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[Canada] Canadian Politics Redux

Started by Josephus, March 22, 2011, 09:27:34 PM

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Jacob

#17340
From the Star, so not inclined towards Poiliever... but makes some good points nonetheless IMO.

QuotePierre Poilievre should have Conservatives worried about his potential to self-destruct — and to take the party with him[/u]

MONTREAL—This was the week when Conservative front-runner Pierre Poilievre could have sealed his leadership deal.

With a widely acknowledged lead on his rivals, he had two opportunities in the shape of successive leadership debates to step into a more prime ministerial picture frame and start unifying the party and eventually the country behind him.

More than a few CPC members watched the debates for signs Poilievre had the maturity to build bridges, not just firebomb them.

There are Conservatives who, even as they wish for former premier Jean Charest or Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown to become the next leader, still worry that one or the other could end up driving a critical mass of CPC voters to Maxime Bernier's Peoples' party.

On that basis, it would not have taken all that much on Poilievre's part — perhaps just a stroll on the high road — to reconcile a significant number of those whose first choice in the Sept. 10 leadership vote is another candidate with the prospect that the campaign is more than ever his to lose.

At the same time, many Conservative outsiders were curious to find out what the buzz was about with Poilievre, and whether he stacked up as a credible alternative to the current prime minister.

With Justin Trudeau in his third term, it is not just CPC members currently in good standing who could see their way to support regime change on Parliament Hill in the next election.

To both constituencies, Poilievre offered a performance that seemed designed to shore up his reputation as an attack dog even at any cost.

It is not that he stumbled out of the debate gate, but rather that he deliberately opted for the scorched earth approach that has become his trademark in dealing with anyone who challenges his dogmas.

As a result, his performance on the debate podium had raised a barrage of internal and external doubts about his capacity to lead a united Conservative party in the next election and his suitability to become the prime minister.

Let's take those in order.

Poilievre entered the leadership campaign with the reputation of a take-no-prisoners performer in the House of Commons. But what the debates have shown is that he also does not play well with other conservatives and the diverse factions within the right that they represent.

Over the course of the two debates, he has not had a good word to say about either of his two main rivals (or anyone else for that matter).

On the contrary, he has questioned Charest's integrity and suggested Brown is a habitual liar. Those are terms of engagement that would not really have their place even in the more adversarial setting of an election debate.

(In passing, it is worth noting that both men secured positions of greater political responsibility on their way to their respective leadership bids than the Ottawa MP, in regions where the CPC desperately needs to make inroads if it is ever to return to government.)

At the same time, Poilievre's approach to fiscal policy — if it can be called that — was shown to play poorly outside of the alternate universe of his leadership campaign.

By dropping a line in his opening debate statement on Thursday about firing the governor of the Bank of Canada, Poilievre most assuredly won the night's headlines. But it was a self-defeating victory.

Poilievre's latest salvo against the Bank of Canada was described as baseless and reckless in The Globe and Mail and called outrageous in the Star. National Post columnist Kelly McParland wrote: "Pierre Poilievre is too big a risk to lead the Conservatives."


Poilievre's brain trust will undoubtedly dismiss this barrage of criticism as a sign that his potential advent as leader inspires widespread fear within the so-called mainstream media. To date, why that would be a positive development for the CPC has remained unexplained.

If the promise to fire the governor of the Bank of Canada served any positive purpose for Poilievre on Thursday night, it was as a diversion. As it happens, he really needed one.

Just a bit more than a month ago, the party's former finance critic was touting cryptocurrency as a means for Canadians "to opt out of inflation."

With the floor falling from under the crypto market this week, that call does not show well on a leadership candidate who wants voters to believe he is financially literate enough to second guess the Bank of Canada.


Far from feeling energized by the leadership debates, there is growing concern within the ranks of the Conservative party about the self-destructive potential of the leadership campaign.

Those concerns are well-founded.

Poilievre's debate performances may be doing more damage to the party brand than to his own leadership prospects.

https://www.thestar.com/politics/political-opinion/2022/05/14/pierre-poilievre-should-have-conservatives-worried-about-his-potential-to-self-destruct-and-to-take-the-party-with-him.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

crazy canuck

What points do you have in mind?

Jacob

Quote from: crazy canuck on May 15, 2022, 10:49:22 PMWhat points do you have in mind?

Sorry, posted from my phone. Was a pain to bold things... went back and bolded a few things that stood out to me.

crazy canuck

I see. thought you meant P had made some good points....


Barrister

#17344
So on Twitter @Jkenney is Alberta's premier, Jason Kenney.

There's another guy with the twitter handle @jaronkenney.  He is also named Jason Kenney, but lives in Virginia and works for a non-profit.

So of course @jasonkenney is constantly getting tagged by mistake.  He usually seems to be in good humour about the situation.

