Politically There Are Dissents and There are Pure Tantrums

Canadians have been treated to a truly illuminating yet unfortunate display of politicians failing to apprehend reality of late, thanks to the juvenile behaviours of Premiers Danny Williams of Newfoundland, Rodney MacDonald of Nova Scotia and Lorne Calvert of Saskatchewan. In throwing their monumental fits of outraged displeasure at the perfidy of the federal government they portray themselves as spoiled adolescents whose grand schemes of unearned largess have been foiled.

They bely the maturity of their years and the trust and sobriety of their public office by embarking on a mission of blame and shame, to blackmail the government and soil the Canadian taxpayers' best interest. This no-class act wore thin very quickly, but on they go, spouting recrimination and disappointed promises. We should hang our heads in shame, for Canada has not sufficiently supported the economic needs of the Atlantic- and have-not provinces over these past weary years of hauling them up by our bootstraps.

Their childish manipulative scenarios of pained lack of support from the supposedly 'have' provinces whose per capita resources now quite match their own, won't gain them the capitulation to their cause they feel so deserving of. Little wonder Stephen Harper, our esteemed prime minister, is reacting as he has been. He has the right to expect he would be dealing with responsibly mature adults. Only to discover they're squalling, squawking brats.

Using manufactured outrage and the hysteria of unreasonably unanticipated disappointment to manipulate public opinion in their provinces, and frightening their federally-elected Conservative members of Parliament into dithering indecision over whether to support their government - versus fear of what awaits them at the ballot box, thanks to inflamed voter outrage and revenge.

The Atlantic Accord, glad-handedly granted by former Prime Minister Paul Martin was a huge mistake, a blatant attempt to buy loyalty at the expense of fair dealing, assuring these provinces that their new "have" status, thanks to happy exploitation of their natural resources, would not imperil their traditional "have-not" status, traditionally balanced by equalizing transfer payments.

Danny, Rodney and Lorne in Canderland. Nothing like feeling entitled, emboldened by past successes at milking taxpayers elsewhere to comfort your own and pad your future re-election chances. Nothing quite like demanding the biggest slice of the pie, simply because you've so long enjoyed a kindly paternalistic atmosphere of supposed provincial even-handedness.

The budget has passed. The myth that if you scream long enough, shrilly enough, hard enough, you'll trump reason, has passed into history. Well, would that it did. The truth is, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan are only behaving in a manner that they see has been inordinately successful, time after time, in Quebec's sad case. Who can blame them for trying, poor political toddlers?

Seems it's every province for itself. As leader of the opposition, one expounds and promises freely, in a manner quite at odds with what obtains when the actual position of power has been attained. Then, one leaves la-la-land and lives in reality. While Stephen Harper is not exactly blameless in this situation, having left the distinct impression that he would "respect" the unreasonable demands of these provinces while in opposition, it's obvious enough that that's the time to make mischief.

The fact is, there is no Atlantic Accord that has been violated. The Accord, such as it was, was in itself a violation of equality in this great confederation. Spank them all and send them off to bed without dinner.