Lost In Translation?

Impolitical has some questions for Brother James, whoever that is. Sorry, I couldn't help myself. ;)

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The Harperites Faked A Climate Change Report You Say?

I'm shocked, shocked! Not really. In fact I would have been shocked if they told the truth. Cats are cats and sociopaths are sociopaths

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Canada's Foreign Policy

Has been outsourced to Jerusalem. Can Canada be even considered a sovereign country anymore, or are we now a province of Israel? H/t to Buckdog.

Here, for the record, is Canada's "official" policy. Note that it does mention the 1967 border as the key starting point. However, I guess "official" policy is meaningless in our new role as puppet state.

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Once And Future King

You know your party is on the skids, when your road map to restoration involves creating a national unity crisis. Perhaps the Liberals should make Pierre Trudeau their next leader. That is fitting, somehow.

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Have Our Elites Lost Their Minds?

I am beginning to think so, given the title of John Ibbitson's column today: Things fall apart, Liberals cannot hold – the NDP is loosed upon the world Jesus on a crutch. I should not have to explain this to people with a functioning brain, but the Liberals do not have a divine right to rule and Jack Layton is not the fucking anti-Christ.

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Trust The Onion

To tell the truth. The sad thing is, it works the same here in Canada. There is only one "legitimate" position on the Middle East and that is "Israel can do no wrong."

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Further Evidence Of The Third Worldization Of Our Politics

Shorter Don MacPherson: From now on, stupid Quebecois, government equals Conservative, so vote the right way or you get nothing. Your Anglo masters have spoken.

The trend among conservative pundits of treating Quebec voters as unwelcome guests at an anglo party, continues. It's like they have decided they want Quebec gone, so they can really turn the rest of Canada into a slightly colder Indiana.

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Can Someone Be Charged With Treason

For disagreeing with the hard right party of a foreign country? If you listen to leading Republicans, the answer is, yes. If Harper is smart, he will keep his mouth shut.

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The First Surprise

Harper says voters hate surprises, but I would say his Senate appointments constitute a surprise. I expect several of these this year, followed by three years of blanket denials they ever happened. Also, I expect the Globe will once again endorse our Dear Leader, while pleading with him to change his ways. We live in pathetic times.

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Shorter Barbara Kay

I am against Insite and will pretend drug treatment is a mutually exclusive alternative. Btw., don't ask me to fund drug treatment either, or locate a facility anywhere near my house.

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Rob Ford Has Seen The Enemy

After enduring the worst recession since the Great Depression, and seeing income distribution rates at their most skewed in decades, Rob Ford has identified the cause, garbage workers. Crushing them and taking away their pensions, will I'm sure usher a new era of prosperity for the average Torontonian.

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If You Take Quebec Out Of The Mix...

It is a phrase I am hearing Conservative pundits,using more and more, most recently on Power and Politics a few minutes ago (Joan Crocker insists that without Quebec, Canadians were evenly split on Iraq). It is an inane stance, since Quebec is a part of Canada and so there is no leaving Quebec out of the equation. This is a dangerous trend and it makes Conservatives seem sympathetic to the separatists, who also want to take Quebecers out of the Canadian conversation.

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Jean Chretien Was Against The War In Iraq

Until he secretly committed Canadian forces to it. I guess I had better take down his quote from my banner.

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Phony War

All quiet on the blogging front until Parliament resumes. Unless of course, the Harperites do something blindingly stupid.

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Thank God We Elected A Conservative Government

Otherwise, gas prices would have gone up. Oops.

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Today On Power And Politics

Bambi watches wide eyed, as John Manley walks him through an "adult" dismantling of post-war Canada.

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Rolling The Dice

On this...:

With government spending slowing, the Conservatives have staked a great deal on their view that the business community will pick up the slack and stimulate the economy with expansion-minded investments. On the way to a majority election victory, Harper appears to have convinced much of the public that corporate income tax cuts and incentives for business are the essential tools for Canada’s prosperity.

Will the government live or die. Myself, I think this will all end in tears.

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Thought For A Quiet Day

If the Conservatives are going to be the freedom party, the NDP must be seen as the party of community.

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Shorter Gerry Nicholls

Deliver or else. This is going to be interesting (in the Chinese sense).

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Ode To Bambi

Oh Bambi, look at you, hosting Power and Politics
So gentle, so trusting, believing everything Conservative consultants tell you about healthcare.
Oh Bambi, so innocent, so credulous, you do he said/he said so well
You are the acme of modern electronic political "reporting".
Oh Bambi with your voice so high and your eyes so big, your sugar coated bonhomie.
I just want to run out of the room whenever you come on TV,
Oh Bambi, sweet Bambi, don't take this the wrong way
Politics is not entertainment, so please excuse me
I think you are a lox Bambi, and I want you to leave.

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Note To The NDP

The corporate press is coming to get you. Get ready. Fast. Or they will kill you dead.

