Charlatan

Harper has been in Romania attending the meeting of La Francophonie, a gathering of French-speaking nations (kind of like the commonwealth but with French).

I have been following some of his statements and action while there and I have to say I am impressed. I really don't like Harper but my respect for his approach to international affairs has continued to grow.

Here - LINK - Harper calls for the UN to step in on Darfur. It is the right thing to do. I can only imagine, if it happens, that there will be Canadians on the ground.

and here - LINK - he stands his ground against those who wanted an offical word from La Francophonie on the summer conflict in Lebanon to only reflect their sympathies to Lebanon. Harper insisted that Israeli civilians be included in this resolution.

In both instances, he did and said the right thing, despite the two positions not being the most popular position to take.

I haven't come to a position where I am willing to throw my support behind Harper but he has certainly caused me to pay better attention to him.

...and it really pisses me off...


I realize these two events are relative blips on the international scene but they mark a steadfast clarity that I haven't seen in some time.

So what is your take on all of this? Do you think any of this is going to push Harper into a majority or do you think no one is really paying attention to all of this?

__________________
"My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars."
- Old Man Luedecke

highthief

Harper is doing well to impress the people who might otherwise be on the fence, something I think the in transition Liberals are failing to do.

If I'm the Liberals, I don't want a spring election, unless Harper does something really stupid, because I don't see them gaining ground, especially without leadership until almost Christmas. I think Harper is distancing himself, at least in perception, from Bush, which can't hurt either. He agrees with some of Bush's positions but is in opposition to others. If he maintains that course, people will respect him. If he reverts to mirroring the Shrub on too many major issues, his support will evaporate quickly.

I had no idea Romania was considered a francophone country, either!

__________________
Si vis pacem parabellum.

Charlatan

I completely agree Thief... His dance with Bush is a trickly one... I was very pleased to hear him say that protecting our soveriegnty was key on his agenda. He said this to a prminant group of business leader in New York just before he spoke at the UN.

I thought it was a very clear message and it was the right one (again).

__________________
"My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars."
- Old Man Luedecke

Baraka_Guru

Well, it sure looks like Harper is playing politics as a prime minster in his position should. I wouldn't say that no one is paying attention to this. Harper has a fragile minority, everyone is watching his every move and he knows it. One can only assume that everything the Tories do is in plotting for a majority in the next election. Do you think they intend to push their core agenda in this current government?

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

highthief

I'm wondering if the "core agenda" exists as such, or can - by that I mean the social concerns that make the Tories an uncomfortable fit for many Canadians. If Harper maintains his distance from gay marriage/abortion/etc, the economy keeps humming along, he'll probably keep a grip on power, though whether he can obtain a majority is questionable.

__________________
Si vis pacem parabellum.

Charlatan

True. If Harper can stay away from the hot button socially conservative issues that kept them out of power for so long, he will stay in power and inch his way to majority.

The real question of his majority lies in the hands of the current opposition than anything he does. Can the Liberals field a respectable leader and win back seats in Quebec and Ontario.

__________________
"My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars."
- Old Man Luedecke

Leto

As a liberal (notice the small 'L'), I have been gradually impressed with Harpers stolidity.

I am holding my breath while his promise to invoke income splitting for single income families comes to fruition....

fresnelly

Who, where and the whatnow? We're too busy keeping up on Tie and Belinda to care about La Francophonie. Have I mentioned that pre-season Hockey has started?

__________________
Building an artificial intelligence that appreciates Mozart is easy. Building an A.I. that appreciates a theme restaurant is the real challenge - Kit Roebuck - Nine Planets Without Intelligent Life

Charlatan

You are consistent!

__________________
"My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars."
- Old Man Luedecke

Amaras

I do not consider myself to either a conservative or a liberal.
On some issues, like national defence and foreign policy, I am a staunch supporter of Canadian independence from following the US. On these issues, Harper impressed me.
For instance, his claiming our sovereign rights to the North. If we keep this up, I believe that at the present rate of ice floe change in the North, it will be of major importance if the Northwest passage ever opens up. I would even say it's visionary of Harper.

Putting more money towards supporting our military in field is also important to me. Once we decide putting people in the field, we should do everything we can to give them the ability to not only defend themselves, but to quickly wax any bastards who come after them. Sorry, but these are Canadian lives, and we should minimize the risk wherever possible, rather than sending out these brave souls virtually naked. An improved (albeit still modest) military would also allow Canada further independence from the Shrubs of this world.

On social issues, I would like to think I am fairly liberal. If Gay marriage comes up for debate, I am solidly in support of anybody having the right to marry (no matter how foolhardy the proposition seems). I think he'll get burnt in Eastern Canada if he pushes a typical conservative agenda. However, I'm not sure that we in the East (I'm in Mtl) realize just how different the West sees these issues. His bringing them up for debate could be quite divisive along geographic, rather than political, lines.

