Be very afraid: Stephen Harper is inventing a new Canada
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Right on Cliffy. I have always maintained that if a politician can't be anything else he should at least be entertaining. I only voted for Trudeau and his party once during his five elections, but he was certainly fun to watch. Jean Chretien too BTW. Harper better do a damned good job because he is about as interesting a boy scout knot-tying contest.
Interesting. And here I thought that the best Prime Minister was the one you didn't even notice, the one that didn't mess with your life, the one that didn't tax everything you do on a daily basis...
Perhaps I was wrong. Maybe we have become Americanized and politics must now be show business too. We won't mind being messed with so long as you entertain us. Hmmm....
You have to be joking because politics is entertainment. It has about as much to do with reality as reality TV. Politicians are just actors paid to give the illusion of democracy. The only freedom you have is to be a mindless consumer. Lego Man is just a bookkeeper for the ruling class. Hollywood scripts everything that goes on in Washington.
The fact of the matter is that every Prime Minister in history has tried to leave his
foot print on the country. Harper is no different, its just that some of the things he
is doing may well come back to haunt him. I say that because the Tories are in
fact a mixture of the Conservatives and the old Reform Party. Sometimes a new
government, one with a majority anyway fail to realize the promises made on the
basis of ideology rather than being practical solutions of the day, can often get
people in trouble, We are not the country we were back in the eighties and early
nineties.
Crime for example is going down not up, yet this government wants to build more
prisons and go the route of Texas while Texas is now considering what we have
done. There are Wheat Board Issues, that may or may not have had the correct
action, the problem is we have a government that preaches law and order and
compliance. On the other hand this same government can't seem to obey some
of its own laws. Election laws, and especially not having a vote before dissolving
the Wheat Board. And there are other examples as well.
Harper is a man bent on doing what he likes when he likes, and all is well at the
moment. The problem is the unseen hostility that builds from this, for example we
had a king in BC named Gorden Campbell and he did what he liked when he liked.
Where is he now? All we have left in BC is the lousy legacy that Campbell left
behind, which does have value, over 3 billion dollars in deficit. The list of disasters
is almost endless. The stadium roof, the convention center, and other projects
all over budget. The BC Rail mess, and of all of it done within a decade and we
get the bill while Gordo have a fancy job in London.
Harper is going to face the same public scrutiny at some point and his attitude will
lead him down the same road. Canadians will change course and overcome its
problems with or without Harper.
foot print on the country. Harper is no different, its just that some of the things he
is doing may well come back to haunt him. I say that because the Tories are in
fact a mixture of the Conservatives and the old Reform Party. Sometimes a new
government, one with a majority anyway fail to realize the promises made on the
basis of ideology rather than being practical solutions of the day, can often get
people in trouble, We are not the country we were back in the eighties and early
nineties.
Crime for example is going down not up, yet this government wants to build more
prisons and go the route of Texas while Texas is now considering what we have
done. There are Wheat Board Issues, that may or may not have had the correct
action, the problem is we have a government that preaches law and order and
compliance. On the other hand this same government can't seem to obey some
of its own laws. Election laws, and especially not having a vote before dissolving
the Wheat Board. And there are other examples as well.
Harper is a man bent on doing what he likes when he likes, and all is well at the
moment. The problem is the unseen hostility that builds from this, for example we
had a king in BC named Gorden Campbell and he did what he liked when he liked.
Where is he now? All we have left in BC is the lousy legacy that Campbell left
behind, which does have value, over 3 billion dollars in deficit. The list of disasters
is almost endless. The stadium roof, the convention center, and other projects
all over budget. The BC Rail mess, and of all of it done within a decade and we
get the bill while Gordo have a fancy job in London.
Harper is going to face the same public scrutiny at some point and his attitude will
lead him down the same road. Canadians will change course and overcome its
problems with or without Harper.
Yes and we also had another king in B.C. named Glen Clark .
Remember him and his fast ferries,and fudge it budget.
Remember (we are the government,we can do what we want.)
Well we got the bill and Glen got a job in the private sector in management
for B.C.'s biggest entrepenuer.Typical NDP do as I say not as I do.
He does sing on occasion. I have always wanted a singing Prime Minister.
Celine would be a good PM.
Organizing, tactics and a great work ethic. Usually keeping promises too. You don't build a party up from nothing and become PM without being good at a few things.
