Good Politics

Occasionally we catch a whiff of good politics. Collaboration takes place amongst political parties, sound commitments to average Canadians are made, and the majority feel they are involved in the growth of their country. Today, a whiff of that is known as 'rare air.'

Good politicians seem in short supply and our collective confidence is shrinking, both in our leaders and country. PM Harper's story, which has nothing to do with productive collaboration or sound commitments on behalf of the majority, affects everyone who hears it, likely in a very negative fashion.

I read the headline 'Many Tories just don't believe Harper's version' (Oct. 31, London Free Press), mulled over recent events and began to yearn for good politics.

Will we ever see the day?

Photo by GH

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Please click here to read It gets worse

Welcome to Harperville: “It gets worse”

PM’s disapproval rating hits 50% (Dolighan cartoon, London Free Press, Sept. 25)

Just wait.

Wait ‘til more people realize that Harper has let the the big money in the private sector slip away while gutting the public sector.

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Please click here for more Welcome to Harperville

It Strikes Me Funny: “Penny for your thoughts”

One of the Conservative Government’s penny saving ventures will be delayed. PM Harper has decided to produce the iconic Canadian penny until after Christmas.

Then, after that, exciting new transactions will take place at cash registers across the land!

And we’ll all save millions!

Well... we’ll maybe save $11 million, minus the cost of all the new nickels Mr. Harper will have to produce.

How much will that cost us? The PM will never say.

And since nickels cost more to produce than pennies, we could actually lose money (as well as the iconic penny) for years to come.

Welcome to Harperville!

Penny for your thoughts.

[Photos by G.Harrison]

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Welcome to Harperville: “Smoke and fire up your pants”

[Boots to You: Photo link]

The government will impose its will

[“Trains will start rolling again on Friday at Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. after the Canadian Senate passed back-to-work legislation on Thursday evening...” June 1, London Free Press]

CP Rail workers will get back to work. Our Prime Minister says so and will make it so.

Government ministers will craft bills - when they wish - to push back-to-work legislation upon Canadian workers. Our Prime Minister says so and will make it so.

Hundreds of Canadian citizens at a time will have their noses rubbed in fundamental Conservative facts, that the economy is the new God. Our Prime Minister says so and will make it so.

Citizens’ rights will, at any time across Canada, take a back seat to the Toronto Stock Exchange, hedge fund managers, government bills and The Economy. Our Prime Minister says so and will make it so.

Though “the railroad expects operations to be back to normal within 48 hours” (London Free Press), citizens’ and workers’ rights will not be. Though Labour Minister L. Raitt says “the government acted to ensure continued rail services for businesses, families and the economy”, she says nothing about how heavy-handed governments in the past have set back freedoms and rights for men, women and families around the world. 

She probably doesn’t know. She is only expected to read from her notes and distract people from the fact Canada’s Prime Minister is blowing more smoke and fire up your pants.

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Please click here to read more “Smoke and fire up (or down) your pants”

Welcome to Harperville: “Robosmoke and fire up your pants”

[Harper brushed aside accusations of sleaze... Feb.28, London Free Press]

Is it true? Canada may have a Robo-Prime Minister?

Yes, it’s true.

Canada may have a Roboprime Minister and all that goes with it, i.e., Robovoting for major bills and policies that affect all of Canada, a Robogovernment that includes such illustrious features as a Robofinance Minister (Jim “Nuts” Flaherty) and Robominister of Foreign Affairs (John “Bolts” Baird).

And why would Roboharper and his Robopolitico Machino stoop to include robocalls (automated phone calls to misdirect voters) in their bag of election strategies?

One can only imagine... and so I did.

I imagine the Conservative politico machino is so thirsty for power (like a robot thirsty for it’s life-giving oil from the tarsands) it is willing to do anything to achieve prominence.

I imagine the Conservative politico machino looked at Roboharper’s minority numbers before the last election and realized it needed something more clever than speech and policy writing to turn the tide in his favour.

I imagine the Conservative politico machino looked at the riches pouring into its coffers from Conservatives across the land, felt great pressure to succeed (“This may be our best chance ever! Hoorah!”) and considered a few less-than-stellar brain waves.

I imagine many Robomembers of the Conservative party had no idea how serious was the affront to democracy they considered, blinded as they were by the possibilities of political victory and subsequent power.

