Has anyone else noticed that the days-long coalition of the opposition (COTO) has somehow become a source of conservative party economic theory? The mere existence COTO, which seems to have had a life span of six days, has caused Ontario to gain of 20% in its seats in Parliament (thus alienating the west even more), has caused Finance Minister Flaherty to go from "we'll look at this again in March" to "would you like more money with that?", has caused the Prime Minister to (again) blurt about this all moving to depression and even how he'll never write a memoir...like we are waiting for one like we are waiting for that "hockey book" of his, which was all the news when we thought he was all burly-man rat-jacketed, pick-up truck and maply syrup in his veins.
Sure these are wacky times but do you have any idea what the policies of the Government of Canada will be, you know, next week? Is there any way to suggest that they are not simply a poorer version, a chippier example of the Liberal Party of Paul Martin, flopping around for any straw to grasp that can fit the day's needs even to the point of asking us to use this 1998 web survey (h/t David) to tell him what to do? Maybe it's the times. Maybe anyone would be having to do this given the economic news and the political reality. But one word keeps popping up that is absent from the Reform Party master plan for social engineering that has been gathering dust on the shelf for some time now: weak. Is anyone not surprised that this one characteristic - indecisive rudderless weakness - you would never have applied to the man now seems be at the heart of Stephen Harper's political nature? I wish better for him...because if he can't pull it together we are not going to be doing too well.
Comments
sean - December 18, 2008 9:49 AM
RIght about now, the former Martin govt. seems a pretty close comparison to what the Harpies are up to. I'd be embarassed to be one the Small Dead Animal folk right about now.
For a personal analogy, Harper is starting to remind me of a smarmy "in crowd" guy I disliked in high school who ended up working as bitter greeter at Home Depot in my old home town.
Aside: I just got my 2008 Iggy Xmas card! It sits centre stage with my JC ones this year near the tree.
Matthew Fletcher - December 18, 2008 12:13 PM
1. Seanie negatively judges "in crowd" mentality.
2. In his next sentance Seanie, for no apparently reason, drops the names of Liberal Party leaders he gets Christmas cards from.
Hilarious!
sean - December 18, 2008 12:21 PM
News Flash: !! Matthew apparently considers the Liberal Party and Iggy suppporters the "in crowd".. Awesome!!
I wasn't actually judging the "in crowd", in fact I was noting how it was humerous to see someone from the "in crowd" fall from grace.
Matthew Fletcher - December 18, 2008 12:29 PM
Seanie,
I was pointing out the irony of you disdaining an "in crowd" mentality only to be immediately follwed by your gratuitous name dropping.
It was pretty funny to me.
Alan - December 18, 2008 1:07 PM
Me too.
Una - December 18, 2008 2:07 PM
I thought it was funny too. But hey--what did happen to that hockey book? Did everybody except Alan forget about it?
brodie - December 18, 2008 4:29 PM
I thought it was typical but since I know seanie personally and have been accused of being hard on him, I say nothing. (and when did you start going by seanie?)
Matthew Fletcher - December 19, 2008 2:44 PM
More to the topic of the original post:
Can we make it someone's job to constantly remind the PM that during the last election campaign he said, words to the effect of,
"if there was going to be a recession in Canada it would have happened by now."
Because, I think he and everyone could really do with being reminded of that - economic genius and all that the PM is.