This is a snapshot of the results of a Globe and Mail poll on their web site earlier today. If confidence is a factor in economic recovery, then clearly Harper needs to go back to school.
Harper budget harpoons confidence.
Posts Tagged ‘Politics’
Budget misses the boat.
Wednesday, January 28th, 2009On Harper’s Economic Advisory Group
Friday, December 19th, 2008It’s Harper’s council, not Flaherty’s since Harper would not allow independent thinking or pronouncements from any of his Ministers.
This is a very ‘business oriented’ team. It seems like there is two fold thinking behind the selections. One is that this isn’t a group formed to deal with a national economic crises, but a group to address business recovery. In a situation where we may need out of the box thinking, this group defines the box. The second string to Harper’s bow is that this is a ‘bi-partisan’ group, in the sense that it looks there is involvement from Liberal and Conservative supporters. This serves the partisan purpose of deflating support for the coalition and keeping Harper in power.
In other words this is small minded thinking from a narrow thinking man.
If one were to try and predict the kind of advice that this group will come up with, a focus on big business support and tax breaks for the rich seem likely. Union busting legislation probably won’t be far behind. It could easily be a case of disaster capitalism. We have a disaster and Harper is reaching for the ideas that are on his shelf.
Oh, my poor Canada.
Jeffrey Simpson on the political crisis in Ottawa
Thursday, December 4th, 2008globeandmail.com: Jeffrey Simpson on the political crisis in Ottawa
To have created three crises – or dangerous situations, if ‘crisis’ is too strong a word – for the government and for the country in five working days represents a lack of judgment by a prime minister rarely, if ever, seen in Canadian history.
And this from a Conservative paper!
Text of the coalition government deal
Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008I’ve just read the text of the coalition deal signed by Dion and Layton, and that Duceppe will support. If the leaders of the parties that accumulated 62% of the electorate agree to put aside their differences in the interest of finding sufficient common ground to provide a government for the next period, while Canada goes through the economic crisis – how is that undemocratic?
It may be unwise or unwieldy, and possible even unfeasible, but this is definitely appropriate for a parliament that has had a Prime Minister who flat out doesn’t get what it means to be at the head of a minority government. Instead of reaching out and trying to compromise and achieve a national consensus, Harper reached out and tried to pimp slap the other parties into doing his bidding, and acquiesce to removing core funding. Government funding for parties insures that every vote DOES count, and helps to ensure against the high jacking of the party process by the wealthy.
Like any bully, Harper was surprised when his victims reacted because he had crossed the line. Many of us thought he crossed the line long ago, but that’s another issue.
Personally I don’t think that the NDP should move even more to the center and join the coalition. Better for them to have agreed to support the Liberals, and put some specific policy goals in place, but that’s water under the bridge.
Harper’s imperial prime ministership has, I hope, reached the end of its days, and perhaps some semblence of consensus can now be achieved.