Is this a standard Conservative Party attack now? Just cause I think Harper is a useless, lying sack of excrement does not mean I'm Liberal. It just means I'm not a blind jaded partisan.
You know what I expect from the Conservative party? Fiscal prudence. That means no structural deficits, government operating costs held at inflation (at MAXIMUM) or less, useless programs curtailed or cut, and smaller government (both in terms of # of cabinet positions AND in the bureaucracy). However, Harper has increased government spending by 25% (IIRC) in 2 years, passed billions to Quebec for "equalization" (a program which is ineffective and should be scrapped), cut the wrong tax (at the worng time), scrapped the $3 Billion contingency fund and couldn't see that a global meltdown and a massive meltdown in the US would affect us as little as 8 weeks ago. Now he is on the verge of throwing BILLIONS on so called "stimulus spending" which should have been done months ago - and will prove to be both ineffectual and a complete waste.
I would have respect for the man if he would own up to his mistakes. If he stood in front of parliament and said, in November he was wrong. However, nothing is EVER this guy's fault - it's the Liberals, or coalition, or the world economy... blah blah blah.
The man is an unaccountable, incompetent liar, unworthy to be leader of my kid's kindergarten class, let alone this country.
It GALLS me that I have to say the Liberals did a better job at controlling finances than the Conservatives did.
Hi pegger,
I pretty much tend to agree with your above views as describing party ideals.
In theory absolutely for sure but given the times we find ourselves in possibly not so much from a practical perspective.
Both you and Toro have outlined principals of conservatism and I tend to agree with them.
However considering the fact that we all are facing a massive international fiscal meltdown a Federal structural deficit is a sure thing for virtually any country.
Canada as a manufacturer and commodity supplier would have been facing a national deficit without increases in spending.
And any political party no matter what its stripes would probably be left scratching it's collective head and hoping for a crystal ball to appear.
The Harper Con's tried cutting useless programs and look where a tiny arts cut got them?
As to the handouts to Quebec; Has any Federal party in Canada achieved a majority without paying off our Quebecois brothers?
That of course does not make error's in governance right.
Harper's timing was absolutely clueless far to many times.
Possibly his mistakes thus far are unforgivable politically.
Hopefully the knives are being sharpened up in the back room as it seems the party may have gone as far as it can with Harper.
The Fed Con's have achieved national party status.
Fund raising is going swimmingly.
They seem to have punted most of the hard right nut jobs out of the party.
So I guess Harper gets credit for that much at least.
But as a national leader he appears to be faltering.
I figure Count Iggy will be leading a minority Lib government within two years.
That's if there are no massive screw ups on either side of the house.
Iggy may be able to sell himself as more fiscally prudent than Harper (and perhaps it's true).
Thus the Con's could allow themselves to be painted as fiscally to the left of the Fed Lib's.
And that I surmise would be the end of Harper's reign.
Maybe the Con's need to start polishing up the McKays and Prentices.
The Con's can let Harper take the bullet for the present economic woes and the party can move on.
I think that the Lib's will get their kick at the can sooner rather the later. That's assuming Iggy can avoid getting painted into a corner with the Bloq and the Dipper let's all have a coup d'etat crowd.
Interesting political times are a sure thing for the next little while.
Trex
