separatist brothers are more
bankrupt than Lehman Brothers. But over the last few years the Canadian
taxpayer has sent you more than 5 million dollars. You sit in the hammock.
We send you millions. It's a great deal for you and about to get a lot
better. While you won't likely have a seat at the cabinet table, you will be
an armed guard at the door, and if they don't do the right things at the
table, I suppose you can take them hostage, or to use Scott Reid's words,
just kill them all. Who knows? Maybe since you are holding the gun, maybe you can negotiate yourself a cabinet portfolio. May I respectfully suggest Minister of National Disunity.
And finally to Stephane Dion:
It must be a great disappointment to you Mr. Dion that as someone who prided himself on being an arch enemy of separatism, that your final political act is to become it's lap dog. Hard to believe you are doing this. At one point these bums characterized you as a rat. That graphic of you as a rat with the long narrow nose and the rat whiskers, was plastered everywhere in Quebec. You betrayed Quebec they said. You were a rat. These creeps and and thugs even blamed you for your own father's suicide. They said he killed himself because he was ashamed of you. And now you are willing to break bread with them and break the democratic will of the Canaidian voter. And all for what? So that you can have an asterisk in the Canadian history books. You can get the get the tax payer to pay for your six month lease on 24 Sussex Drive. Is this worth it to you Mr. Dion. Is this the way you want to go out, as a dog on a leash held by Jack Layton and Gilles Duceppe?
People over the years have told me that you are an honest man, a
compassionate man, an earnest man. I now find it hard to think of you as a man. A man faces the voters and honours their decision. Now you have chosen to dishonour their decision, to dishonour democracy, to dishonour Canada.
Canada will survive Coupscam. I always have faith in the inherent decency of the Canadian people. But we will pay a heavy price. Our loony will get
plucked. Our wealth will get plundered and at times our faith in Canada and pride in its people will be tested. But we will survive. Canada has had much tougher opponents than Jack Layton, Gilles Duceppe and Stephane Dion, the Three Stooges of Coup Scam.
Charles Adler
I am listening to John Baird wax abusive over the NDP-Lib marriage of convenience in an interview with Peter Vandusen on CPAC's Primetime Politics.
Bob Rae insisted to Peter Vandusen that the letter of agreement with the BQ includes only a promise of support on fiscal measures introduced by a Lib-NDP coalition government. It in no way means a BQ veto over legislation, says Rae; neither does it guarantee support for legislation (which means that the parties will have to work together to come to an agreement on points in common - I suppose the Conservatives would be welcome to add their acidic 2 bits to any proposed legislation). Rae said that the BQ has agreed in writing to support fiscal policies for the next 18 months giving a coalition government stability.
He says that he is stunned that a 'small band' of 'leftists' and 'separatists' would steal parliament and overturn the recent federal election. When Vandusen countered that they aren't such a small band since they form a majority Baird did not even pause; the velocity of sentence didn't change but it's trajectory did. He was stunned, stunned, he said. This is carte blanche for the 'leftists' to drive the Brinks trucks up to Parliament Hill and start loading up the money.
