05.03.05
This week, Stephen Harper and his cohorts gave us a glimpse of what it’s like to live in that magical bubble we call federal politics.
That iridescent force field which insulates them from the grim and humdrum realities of the great unwashed.
Conservative party deputy-toady Peter MacKay actually compared toppling the government and forcing an election to a visit to the dentist.
“It’s not something we want to do, it’s something we have to do,” he told reporters earlier this week.
Thanks for that complete trivialization Peter, but Canadians aren’t that thick.
Most people see the opposition’s tactics for what they are: political opportunism.
Tuning into CPAC these days is like watching a really bad magic act at a child’s birthday party.
The Conservatives and the Bloc are hoping people won’t make the connection between their efforts to bring down the minority government and the fact they haven’t polled this well since the days of Rubik’s Cubes and break dancing.
Most Canadians are appalled by their callousness and have watched enough tax dollars flushed down the drain recently.
But apparently these political princesses are completely insulated against that reality.
They think spending millions more on a vote, which would produce another minority government, is a necessary waste of our money.
Of course the Conservatives might manage to slither across the floor of the house while implementing this moral purge of the hill.
Meanwhile, the Bloc thinks it can solidify even more support in Quebec. Personally, I think they’re hell bent on breaking records. They want to top their best ever posting of 54 seats. Unfortunately, this situation exposes one of the fundamental flaws of the party. Every time they make a power play, the federalist/separatists cronies dust off their placards for another spit and tussle.
During the last federal election, Duceppe came off as a thoughtful and intelligent leader who looked as if he could keep the white bread morals of the conservatives in check. However, since then he’s engaged in a game of footsie in Ottawa while getting bogged down in local party politics in Quebec.
So here’s to little Jacky Layton. At least that diminutive photo-op-on -wheels remembered good old-fashioned politics is all about money and power.
If he manages to glue the ship of fools together for another few months, he will have scored a major victory for the underdogs on the left.
Since 1997, politicians of all stripes have been trying to dip their paws into the federal surplus. Layton may be able to go elbows deep in the thing with this latest coup.
Of course Harper and his helmet-hair army are outraged that Martin is going to broker a deal to save his ass — although that’s generally what rich kids do when they get into a jam, especially when they can do it on someone else’s dime.
But if Harper really cared about the $4.6 billion of our tax dollars the Prime Minister is willing to shell out for NDP support, he would take the non-confidence motions off the table and get down to work.
That’s my challenge to the conservatives. Show us you can think of something other than getting votes and maybe you’ll start to earn a few on your own merit.
One Liberal MP told me this week that he wouldn’t mind seeing the political spectrum swing to the left.
For the past eight years, the Martinites have been pushing the liberal agenda into territory formerly occupied by the Joe Clarke era conservatives.
That has created a division among the ranks, but holding the reigns that long has created an atmosphere of complacency and arrogance.
But when the Gomery inquiry moved to Montreal and the floodgates opened, the opposition was given enough ammunition to make the Grits feel les than comfortable in their plush Ottawa digs.
But instead of asking their constituents what sort of reforms are needed in Canadian politics to avert slush-fund politics, the opposition and pollsters are focusing solely on a possible election.
If the Ottawa airheads would take a minute to listen to the people of this country, they’d find out that we don’t need to be told when we have to go to the polls, or to the dentist for that matter.
And if they have the guts to ask why, they’d find out that we’re sickened by the thought of having to choose one of these sad sacks.
So if you’re still out there Rhino Party organizers, listen up because right now, the most attractive option looks like a protest vote.