To those who believe that one little kid is responsible for the Robocall incident currently making headlines across this wide and wild land of ours, I can only say they have grown far too accustomed to our Roboprime Minister blowing smoke and fire up their pants.

Welcome to Harperville. Next stop, Judicial Inquiry!

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Please click here to read more Smoke and fire down your pants.

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Welcome to Harperville: “Curses! More smoke and fire down our pants”

[“The government has kept tight-lipped on details of its plans, only releasing bits of information in dribs and drabs.” Feb. 22, London Free Press]

If I wanted to sneak up behind you to steal your wallet, I’d probably try one of the oldest tricks in the book called ‘Hey, look over there. Is that your sister?’

Though you may call the trick by another name, it works like this: I don’t want you to see me slip ten bucks out of your wallet and into mine so I distract you. I point to your left and, in a very serious tone - to make myself sound very believable - I ask you to see if that person walking by is your sister.

Now, this ploy works very well if you in fact have a sister and want to engage her in a long conversation. If you don’t have a sister, then I get caught with my hand in your back pocket. Whoops.

While we speak, Prime Minister Harper is trying the same trick on all Canadians as he makes plans to reform Old Age Security (OAS) by making some or many older Canadians work longer, e.g., to age 67 (for now), before collecting hard-earned benefits.


["Is it out of this world to pay a bit more now than later?": Toon by GH]

Why, only last Tuesday, Conservative Human Resource Minister Diane Finley “tried to persuade Canadians that those changes are indeed necessary, warning doing nothing would create an undue burden on future generations of Canadians.”

Finley’s trick is very slick. She warns that we will all place an undeserved burden upon the shoulders of our grandchildren if we don’t follow the Prime Minister’s plan. Though there’s not a word about anybody’s sister, many Canadians will at least be a little more fearful now of the prospects facing children and grandchildren across this once mighty land. And when people are fearful, they’re a little more willing to sacrifice, a little more willing to spend a few more years at work in their later years.

In my opinion, though the information about PM Harper’s plan is only coming out in ‘dribs and drabs’, at least that’s better than the zero amount of information Canadians are receiving about all the reasons why revenues on the government ledger seem unable to support OAS benefits.

Yes, we hear about how people are living longer (from conservative think tanks, no less) but nary a word about how revenues have been affected by the Conservative decrease in the GST. We hear about more boomers “coming down the pipes” (Feb. 22, Free Press) but about how recent corporate tax breaks have affected the coffers - nada, as in ‘not a word’.

To help with giving Canadians even more useful information, maybe the Conservative Federal Government could conduct a poll and ask how many Canadians would like to see corporations pay 1 per cent more tax now, and be willing to spent one per cent more on the GST now, rather than work longer in the future.

Don’t hold your breath.

If you feel more heat around your ankles than usual, that’s just the smoke and fire our Prime Minister is blowing down your pants.

Get used to it, for now.

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Please click here for More Smoke and Fire

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Welcome to Harperville: “Smoke and fire, definitely, down your pants”

[“There is no Plan B, so if you feel the heat a-risin’ up your pant leg, a weak, short-sighted economic plan for 35 million people in a warming climate may be one reason.” GH, Jan. 13, Welcome to Harperville]

Please note: In Canada, the minority of people live in Harperville. And the minority is getting smaller.

“Once again Stephen Harper has overstepped his role as prime minister. He dreams up outlandish ideas about pension plans and doesn’t consult the MPs we elected to tell him what to do.” So begins a recent letter to the editor by Paul W. in the London Free Press (Feb. 6).

Paul neglects to mention that after Mr. Harper dreamt about making Canadians live a few more years before collecting their old age security cheque in order to pay for tax cuts for the wealthiest of Canadians, he announced his intentions in Switzerland, i.e., thousands and thousands of miles away from any loyal subjects who also might have an opinion in the matter. Paul should add, "What a weaselly move!" However, he does go on to say that our PM should “throw in the towel” because he’s lost the respect of his party members and “those of us unfortunate enough to have voted for his party.”

I’d be happy to hear what you think about delaying the OAS. Perhaps you’re a senior who feels you’ll really need it when the time comes, i.e., at age 65, and can’t afford any delay. Perhaps you’re a Conservative Party member who is willing to sacrifice a few years of OAS so that Corporate Canada can get more tax breaks in order to do whatever corporations do with tax breaks. Explain to me what they do, if you can.