What Canada needs is an exorcist from the Vatican. That should get rid of the devil we know.
Seriously, I think Canada has always been a little schizophrenic; liberal on the surface but conservative in its gut. Pity.
Seriously, I think Canada has always been a little schizophrenic; liberal on the surface but conservative in its gut. Pity.
Yes, Harper is changing Canada. No it is not necessarily bad. For the most part he is fixing the damage done by years of self serving socialists wielding power. And because the government is being pushed as the Harper government NOT the government of Canada if it turns into a disaster we know exactly who to blame. No vague :its the governments fault". Now some on the radical left may not like the changes but most taxpayers do. That is why Harper got a majority. Being tough on criminals is not going to have any affect on the vast majority of citizens except perhaps women will feel safer walking down a street at night.
Being pro industry is good for everyone wishing to earn an honest living and earning close to what government employees make.
A strong and competent military is necessary to both protect our borders and help out in emergencies both at home and around the world.
Limiting debate in parliament to intelligent discourse and preventing grandstanding is in our best interests.
So what part of Harpers agenda is so bad?
Being pro industry is good for everyone wishing to earn an honest living and earning close to what government employees make.
A strong and competent military is necessary to both protect our borders and help out in emergencies both at home and around the world.
Limiting debate in parliament to intelligent discourse and preventing grandstanding is in our best interests.
So what part of Harpers agenda is so bad?
Just more......
..........
From the usual suspect....
Heh, I never expected to see you giving MF props.
Some of that article was over the top, but the part about evidence was absolutely true. It has been since 2006, no doubt about it.
I definitely think there has been a change...I think our politics is becoming more like the hyper-partisan US, and that's not a good thing.
Negatory Ton, Try as I could, I just couldn't get that sucker to rotate as fast as he pumps out them "anti-Harper" threads;-)
I'd give him a C+. I think he may have more of a propensity to punish people rather than treat them. Before he jumps into building more prisons maybe he should rearrange what we have and I think we really have to quit wasting money arresting and charging pot smokers and deal with the murderers, pedophiles, and hard drug traffickers and importers. To his credit he has rescinded the ridiculous gun registry. There's a lot worse than Harper folks. (But his toes still have to be kept in the fire). :lol:
P.S. He might listen to advice on the F-35s.
There is no truth that can shake the faith of a true believer. Lego Man is but a dash ornament for the ruling class.
Ooooooooooops I forgot one thing, he should demote MacKay and quit defending squanderous spending. Helicopters are not a preferred means of holiday travel!
Apparently, the truth doesn't matter as long as you're getting Conservatives hired and Liberals fired...
Tory pollster in Cotler affair faces misconduct probe
OTTAWA — A Conservative pollster's assertion that his company is in the business of defeating Liberals has raised eyebrows at the market research industry's watchdog association.
"Definitely that's not what marketing research is all about," said Brendan Wycks, executive director of the Marketing Research and Intelligence Association.
The MRIA, a voluntary, self-regulatory body, is now looking into three formal complaints of professional misconduct by Campaign Research Inc., the company behind the alleged misinformation campaign against Liberal MP Irwin Cotler. Wycks said the company's self-proclaimed partisan motivation will be part of the MRIA's assessment.
Campaign Research was hired by federal Conservatives to conduct a survey last month in Cotler's Montreal riding. Constituents complained they were falsely told Cotler had resigned or was about to resign and that a byelection was imminent.
The Speaker of the House of Commons, Andrew Scheer, ruled earlier this week that the ploy was "reprehensible" but he had no authority to find that Cotler's parliamentary privileges had been violated.
The ruling Tories have refused to apologize for the tactic, maintaining rumours about Cotler's potential resignation have swirled for years and it's legitimate for them to try to identify the Tory vote in the event that a byelection might be called.
Nick Kouvalis, a principal partner at Campaign Research, also made no apologies for his firm's conduct in an interview with the Ottawa Citizen's Glen McGregror.
"We've done tens of millions of dials through our call centre and there's never been any complaint launched against us," Kouvalis said. "We're in the business of getting Conservatives elected and ending Liberal careers. We're good at it."
Campaign Research has long and deep ties to the Tories. It did polling for almost 40 Conservative candidates during last spring's election campaign, including for Scheer. Company co-founder, Richard Ciano, is a former vice-president of the federal Conservatives and is currently running for the presidency of the Ontario Tories.
