Getting a Lock-Grip on Hypocrisy

"The assailants had awakened him with a rifle in his stomach and a commander in rags, his face smeared with charcoal, had shone a light on him and asked him if he was Liberal or Conservative." Love in the Time of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Politics as a blood sport. Integrity, ethics, trust and honesty? What's that other than promises politicians wrap themselves in along with the flag of their country. And ordinary citizens, themselves unwilling to challenge the poltroons and thugs, try to distinguish which among them represents a half-hearted effort to meet the needs of the population, and vote accordingly.

Politicians seem to feel that their purpose, the reason they are given a vote of confidence is that the electorate believe everything they assert, that their heart is with their country and the well-being of its people. But the voters know by the very actions of those they place in power that it is the party, for ill or for good that matters to their leaders, not the country.

After which, the leader makes his decisions, proves himself to be worthy of respect and does try to lead as long as it doesn't cost him and his party that hard-won position. Sometimes a leader of a party is actually a man of integrity and trust and then the sullied portrait of politicians gets a temporary reprieve from damnation.

Canada currently has an opposition leader who posed as a man of honour, of intelligence and audacity who pledged to renew his party and earn the trust of the voter. But here's the same old Liberal party re-born, remodelled in its original image, the very same one that caused the electorate to heave it into oblivion.

Stephane Dion makes one uninformed and incredible decision after another to position his party in deliberate opposition to the governing Conservatives, irrespective of logic and reality. This man in whom so many people placed their hopes for a resurgent party held high in peoples' esteem has, in a few short months, led it inexorably back to its depths.

He has made it his business and that of his party to reject any usefulness in pivotal issues to the governing party. Despite the fact that the current government is ordering its business on items of importance to the country initiated by the Liberals, Mr. Dion now sees fit to denounce and renounce rather than assist and coordinate intelligently.

The Liberals took Canada's military into Afghanistan. We're stuck there now for ethical reasons not the least of which is our international responsibility, yet Stephane Dion challenges the government to bring the troops home, NATO and Afghanistan be damned. This is clearly not the behaviour of a man of intrinsic honour.

The Liberals signed on to Kyoto, made promises, set up committees, and produced nothing of any significance, yet now deride a year-old government for not producing results they weren't able to in 8 years of misgovernance, where our emissions rose exponentially. This reflects the heights of hypocrisy.

After the events of 9/11 the Liberals brought forward an Anti-Terrorism Act, in the interests of good government and terrorist prevention, two provisions of which are now lapsing because of a sunset clause and which the Conservative government is prepared to renew for another three years' usefulness, yet Stephane Dion is prepared to defy one-half of his own caucus to undercut the government.

Stephane Dion is determined to bring more women into Liberal party politics to run for election in a bid to achieve a more balanced gender representation in Parliament. And to do so he has issued orders that no males will be permitted to challenge women candidates running for office as Liberal representatives for Parliament in specific ridings.


What's that peculiar sound I hear? sincere Liberals tearing out their hair in frustration?