[“Been thinking about your pension? Save up - now”]

Personally, though I enjoy my lovely little pension now and will apply for OAS when the time comes, I know that public pensions are under pressure, are under funded, and lengthy discussions will be needed about how to maintain the future health of retirement supports. I also know that pensions are supported, in part, by government revenues (also under pressure), so that is likely where the PM’s dreams should first be directed.

Any PM who dreams about taking money from the elderly to support the wealthiest in Canada is just blowing smoke and fire up your pants.

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Thank you to Paul W.

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Welcome to Harperville: “Smoke and fire up your pants”

[“Some critics of Ottawa’s economic approach say they’re concerned with (Canada’s) increasing reliance on petroleum revenue they contend comes at the expense of other regions.” Jan. 12, London Free Press]

Canada’s Conservative Federal Government (aka The Feds) has one plan and one plan only for the country’s economic future, i.e., sell as much dirty, expensive tar sand oil as soon as possible.

There is no Plan B, so if you feel the heat a-risin’ up your pant leg, a weak, short-sighted economic plan for 35 million people in a warming climate may be one reason.

Another reason. When Line Dance Minister Jim Flatulence, the man in charge of the largest debt in Canadian history and an unmanageable deficit, says, “It’s clear to me it’s not time for dangerous new spending” (Jan. 12, Free Press), he doesn’t mention the excessive costs related to purchasing fighter jets from the U.S.A. (the actual costs are unknown), to building new federal prisons in a country with a lowering crime rate, to expanding the size of the House of Commons, and to the largest Prime Minister’s Office in the history of Canada, if not the known universe.


[“Let me know how your debate goes”: see Dolighan.com]

Add to the mix a Prime Minister who doesn’t give a tinker’s toot for the environment (he may not even know that global warming, climate instability and Canada’s excessive exploitation of natural resources are related) and we have perfect conditions for a lot more smoke and fire up your pants.

Keep a water bucket handy if you can afford it.

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Please click here for more Welcome to Harperville.

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Welcome to Harperville: “Still more smoke and fire up your pants”

[There will be no golden eggs in this winter’s federal budget for Opposition MPs with their hands out. Nov. 26, London Free Press]

Line Dance Minister Jim Flatulence, never short for words, said a lot of interesting things about his upcoming budget recently, “left little or no room for anyone looking to derail the government’s cost-cutting agenda”, but also left several things unsaid, according to Conservative Prime Minister Harper’s tight-lipped plan.

What was said?

“As we do every year, we will hear from various groups, including the opposition, calling for more spending, new programs and bigger government.” (Nov. 26, Free Press)

What wasn’t said?

The Conservatives will thumb their noses at the opposition in the spirit of co-operation with the majority of Canadians, and will keep really quiet about the ‘more spending, new programs and bigger government’ of their own as the mystery bills for their ‘Omnibush’ Crime Bill, fighter jets and last Economic Action Plan come home to roost in the future.


["While Harper spends, spends, spends - suck on this, Canada!": photo GH]

What else was said?

“Although we stand prepared to be flexible and pragmatic should circumstances warrant it, we will stick to our low-tax plan to create jobs and economic growth.”

What wasn’t said?

The Conservatives have no plan or money if there is no economic growth because their current low-tax plan has reduced the size of the government coffers considerably, and it will shrink even more once their next promised corporate-tax reduction comes into effect.

What else was said?

“If European leaders continue to dither, future generations will inherit unsustainable debt burdens.”

What wasn’t said?

Canadian Conservative leaders will continue to dither with their low-tax plan to create jobs.

PM Harper has no Plan B.

Canadians already carry unsustainable debt burdens and future generations will inherit even more.

PM Harper and his Line Dance Minister will blow even more smoke and fire up our pants in the spring.

Stay tuned.


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Please click here to read “More smoke and fire up your pants.”

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Welcome to Harperville: “More smoke and fire up your pants”

[“Speculation was rampant Monday that Finance Minister Jim Flaherty is going to break his promise by his boss to erase the deficit in three years.” Today’s London Free Press]

PM Harper promised to erase the deficit in three years, come hell or high water.

(Read my lips. It won't ever happen).