Campaign Research is a "gold-seal" corporate member of the MRIA. As such, it must abide by the association's code of conduct and good practice and submit to an independent review of its research procedures every three years.
Under the code, public opinion research "must always be carried out objectively and in accordance with established scientific principles." Researchers are not supposed to "act in any way that could bring discredit on the marketing research profession or lead to a loss of public confidence in it."
Wycks said the MRIA has received three formal complaints about Campaign Research's conduct in the Cotler affair -- one from another polling company that is not involved in political surveys and two from members of the public who have assured Wycks they have no partisan affiliations.
Wycks said the association has also received up to a dozen expressions of concern from members of the public, which may yet turn into formal complaints. "They've taken note of it in the media and I think they know that the allegations are not what legitimate survey research is all about. And so they're expressing their concern," he said.
As well, he said several other MRIA members have urged the association to "treat this with the utmost seriousness and with dispatch."
Campaign Research has 30 days in which to resolve the matter to the satisfaction of complainants and Wycks. If it does not, the matter will be referred to a complaints panel.
If the panel concludes Campaign Research did violate the code, the company could face sanctions, which range from a public reprimand to suspension or even expulsion from the MRIA.
Tory pollster in Cotler affair faces misconduct probe | CTV Montreal
Tory pollster in Cotler affair faces misconduct probe
OTTAWA — A Conservative pollster's assertion that his company is in the business of defeating Liberals has raised eyebrows at the market research industry's watchdog association.
"Definitely that's not what marketing research is all about," said Brendan Wycks, executive director of the Marketing Research and Intelligence Association.
The MRIA, a voluntary, self-regulatory body, is now looking into three formal complaints of professional misconduct by Campaign Research Inc., the company behind the alleged misinformation campaign against Liberal MP Irwin Cotler. Wycks said the company's self-proclaimed partisan motivation will be part of the MRIA's assessment.
Campaign Research was hired by federal Conservatives to conduct a survey last month in Cotler's Montreal riding. Constituents complained they were falsely told Cotler had resigned or was about to resign and that a byelection was imminent.
The Speaker of the House of Commons, Andrew Scheer, ruled earlier this week that the ploy was "reprehensible" but he had no authority to find that Cotler's parliamentary privileges had been violated.
The ruling Tories have refused to apologize for the tactic, maintaining rumours about Cotler's potential resignation have swirled for years and it's legitimate for them to try to identify the Tory vote in the event that a byelection might be called.
Nick Kouvalis, a principal partner at Campaign Research, also made no apologies for his firm's conduct in an interview with the Ottawa Citizen's Glen McGregror.
"We've done tens of millions of dials through our call centre and there's never been any complaint launched against us," Kouvalis said. "We're in the business of getting Conservatives elected and ending Liberal careers. We're good at it."
Campaign Research has long and deep ties to the Tories. It did polling for almost 40 Conservative candidates during last spring's election campaign, including for Scheer. Company co-founder, Richard Ciano, is a former vice-president of the federal Conservatives and is currently running for the presidency of the Ontario Tories.
Campaign Research is a "gold-seal" corporate member of the MRIA. As such, it must abide by the association's code of conduct and good practice and submit to an independent review of its research procedures every three years.
Under the code, public opinion research "must always be carried out objectively and in accordance with established scientific principles." Researchers are not supposed to "act in any way that could bring discredit on the marketing research profession or lead to a loss of public confidence in it."
Wycks said the MRIA has received three formal complaints about Campaign Research's conduct in the Cotler affair -- one from another polling company that is not involved in political surveys and two from members of the public who have assured Wycks they have no partisan affiliations.
Wycks said the association has also received up to a dozen expressions of concern from members of the public, which may yet turn into formal complaints. "They've taken note of it in the media and I think they know that the allegations are not what legitimate survey research is all about. And so they're expressing their concern," he said.
As well, he said several other MRIA members have urged the association to "treat this with the utmost seriousness and with dispatch."
Campaign Research has 30 days in which to resolve the matter to the satisfaction of complainants and Wycks. If it does not, the matter will be referred to a complaints panel.
If the panel concludes Campaign Research did violate the code, the company could face sanctions, which range from a public reprimand to suspension or even expulsion from the MRIA.
Tory pollster in Cotler affair faces misconduct probe | CTV Montreal