On the economic side, I believe fiscal responsibility to be job #1 of Government. Do what you want with your own money, but be careful with the community chest. Alberta is pissed at our deficits out East, are we going to redress this imbalance? Is Quebec going to threaten one referendum too far? How will he react to what is most likely to be a majority PQ victory in the next Quebec election? Sadly, the Quebec question has been the bane of all of our PM's for the last 30 years. His take on these issues (assuming he still in power, which I believe is a safe bet) will make or break him in the long run.

How about investment in our infrastructure? Most of our major public works are reaching the end of their designed lifespan. It's estimated that 50% of our water is lost through faulty pipes. I know we have a lot of water, but that's ridiculous.

Investment in alternatives to fossil fuels would most likely alienate him from his power base on the prairies. Does he have the stones to be a visionary?

Lots of questions remain, but so far, I give him a B+. And this is coming from a lifelong Liberal voter. As a Quebecer of English descent, I frankly feel like I haven't had a choice.

__________________
Propaganda is to a democracy what the bludgeon is to a totalitarian state.
-Noam Chomsky
Love is a verb, not a noun.
-My Mom
The function of genius is to furnish cretins with ideas twenty years later.
-Louis Aragon, "La Porte-plume," Traite du style, 1928

highthief

That's scary, Grolsch. It's like you stole my brain, or something.

Agree on virtually all points.

__________________
Si vis pacem parabellum.

Leto

do you think?

(by the way, did I mention that bit about income splitting? Everybody now!)

and grolsch, thanks, you managed to invest the effort into a response that maps to my thoughts exactly!

Amaras

Thanks for the feedback, it makes one think before submitting!

Honestly, I think that partisan politics may have useful in a time when most people were more concerned with survival than individual policies. Now, rather than ideologues, I think we need leaders that lead rather than follow polls or "accepted" party political lines.

By the way, what is "income splitting"?

__________________
Propaganda is to a democracy what the bludgeon is to a totalitarian state.
-Noam Chomsky
Love is a verb, not a noun.
-My Mom
The function of genius is to furnish cretins with ideas twenty years later.
-Louis Aragon, "La Porte-plume," Traite du style, 1928

Charlatan

Grolsch... it is one of the interesting things about Canada... the centrist position is where the majority of our population live. Fiscally conservative and socially liberal.

As long as Harper continues to tread that path he will be fine. It was the socially conservative side that kept the Reform/Alliance out of power for so many years. As long as Harper can keep that side of his party quiet and sidelined, he will stay in power. If he does that plus continues to the leader that Paul Martin never was, he will get a majority.

__________________
"My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars."
- Old Man Luedecke

Amaras

I agree, Charlatan. I still think the PQ will be a political landmine for him, though. With their expectation of constant attention, and the West's increasing exasperation with that expectation, IO think a critical point is not far off...

__________________
Propaganda is to a democracy what the bludgeon is to a totalitarian state.
-Noam Chomsky
Love is a verb, not a noun.
-My Mom
The function of genius is to furnish cretins with ideas twenty years later.
-Louis Aragon, "La Porte-plume," Traite du style, 1928

Leto

although, Harper did make some high level appeasement efforts in Quebec, after the federal election.

I'm concerned with the whole concept of western alienation, and with what gives. Does it all hearken back to the NEP? Or is it just a time zone thing ( I recall living in Vancouver in the early '80's and having to watch Hockey Night in Canada at 5 PM !!!)

FYI: income splitting is when the government allows a household to spread the income that a sole provider brings in, over the two parents. In my example, I have a stay at home wife and 3 children. My tax burden at my level of income is punitive, compared to if both of us worked, and made half as much.

One could argue that two wage earners can and do have to afford day care, which effectively erases the two income advantage, but the reality in Toronto is that these are expensive propositions, and often renders the second income a meaningless paper chase. So having made the descision to sacrifice a second income, I would like to be able to state for my income tax purposes that i split it in half and take advantage of the lower tax margin.

metalgeek

Western Alienation?
Comes from a long history of the West feeling ignored by the East.
Things like the NEP did spur it along in Alberta.
In any large, sparsly populated country like this, it's hard for the whole nation to feel a sense of "community"

The funny thing about Harper is that, when you consider he came from the Calgary school of thought (and the UofC econ department, which I'm also in) You'll realize there is a heavy heavy libertarian streak in it. The social conservitism in the party mainly comes from the rural religious.

__________________
The truth is, wherever you choose to be, it's the wrong place.
Chuck Palahniuk , Diary