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People Need To Move On

Liberals, the election is over. FPTP danced a fandango on your asses. Stop bitching and work to change the system. Stop waiting for Canadians to "come to their senses" and do something positive. Otherwise, you are wasting energy on bitterness and what good will that do you?

Btw, what do you think of Andrew Steeles prescription for the NDP? Just become the Liberal Party and all will be well. Puke.

Update: Looking at the some of the Liberal blogs on ProgBlog, I am starting to think that they are the Bourbons of the 21st century. They remember everything and learn nothing.

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Way Forward

If Jack is smart (and he is), he will take a page from the Conservative playbook and use his youthful caucus to build the NDP brand on campuses all across the country. These young MPs should fan out and attend every campus event, everywhere, for the next four years, spreading the NDP gospel and more importantly listening. That way, the NDP can craft the most youth-friendly platform possible. If the NDP captures and more importantly motivates the youth vote, they can only benefit. People laughed at Jason Kenney's efforts when he first started out. No one is laughing now.

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Merger Schmerger 2011 Edition.

A stupid, stupid idea, thought up by people who can't count past two. You might as well try to create a gryphon or a chimera for all the good it will do you. If the elites in this country really want to get behind something worthwhile, they should try electoral reform. Trying to join the Liberals and the NDP is a useless waste of time.

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Next Day Thoughts

This one is going to hurt for four years. What is there to say? The Conservatives managed to scare another 2% or so of Liberal support their way and increase their seat count by over 20. Such are the glories of FPTP. FPTP has given another minority government absolute power over the majority of Canada's citizens. It is a disgrace, but here we are. Now what?

I hope Liberals use this time in the wilderness to get over their psychic scars and really look at the travesty that is our electoral system. Perhaps the people in the party, who have been so hostile to the idea of electoral reform, are finally ready to see its necessity. I doubt it, but I can dream. Really, it's all I have today.

One bright note though, is the election of Elizabeth May. If there was anyone who could advocate for electoral reform, in an articulate way, it would be May. I hope she takes this on as her main project, during the next four years. I also hope the NDP uses the next four years to make electoral reform central to the next election.

The next four years are going to be tough and those who voted for Harper thinking they could ignore politics for the next half a decade, are in for a rude shock. We are going to get the reanimated corpse of Thatcherism stomping across the countryside and the villagers are about to get crushed. I doubt they are ready for it. I know I am not.

For those out there who are savoring your triumph, I say to you congratulations. What I am about to say, will, I am sure, sound like sour grapes, but it needs saying. Your party may control the government, but it does not represent the majority of Canada's citizens. If you abuse the power that our system has given you, you will be swept away. You have nowhere to hide now. No one to blame. It is all on you.

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Looking Ahead To Tomorrow

The first attack ads against Jack Layton? 2015 is only four years away after all.

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The Story Tonight

Blue Liberals save Harper. Good night for the NDP, terrible night for the country. We are so fucked and it is all thanks to FPTP.

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Who Benefits

I am not accusing any party for this, but this tactic seems mighty Republican. Also, if you have people in your party that will plant fake stories in the media, what won't they do?

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There

I exercised my franchise. Have you voted yet?

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Vote Like There's No Tomorrow

Cuz, if Harper gets his majority, there won't be one. May this be the last federal election using the worst electoral system in the world.

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Alf Gets The Last Word

Alr Apps on Power and politics moments ago: Let me clear, we(the Liberals) are not the New Democratic Party."

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Ok, So Here's The "Plan"

I am just kidding, there is no plan. I am going to vote Liberal tomorrow. Anyone who knows me, or has read this blog knows, I am not doing this lightly. I dislike the Liberals very much and wouldn't trust them to tell me the time, even if I had my own watch to verify it. So, why am I doing it? I am voting Liberal because in my riding, Kitchener Waterloo, it makes sense. As much as I dislike the Liberals, I totally despise the faux conservative, Conservative Party and in Kitchener-Waterloo the race is between the two old parties. Last time, the Liberal lost by 17 votes and while past performance is not an indicator of present circumstances, I figure (and that's all any of us can do), that he still has the best shot at knocking off the Conservative incumbent.

If the margins last time had be different, or if the NDP had any tradition in this riding, or if we had a sane electoral system, I would be voting NDP, no question. The NDP, in my opinion, is the best party to represent my interests in parliament. It is criminal that I am being forced to vote for a party I dislike to block a party I despise, but there we are. Someday, maybe someday soon, I won't have to do this, but tomorrow is not someday.

As for everybody else, I wish you well. We live in a country with a voting system so stupid that it makes the possibility of a Harper government real. Our first and only goal tomorrow is to take that possibility away and elect as many non-Conservatives as possible. I have one caveat. My circumstances are quite specific. I don't mean for my vote to be misconstrued as a blueprint for the country. The Orange Wave is real and I want as many NDP seats as possible. I just don't think Kitchener Waterloo will be one of them.

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