So with that explanation:

https://twitter.com/jasonkenney/status/1526518128913571841

https://twitter.com/jkenney/status/1526363064982855685



Edit: @jasonkenney followed up saying he will forever regret not recreating the pointing spiderman meme.
Posts here are my own private opinions.  I do not speak for my employer.

Grey Fox

Colonel Caliga is Awesome.

crazy canuck


Another warning about Pollivre's odious politics-and the reality that Conservatives support him.

Mason's piece in the Globe today

QuoteIt's tempting to write off the verbal threats and scenes of nasty intimidation federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh was subjected to recently as the work of a handful of yobs we needn't be too worried about.

We should all avoid the allure of that notion.

What happened to Mr. Singh while visiting the Peterborough, Ont., campaign headquarters of an NDP candidate in the Ontario election should never be accepted or normalized. It should be condemned in the fiercest terms possible by every person in this country, especially politicians who might be contributing to these incidents of public rage.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW ADVERTISEMENT


If you haven't seen the video of the incident, you should take a minute to find it. After walking out of the campaign office Mr. Singh is instantly surrounded by men and women, all screaming horrible, vile things in his face. The premise of their anger appears to be the deal he signed with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to support the Liberals until 2025. Among other things, he is called a traitor.

Mr. Singh did not have any security. He is fortunate to have escaped to the sanctuary of a waiting automobile before things became violent.

The protesters were very much of the same ilk as those who pelted Mr. Trudeau with rocks at a campaign stop during the last federal election. They boasted about being "freedom convoy" folks whose corrosive anger is fuelled by half-baked conspiracy theories and the heated, discordant rhetoric of people like federal Conservative Party of Canada leadership candidate, Pierre Poilievre.

Mr. Singh issued a statement on Friday in which he absolved the people of Peterborough for what happened, but issued a caution.

"While disagreements are fundamental to a thriving democracy, hatred, violence and wishing death upon others threaten it. Politicians must remember the consequences when they stoke fear and division."

He could have been speaking directly to Mr. Poilievre.

The Ottawa-area MP didn't organize the protest in Peterborough, but his campaign to become Tory leader has legitimized the anger that was on display there. In many ways, it's also his anger, and it reflects the contempt he holds for the Prime Minister. He has given these people reason to believe Mr. Trudeau is one of the most despicable people in this country.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW ADVERTISEMENT


He's done this by running one of the most dishonest, contemptible political campaigns ever seen in Canada. Every day he seems to find a new low, accusing the Prime Minister of sinister things that the so-called "freedom convoy" folks lap up like mindless fools.

Last week, he told his would-be supporters that Mr. Trudeau was spying on them, everywhere. He said the government has been following them to the pharmacy, to family visits, even on their runs to the beer store. "Stop the surveillance state," he tweeted.

He does not seem to care about the damage that such ludicrous statements cause. Or about the future crisis he could be causing in this country with his burn-the-house-down approach to politics.

Is the man so bankrupt of cogent, viable policies that this is what he has to resort to, consequences be damned?

Does he not see what his warm embrace of the protesters in Ottawa, the ones who shut down the city for three weeks and cost the economy tens of millions of dollars, has done? He's given licence to what we saw play out in Peterborough – the people mimicking Mr. Poilievre's plaintive call for freedom.

Conservative leadership candidate Jean Charest denounced the Peterborough protesters and called on Mr. Poilievre to do the same. However, Mr. Poilievre's social media feeds remain silent on what took place.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW ADVERTISEMENT


The reason, I imagine, is that he doesn't want to alienate his supporters. Surely, those people in Peterborough were his supporters, at least ideologically. He's practically feeding them their lines.

What Mr. Poilievre is doing is not only dangerous, but shameful. That there are so many legacy Conservatives, fine people who sat in Stephen Harper's cabinet, who are willing to sit back and allow this to happen to their party, is shocking. A few sitting Conservative MPs have issued statements, but where are the other influential voices of the party, warning of the profound implications of a Poilievre victory? Of the threat he poses to the country?

But no. They pose for pictures with the man instead, not wanting to alienate someone who is almost surely the next leader of their party.

One day, there may be an incident like the one in Peterborough that has a much different ending. And there will be blood on many people's hands.








viper37

For the record, opposition to Poilievre is growing within the party, you see more and more people denouncing him everything he speaks, and their comments make it to national newspapers.

I have no idea what he was told, but being surrounded by an angry mob, for such a politician, I call this poetic justice.  Or karma might be more appropriate.  He's the one who is constantly siding with the unions and gladly accepting their illegal contributions.  He never had any problem with their violence in the past, he never condemned any of their attacks.  And the same goes for these stupid journalists who write about it.   And I'll react the exact same way the day Poilievre is verbally assaulted by an angry mob.  These movements have been tolerated in the past, whenever they suit the politician's alignment.

