Spin, Losing it's Thread

How many reasons have we heard now from the Conservatives as rationale to prorogue? I've lost track.

There is the need to consult over the economy, but Flaherty put that to rest by saying he'd consult with or without prorogation. Then there is the whole notion that the government has to set a new agenda, 'recalibrate', except they go on to say that it will be business as usual and the plan is simply to implement the second half of the EAP.

There is not one reasonable explanation that has been put on the table and they are now floundering and sound more ridiculous than usual.

Oh, to hear Tom Flanagan tonight was something to behold. Yes, even Tom thinks the government has played this all wrong and indeed he stated that the government is putting forward childish explanations when everyone knows Harper is avoiding the Afghanistan detainee issue. Go-rogue Tom!

Today, Harper was interviewed by BNN. He described the House and Parliament as 'games'. His trustworthy secretary, Pierre Poilievre described same as 'theatre'. Both of these descriptions tell us precisely what the PM thinks of our institutions and plays to exactly what Canadians are rebelling against. Harper holds these institutions in disdain and will abuse the system in every way he can to both circumvent and discredit them.

This is our Prime Minister...of the country. Isn't that just mind boggling?

Further, Harper had the audacity to imply that minority governments wreak havoc with the markets. Seriously, he said that:

In fact, it is Parliament in a minority situation that is perceived by markets as unstable, said Harper.

"The games begin when Parliament returns," he explained. "The government can take our time now to do the important work to prepare the economic agenda ahead.

"That said, as soon as Parliament comes back . . . the first thing that happens is a vote of confidence and there'll be votes of confidence and election speculation for every single week after that for the rest of the year. That's the kind of instability markets are actually worried about."

Really? What kind of idiotic comment is that? Since when do the markets sit in anticipation of what a minority government might do? Answer: They don't.

Oh, then he had this gem:

Although the stimulus spending, and lower revenues caused by the recession, has caused the government to fall into record deficits -- $56 billion this year alone -- Harper said he is not worried Ottawa is creating a structural deficit.

Creating? It's been created my friend and there is not an economist in this country that doesn't attest to that....oh, except Harper who by now certainly has to be acclaimed the worst economist on the planet.

Is this the next tranche that Harper wants to exploit? Good luck with that. What the Conservatives don't seem to get at the moment is their flank has been exposed and once out there, there is no covering up.

They are now calling people who are engaged and understand the issues, elitists. That term apparently is designed to turn people away, but, if elitism means being in the know and taking the time to understand issues, hey, I'm there!

From Apathy to Antipathy

For the longest time, Canadians either weren't engaged or didn't really care what went on in Ottawa and while I doubt every household in the nation is discussing prorogation at the dinner table today, there is more discussion out there than we have seen in some time.

At this moment, the Facebook page, Canadians Against Proroguing Parliament, boasts 141,000 members. That is not an insignificant amount of people who are at least aware of the state of affairs on Parliament Hill.

So with that as a backdrop, the Liberals released some print and radio ads today. I've read some reaction to the ads and of course you see the expected cynicism, some praise and some condemnation. I have yet to see anyone hit on what I think the ads are designed to do though.

The cynics and critics comment that these ads are unlikely to change someones vote. That may be true, but I don't think that is the point. I believe the point of the ads is to strengthen the sentiments of those who are noticing what Harper is up to. Building on the growing distaste for his arrogance toward our system and the will of the people. I think it's an ad designed to reinforce what many people have previously thought of Harper but couldn't quite translate it to an issue that they connected with. Taking away their voice, in what seems to be an arbitrary and undemocratic manner is something most people connect with.

For those of us who follow this stuff, it is of course in keeping with what we know of the PM, but for those who don't, shutting down parliament without any logical rationale except to avoid scrutiny, well that is not something that many would take lightly. These ads sanction those feelings.

Suggesting that the ad should sway votes, when we are not in an election period, is rather foolish in my opinion.

During this period of prorogation, Ignatieff has said that the Liberals will be in Ottawa, working. Ignatieff himself will be travelling across the country holding Town Halls on University campuses. Given that the Facebook page was originated by a University student and there seems to be new interest in political goings-on in those circles, I see this strategy as a good thing, though I believe it was planned before movement took hold.

The Town Hall's will of course be open to more than just students and I think it is a great opportunity to maintain public engagement in the political process.

Ignatieff says he is arriving with a simple message for young Canadians: "Don't fall for all this cynicism. Get involved in politics."

These speaking/listening engagements can and should be used to discuss not only the prorogation issue, but as a means to tie many examples of similar behaviour by Harper together, into a comprehensive narrative.

That said, I don't think we should solely be out there attacking Harper. In spite of a rather constant chorus that suggests the Liberals haven't put any ideas out there, we have and I think it is important for Ignatieff to speak to these ideas and highlight how they contrast with the current government.

Parliament may have been closed down, but something tells me that the upcoming months are not going to be quiet and I for one am glad to see apathy turning to antipathy.

Prorogation

The Expanding Conversation

As many of you know, I felt the need to take a bit of a break from this blog. That said, I have dipped in and out of the news cycles and tried to keep up with what was going on.

Something I noticed at year end, were the numerous articles on just what a wonderful year Harper had. Opinion writers and journalists alike went on at length describing in detail, what a deft politician Harper was, how his tactics paid off and while lucky in some instances, all in all, he got glowing grades from many.

The more of these pieces I read, the more I was struck by the fact that no one was really talking about the Prime Minister of this country, but rather they were speaking about the leader of the Conservative party and assessing how he and the party had fared in a political sense. They were speaking to how he had used the system and in some cases, less than ethical tactics to maintain power.

Think about that for a minute. Is that really what Canadians need to know at the end of the year? Shouldn't we be given an assessment of how the country was run? Shouldn't we have checklist of sorts of what our Prime Minister set out to do and how much of that agenda was accomplished?

In my view, those issues have been ignored for far too long. Opposition parties try to raise those issues, but when questioned the subject is often ignored in favour of questions like 'what strategy will you use to attack the government?' or 'how will you vote...willl you bring the government down?'.

That said, we've seen a shift recently. The strategy and tactics employed by Harper are still being scrutinized, but from a different perspective. Indeed, Harper's latest ploy of proroguing parliament seems to have energized not only the media, but Canadians who have noticed and find it objectionable.

As I write, the Facebook page Canadians Against Proroguing Parliament, is nearing 90,000 members. There have been some out there that have tried to belittle this endeavor, but in the main, you'll note that most articles and op/ed's being written seem to share the same sentiment being expressed by the grassroots of this country.

I'll agree that clicking on a FB page in and of itself can mean little, but as I've watched this group grow and see rallies being organised, I sense something is happening out there. A bit of an 'enough is enough', attitude seems to be developing and I think this is healthy for the country and our democracy.

These two articles in the Economist lay things out rather neatly, I think.

I'd love to hear your thoughts and whether or not you are hearing about this issue in your daily life.

Short Break

Sadly, we've experienced two deaths in the family over this holiday season, so I've taken a short break.

I will be back as soon as I can.

Thanks for your patience.