Meanwhile, back at the Finance Dept., Jim Flaherty has been sending out the message, as often as he can, that these are challenging economic times as far as his beady little eyes can see.

To anyone who will listen Jim has also mentioned the following:

- Canada’s unemployment has grown, according to recent reports, from 7.1 to 7.3 %

- the Greek situation could send Europe into a recession

- the US economy is struggling

- because of turbulence (Can you feel it?) his own growth expectations for the near future have been lowered

However, and this strikes me as funny, he hasn’t mentioned his boss's proposed corporate tax reduction for 2011 and how much that will cost the national treasury annually or who is going to have to make up the difference, and how, in the short or long term.

It’s no coincidence then, as many average Canadians are facing tougher times than ever before, there is also the feeling that someone is blowing smoke and fire up their pants.

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Which Canadian Prime Minister has had the most expensive PMO or Prime Minister’s Office?

Please click here for more smoke and fire up (even down) your pants.

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Welcome to Harperville PT 4: “More smoke and fire down your pants”

[“It does make it look like the federal government is using the public purse as a piggy bank for their own ridings.” P. Nash, NDP finance critic]

I don’t mind that our federal Conservative government is spending money across Canada on good programs that do good things for good people.

After all, I’m a good people too and one day I may get a bonus for all that I do... everywhere. (I’m ready now).

Again, after all, Canadian cash for an airport in Saskatchewan may keep good people working at good jobs until the high price of fuel puts the squeeze on future flights. And Canadian cash for a doughnut manufacturer in New Brunswick may keep good people up to their waist in goodies until the cows come home... if they can pass through the farm gate without getting stuck.

At least eight other ministers or Conservative MPs are making funding announcements across Canada too. Good.

Unless... unless the MPs are only Conservative MPs and the projects they’re funding are in Conservative ridings. This is Canada after all, home to NDPers and Grits and Greens and a few Bloc members. And money should be distributed fairly. I especially don't mind that.


[“Cement Hands Clement is in control now, Canada.”]

I mean, if Treasury Board Prez “Cement Hands” Clement is going to tighten the collective belts of all Canadians, then largess (from the overall savings, of course) should be spread out in a neat and tidy manner to all those affected. Not just those good people in good Conservative ridings.

Otherwise, Canadians’ll just get the impression that PM Harper is singing his favourite tune again, i.e., Welcome to Harperville.

I do mind that.

I already know the chorus off by heart:

“Here’s to smoke and fire down your pants,
Down your pants, down your pants.
Here’s to smoke and fire down your pants,
Oily in the morning.”

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Please click here for more “Smoke and fire down your pants.”

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Welcome to Harperville: PT 3 More smoke and fire down your pants

[“I think it’s doable (i.e. balanced budget) in the context of the recovery of the Canadian economy. But there’s going to be some difficult choices. I don’t want to sugarcoat anything.” Tony “Cement Hands” Clement, June 25, London Free Press]

The economy in Newfoundland and Quebec must be recovering.

According to the Winnipeg Free Press, online June 8,

“Search-and-rescue co-ordination currently run out of regional offices in St. John's and Quebec City will be shifted to Halifax and Trenton, Ont., as Fisheries and Oceans seeks to come up with $56 million in savings this year... the cuts would involve 12 "call centre" employees in St. John's and 12 in Quebec City.”

The cuts are just one of the many, many difficult choices MP Clement, president of the Treasury Board and Minister of ALL THAT ISN’T NAILED DOWN, was talking about.


And Newfoundland, with only 1 Conservative MP (out of 7), and Quebec, with only 5 Conservative MPs (out of 75), shouldn’t be expecting any sugarcoating any time soon.

Across Canada, corporations, big business have nothing to fear. Even if the economy doesn’t recover, they will receive another tax cut in 2011.

This from the same Winnipeg Free Press online article:

“NDP fisheries critic Jack Harris made a direct link between the safety of Canadians and continuing Conservative corporate tax cuts worth billions of dollars in lost revenue.

"We've got governments trying to save money on the backs of services to the people," said Harris.

"You know when this government decides to spend a billion-plus dollars on the corporate tax cuts — and then says we have to balance the budget — well, this is what they're doing. Their corporate tax cuts are being paid for by the reduction in services."

Conservative PM Harper and “Cement Hands” Clement would have something to say about that.

“Welcome to Harperville, the land of smoke and fire down your pants.”

