Up Front and Centre-Left
Well, there's our New Year's statement from the Leader of the Opposition: prepare for the government to fall in 2008. Thank you very much. We're prepared. What's on offer, Stephane? More bluster and critical badinage? More reminders to the voting public of just how effective you personally were on the environmental agenda back when the Liberals were in majority government and championing Kyoto but sitting on their hands?
You claim the Conservative government has failed in adequately demonstrating its ideology through competence and sincere action. Well, in part you're right. They've demonstrated a rather mixed response to variously-required government reactions. Sometimes pleasing, sometimes inadequate. But guess what? They've done all right, by and large. They've responded far more satisfactorily from the perspective of many with memories than the Liberals managed.
They're far from as good as we would want them to be. But yet far ahead in many arenas than the previous Liberal governments proved themselves to be. And didn't we get just so bloody fed up with all the Liberal-fed and -dominated scandals; don't ask. Whereas now we have a minority government anxious to please and going about its work on tippy-toes. Yet bold in determination and action when it needs to be; finding its legislative sea-legs.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper judiciously stated in a recent interview that Canadians would do well to prepare themselves for a bit of an economic downturn. Not because Canada is in anything approaching dire economic straits; we're in fine shape, actually. But as an expression of reality; we are part of a larger world, and a global economic slowdown is working its way through the system.
It will most certainly affect this country, and we should indeed be aware and prepared to countenance its reality. As for Mr. Harper's additional caution to the people he governs that we should anticipate a "challenging year" as the slowly emerging fall-out from government initiatives to get a handle on the domestic front from the challenges of meeting global warming; we need to hear that.
Just as we all are acutely interested in seeing how effective new federal government regulations may turn out to be in the interests of protecting against climate change; how new regulations will affect industry and the country at large. We should indeed be prepared to recognize changes and challenge the government to do better, if that's not enough. And to expect to make some of our own sacrifices for the greater good.
Yet the word from Stephane Dion is that this represents a mere smokescreen, that the prime minister makes such statements as a way to protect himself and to shield his government from the repercussions of economic mismanagement in the anticipated failed guise of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. How's that for a jaundiced, pessimistically insulting point of view? Aren't we all in this together?
And what's this? He states that Canada should sell China technology related to that country's ongoing commitment to adding two coal-powered plants-per-week agenda. Yet we haven't ourselves met with sterling success in adequately cleaning up our own smokestack emissions from coal-fired plants. Exactly what technology should we be so eager to sell to the Chinese to take advantage of their need before we can satisfy our own?
Mr. Dion complains that the public is unaware of all the strenuous efforts he and his party have made in their proposals for the betterment of Canada. And that so many people know him only through negative ads - attack ads. How neat; the Conservative government of Stephen Harper has unleashed unfair campaign-style advertisements highlighting Mr. Dion's perceived lacks, and that's miserable politics.
Perhaps it is; harking back to that old adage of everything being fair in love and war - and politics can be a reflection of that. Fact is, the electorate doesn't need reminders from those ads; we very well recall Mr. Dion's legendary lack of effectiveness. So what's Mr. Dion engaged in doing through this interview other than slagging his opponent, calling into question his integrity and efficacy, warning that he himself is big and tough and ready for action?
Election on the near horizon. Earlier opportunities unsuited to his project. He's ready now. We're not.
You claim the Conservative government has failed in adequately demonstrating its ideology through competence and sincere action. Well, in part you're right. They've demonstrated a rather mixed response to variously-required government reactions. Sometimes pleasing, sometimes inadequate. But guess what? They've done all right, by and large. They've responded far more satisfactorily from the perspective of many with memories than the Liberals managed.
They're far from as good as we would want them to be. But yet far ahead in many arenas than the previous Liberal governments proved themselves to be. And didn't we get just so bloody fed up with all the Liberal-fed and -dominated scandals; don't ask. Whereas now we have a minority government anxious to please and going about its work on tippy-toes. Yet bold in determination and action when it needs to be; finding its legislative sea-legs.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper judiciously stated in a recent interview that Canadians would do well to prepare themselves for a bit of an economic downturn. Not because Canada is in anything approaching dire economic straits; we're in fine shape, actually. But as an expression of reality; we are part of a larger world, and a global economic slowdown is working its way through the system.
It will most certainly affect this country, and we should indeed be aware and prepared to countenance its reality. As for Mr. Harper's additional caution to the people he governs that we should anticipate a "challenging year" as the slowly emerging fall-out from government initiatives to get a handle on the domestic front from the challenges of meeting global warming; we need to hear that.
Just as we all are acutely interested in seeing how effective new federal government regulations may turn out to be in the interests of protecting against climate change; how new regulations will affect industry and the country at large. We should indeed be prepared to recognize changes and challenge the government to do better, if that's not enough. And to expect to make some of our own sacrifices for the greater good.
Yet the word from Stephane Dion is that this represents a mere smokescreen, that the prime minister makes such statements as a way to protect himself and to shield his government from the repercussions of economic mismanagement in the anticipated failed guise of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. How's that for a jaundiced, pessimistically insulting point of view? Aren't we all in this together?
And what's this? He states that Canada should sell China technology related to that country's ongoing commitment to adding two coal-powered plants-per-week agenda. Yet we haven't ourselves met with sterling success in adequately cleaning up our own smokestack emissions from coal-fired plants. Exactly what technology should we be so eager to sell to the Chinese to take advantage of their need before we can satisfy our own?
Mr. Dion complains that the public is unaware of all the strenuous efforts he and his party have made in their proposals for the betterment of Canada. And that so many people know him only through negative ads - attack ads. How neat; the Conservative government of Stephen Harper has unleashed unfair campaign-style advertisements highlighting Mr. Dion's perceived lacks, and that's miserable politics.
Perhaps it is; harking back to that old adage of everything being fair in love and war - and politics can be a reflection of that. Fact is, the electorate doesn't need reminders from those ads; we very well recall Mr. Dion's legendary lack of effectiveness. So what's Mr. Dion engaged in doing through this interview other than slagging his opponent, calling into question his integrity and efficacy, warning that he himself is big and tough and ready for action?
Election on the near horizon. Earlier opportunities unsuited to his project. He's ready now. We're not.
Labels: Crisis Politics, Government of Canada, Human Fallibility
posted by Pieface | 12:22 PM
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