Not quite "peace at last" or "we shall never surrender" is it:
“After 15 years, opposition to the long-gun registry is stronger than it has ever been,” Mr. Harper said Wednesday after the 153-151 vote in the House of Commons. “With the vote tonight, its abolition is closer than it has ever been.” Mr. Harper predicted that opposition to the registry across Canada would not recede. “The people of the regions of this country are never going to accept being treated like criminals and we will continue our efforts until this registry is finally abolished.”
"Abolition" is such a packed word. The gun registry is like slavery, isn't it. It is exactly like pre-Prohibition boozy wantonness. Like these things, it needs to be abolished - though not by an actual government bill. His rather stilted address from the stairs up to his, you know, office was planned and preachy... as long as you are looking for a sleepy congregation. "Abolition is closer than it has ever been"? Glory, glory Hallelujah, baby. Break out the tambourines. Because there is only one righteous cause higher than the police (who support the registry for law and order reasons) and that is the civic equivalent of the Lord. Except there is no secular equivalent of the Lord.
And is that his vision of who he represents: "the people of the regions"? The people of the region are the opposite, apparently, of Toronto-elites. But Quebec is a region and they want the long-gun registry. This is getting so confusing.
Comments
Ben (The Tiger) - September 22, 2010 9:54 PM
Harper speaks like that when he's angry.
Shows that he wanted to win the vote -- all that talk about "oh, we'll just win those seats next time" was just self-comfort.
No, it was so close -- past second reading -- and now so far away...
Alan - September 22, 2010 10:19 PM
He should keep his cool so as not to look so silly.
Ben (The Tiger) - September 22, 2010 11:41 PM
I'm guessing part is annoyance -- even after four years as PM, he's nowhere near the power the last guys with his tenure had. Chretien, Mulroney, Trudeau -- they all could get legislation passed almost at will. Not this PM.
Hans - September 23, 2010 10:31 AM
Harper's talk was carefully crafted rhetoric linking the closeness of the vote for "abolition" to "people of the regions" (whoever they are -- Is this another restatement of Canada as a community of communities?). This vote was win-win for Harper because now he has a wedge issue with which to mobilize people who buy his rhetoric. I would be interested to see how many Tory MPS did not attend this vote.
Ben (The Tiger) - September 23, 2010 1:56 PM
One at most.
144 Tories + Andre Arthur + Helena Guergis + 6 Dippers = 152.
There were 151 nay votes, and 153 yea votes to kill the bill.
Even had that one extra shown (or maybe Arthur voted to keep the registry?), it was a done deal.
Hans - September 23, 2010 2:52 PM
That scratches the proof, anyway, if not the theory....
Ben (The Tiger) - September 29, 2010 7:35 AM
Well, you can argue that going scorched earth was calculated to get the opposition's backs up and save the registry -- but they didn't have to give it to him...
Hans - September 29, 2010 9:59 AM
Harper's good at painting the opposition into a corner. And they are not good out stepping outside their pre-scripted dialectic. Tha't why he can get these kind of win-win situations for himself. Because he knows how they are going react/behave.
Ben (The Tiger) - October 2, 2010 1:35 PM
Is that a prediction that Harper takes the next election?
(I'll predict he wins a plurality of seats. Not sure that's enough to keep him in power. Once the coalition has been talked to death, the opposition might figure, well, no cost to actually doing it...)
Hans - October 4, 2010 3:27 PM
I'll reserve making a prediction until its clearer that there will be an election. (if it happened tomorrow, though, I would agree about Harper getting a plurality.)