Surely, there will be more to follow.

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Welcome to Harperville: PT 2 More smoke and fire down your pants

[“We made, I think, an important promise to the people of Canada, and that was to accelerate our plans to get back to a balanced budget by 2014.” Tony Clement, president of the Treasury Board, June 25, London Free Press]

I have a feeling that when Tony (Conservative MP, Minister of ALL THAT ISN’T NAILED DOWN and the one assigned to find $4 billion a year in savings by 2014 - 15) tries to balance the budget there will be some winners (especially in his own riding) and many losers (especially among those not in his riding).

“Chop Chop” Clement may initially focus much of his attention on provinces with few Conservative MPs.


[A Canadian Forces Cormorant helicopter, left, and a Canadian Coast Guard hovercraft conduct a search and rescue mission on English Bay in Vancouver, B.C., on October 13, 2008. Armed with his first majority, one of the first things the Conservatives are doing is to move a search-and-rescue centre out of St. John's, N.L., to Halifax. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck]

For example, the search-and-rescue centre in St. John's, N.L., is already in his sites. (Nfld. and Labrador elected only one Conservative MP in the most recent election. Silly toots. Up next? Smoke and fire down their pants!)

Some interesting news about the cuts from the Winnipeg Free Press:

Search-and-rescue centre in St. John's, N.L., falls victim to budget cuts

One of the first things Stephen Harper did after his Conservatives won minority power in 2006 was restore a federal weather station to Gander, N.L., that had been moved to Halifax.

"The closure may have saved the Liberal government a few dollars, but Newfoundland and Labrador have had to suffer the consequences," Harper said on April 12, 2006, in Gander.

...The prime minister called the Liberal weather station transfer "a real danger to public safety" that affected the "thousands of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians who work offshore."

"These men and women have to contend with some of the harshest conditions in the Atlantic on a good day," Harper said in Gander.

"On the bad days, raging winds and frigid swelling waters pose a grave danger to their personal safety.

This is a reality that Newfoundlanders and Labradorians know only too well." (June 8, Winnipeg Free Press)

Nfld. and Lab. felt only love and concern in 2006 under Harper’s minority government.

That was then.

This is now.

Now, armed with his first majority, one of the first things the Conservatives are doing is to move a search-and-rescue centre out of St. John's, N.L., to Halifax. (Winnipeg Free Press)

Smoke and fire down your pants, Newfoundland!

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Welcome to Harperville: More smoke and fire down your pants

Oh, it definitely strikes me funny that Tony Clement, Federal Conservative MP, president of the Treasury Board and Minister of ALL THAT ISN’T NAILED DOWN, set up a meeting recently to grill - and I mean grill over a very hot bed of charcoal - oil and gas executives.

The grilling will likely be so hot I won’t be surprised when I hear an oil baron spontaneously burst into flame.

“Can you tell me about prices at the gas pump?” he will ask them.

“I want to know why Canadians feel that prices are so high,” he’ll say.

“Help me understand why gas prices go up and down, and then up and down, and then up... but not down,” he’ll say.


[“What goes up but not down? I don't know.”: photo link]

Back in May he said, “All I know is that prices are going up and down and sideways and nobody knows why.”

He continued, as quoted in a news article:

“No one can understand how last year when oil was $140 or $150 a barrel, gas was at $1.37 a litre and now that oil is south of $98 a barrel and yet we’re paying more. No one understands how that can happen.” (May 12, Toronto Sun)

The article continued:

That doesn’t mean, though, that Clement is itching to take any specific action that would lower prices immediately.

That I believe. And two other things come to mind.

By grilling a few sides of beef, Tony will learn he was right. No one understands. No one knows anything. Probably not even oil and gas barons. Tony will ask his heated questions and come up empty. But he will blow smoke and fire down your pants.

Also, I get the feeling that Tony’s BBQ party with the oil and gas barons is nothing more than a photo op, a way for Tony to look like he gives a hoot about the average Canadian - other than those in his very wealthy riding.

Now that “Cement-hands” Clement, Pres. of the Treasury Board, is being investigated by the RCMP for the alleged misappropriation of G8 Summit funds, he will need all the help he can get to look good.

Canada, welcome to Harperville, the land of smoke and fire down your pants.

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Please click here for more Smoke and Fire Down Your Pants.

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