And a politician verbally assaulted by a mob or someone opposed to him/her is nothing new in Canadian politics.  Afaik, there were no physical attacks, just heated words.  He did sign a non aggression pact with a corrupt political party.  If he did not want to be called on it, he should not have done it.  He is the one who shielded Trudeau from any serious investigation by the House of Commons committees and a serious probe on his ethics.


Lastly, we should certainly not blame politicians for speaking the truth: He has given these people reason to believe Mr. Trudeau is one of the most despicable people in this country.

Trudeau's government has opposed a New Brunswick law requiring that the Lieutenant Governor be a bilingually designated position, as per provincial laws, because it is not proper for his vision of Canada.  All the while criticizing Quebec for some slight to the anglo community.  He has made a career of attacking bilingualism in this country.  That's the kind of despicable politicians that we should send packing, not help them get elected.  By associating himself with Trudeau, Singh has effectively rubber stamped every action of the Liberals as if he was a member of government.
I don't do meditation.  I drink alcohol to relax, like normal people.

If Microsoft Excel decided to stop working overnight, the world would practically end.

Barrister

Results of Kenney's leadership review to be announced today.  I predict Kenney will win a narrow majority (typically leaders resign if they don't get a strong majority), and there will be allegations of electoral shenanigans by the anti-Kenney forces.
Posts here are my own private opinions.  I do not speak for my employer.

crazy canuck

Quote from: viper37 on May 18, 2022, 12:47:31 PMFor the record, opposition to Poilievre is growing within the party, you see more and more people denouncing him everything he speaks, and their comments make it to national newspapers.

I have no idea what he was told, but being surrounded by an angry mob, for such a politician, I call this poetic justice.  Or karma might be more appropriate.  He's the one who is constantly siding with the unions and gladly accepting their illegal contributions.  He never had any problem with their violence in the past, he never condemned any of their attacks.  And the same goes for these stupid journalists who write about it.   And I'll react the exact same way the day Poilievre is verbally assaulted by an angry mob.  These movements have been tolerated in the past, whenever they suit the politician's alignment.

And a politician verbally assaulted by a mob or someone opposed to him/her is nothing new in Canadian politics.  Afaik, there were no physical attacks, just heated words.  He did sign a non aggression pact with a corrupt political party.  If he did not want to be called on it, he should not have done it.  He is the one who shielded Trudeau from any serious investigation by the House of Commons committees and a serious probe on his ethics.


Lastly, we should certainly not blame politicians for speaking the truth: He has given these people reason to believe Mr. Trudeau is one of the most despicable people in this country.

Trudeau's government has opposed a New Brunswick law requiring that the Lieutenant Governor be a bilingually designated position, as per provincial laws, because it is not proper for his vision of Canada.  All the while criticizing Quebec for some slight to the anglo community.  He has made a career of attacking bilingualism in this country.  That's the kind of despicable politicians that we should send packing, not help them get elected.  By associating himself with Trudeau, Singh has effectively rubber stamped every action of the Liberals as if he was a member of government.

In response to Mason's piece on how dangerous Pollivre's politics are, you choose to reinforce the point by justifying what happened to Singh.

crazy canuck

And Poilievre replaces white supremest dog whistle with a bull horn.  When interviewed by Jordan Peterson (and of course he is) Peterson asks the hardball question of why Poilievre is so credible on the home front.  The response:

"I'm a believer in using, simple AngloSaxon words that strike right at the meaning im trying to convey"


https://youtu.be/NdMpzjh_GZI


Sheilbh

I can only assume simple Anglo-Saxon words doesn't have the same meaning in Canada as it does here :lol:
Let's bomb Russia!

viper37

Quote from: crazy canuck on May 18, 2022, 03:52:58 PMIn response to Mason's piece on how dangerous Pollivre's politics are, you choose to reinforce the point by justifying what happened to Singh.
Mason's piece is typical on how Liberal supporters view Canadian politics: everything bad that happens is the Conservative's fault.

If Singh has problems with his supporters calling him a traitor, maybe he should seek to speak to his supporters?
If he has a problem with mob politics, maybe he should not support the people who use it the most often?
I don't do meditation.  I drink alcohol to relax, like normal people.

If Microsoft Excel decided to stop working overnight, the world would practically end.

viper37

Quote from: Sheilbh on May 18, 2022, 07:07:42 PMI can only assume simple Anglo-Saxon words doesn't have the same meaning in Canada as it does here :lol:
Watching The Last Kingdom, I can tell you Anglo-Saxon words aren't exactly simple.  :shutup: :sleep:  I still struggle with these place names.
I don't do meditation.  I drink alcohol to relax, like normal people.

If Microsoft Excel decided to stop working overnight, the world would practically end.

Barrister

I was wrong. Kenneybwins with 51% and resigns.
Posts here are my own private opinions.  I do not speak for my employer.