Harper Shutting Out the Media

[Prairie_Ally]

RE: Harper Shutting Out t

The fact of the matter is, that as Ontario has the larger population and the centralization of power (Ottawa), it gets to set the precident for how elections are decided. The trouble is that Ontario does not vote on a platform based on what is best for the whole country, and because they have the largest population, they have the most say.

Having the Conservatives as the party in power is probably the best thing for national unity. The Conservatives cannot ignore Ontario. To gain a majority a party must have Ontario's consent. And because the West finally supports the government, seperatist ideas in the west and western alienation are at an alltime low. This is verses when the Liberal party is in power. The Liberals, as I said before, are NOT seen as a national party.

 

[Jay]

I agree with you.

Ontario does have a small problem; we aren't very willing to be ruled out of the west, and for good reason.

This is what is great about Harper. Almost every riding outside a city voted conservative in Ontario, and that is great! I honestly didn't think he could pull it off and he did.

Major reason I vote Conservative is because I'm convinced the Liberals are breaking up the country and don't care for things like constitutions and the like. The stupid national daycare program is a good example of their line of thinking.

 

[FiveParadox]

Whereas, Jay, I respectfully disagree in the sense that I cannot depend on the Conservative Party of Canada to defend my rights, nor to protect the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms; things which are, in my opinion at least, of paramount importance [to me].

I could not in good conscience vote for the Tories, given my individual situation. It's either the NDP or the Liberals for me, and the NDP would [I fear] tear up the concept of a balanced budget and eat it for lunch.

 

[Jay]

It depends on what you think your rights are Five.

The Charter is becoming hard to defend especially when Martin talks about amending it.

 

[FiveParadox]

That's actually something that I completely oppose from the old Martin Cabinet; I thought that the idea of removing the notwithstanding clause from the Constitution, and I would have fought pretty freakin' hard to keep that provision in it, lol. I think it gives our Government much-needed flexibility when the Supreme Court has no choice but to rule [reluctantly, as has happened in the past] against important pieces of legislation.

 

[Jay]

I'll let you buy me a few beers someday and I will sit down with you and we can go over why the Charter is a bad thing and a good thing all mixed up in one big contradiction.

 

[Prairie_Ally]

RE: Harper Shutting Out t

It is a contradiction. You might remember the saying "A democracy's greatest strength is also it's greatest weakness...."

 

[aeon]

Re: RE: Harper Shutting Out the Media

Grow up.

You are the one who should grow up, supporting a bunch of fascist retards, and who just dont care about freedom and democracy.

 

[FiveParadox]

aeon, with all due respect, I don't quite understand how one could take any sort of implicit fascism from this situation. While it is no secret that I am no fan of the Right Honourable Stephen Harper, P.C., M.P., I have no reason to believe that the man is a fascist. Granted, he is attempting to restrict the media's access to the parliamentary institution (an attempt which I oppose in its entirety), but he hasn't done anything fascist.

 

[Jay]

He's just upset because they lost the cold war and their going to loose the war on terror too.

 

[LittleRunningGag]

Re: RE: Harper Shutting Out t

I could say the exact same thing but replace Liberal with Conservative, and Ontario with Alberta. It's like setting up straw men to make a generalization of the whole population and then knocking those faceless straw men down.

Do you have any idea what its like to go to the polls knowing that no matter how you vote, everythings been decided already? When I go to vote I know that the Conservative MP is going to win by 70%; the only reason I go is to help boost the numbers for my age group so someone will listen to us. Otherwise, it doesn't matter, I could have stayed at home.

 

[FiveParadox]

Untrue, LittleRunningGag; each vote for a party earns them $1.25 for their next election, which is a huge help in terms of campaign financing. This is particularly true for smaller parties, such as the New Democratic Party of Canada.

 

[LittleRunningGag]

Re: RE: Harper Shutting Out the Media

Untrue, LittleRunningGag; each vote for a party earns them $1.25 for their next election, which is a huge help in terms of campaign financing. This is particularly true for smaller parties, such as the New Democratic Party of Canada.

Sorry, they get my buck and two bits. Either way, it doesn't surprise me that many people have given way to apathy. Especially with results like out here.

Heh, reading your post brought that song from Team America. "Freedom costs a buck o five..."

 

[FiveParadox]

I don't quite understand the statements supporting voter apathy; the New Democratic Party of Canada conducted a better campaign this time, and earned an additional eleven seats in the House of Commons; supporters of the Conservative Party of Canada saw their party of preference invited by Her Excellency to form a government; and parties such as the Green Party of Canada were given thousands of dollars in additional funding to prepare for their next electoral campaign.

 

[LittleRunningGag]

Like I said, that's all well and good for those outside of this province. But if you live in Alberta, your MP is already decided. No question. The only seat that was a contest was that one in Edmonton. The rest tended to go to the Conservatives at 70%.

 

[Jay]

My riding goes Liberal every time...it's just the way it goes.

 

[LittleRunningGag]

Re: RE: Harper Shutting Out the Media

My riding goes Liberal every time...it's just the way it goes.

Yeah, but how Liberal? 70% Liberal? I could handle it if it was somewhat close. If they only won by say 20%, that would be fine. But when the numbers come up like that? What can you do? Even if you went out and talked to people, tried to convince them to go the other way... No amount of advertising is going to change that kind of number.

 

[FiveParadox]

My riding only went Liberal by a few hundred votes; the NDP vote and the Tory vote were both within a few hundred.

 

[Jay]

Re: RE: Harper Shutting Out the Media

My riding goes Liberal every time...it's just the way it goes.

Yeah, but how Liberal? 70% Liberal? I could handle it if it was somewhat close. If they only won by say 20%, that would be fine. But when the numbers come up like that? What can you do? Even if you went out and talked to people, tried to convince them to go the other way... No amount of advertising is going to change that kind of number.

Don't worry, they voted conservative...they made the right decision.

My riding...


http://www.cbc.ca/canadavotes/riding/151/

 

[elevennevele]

Re: RE: Harper Shutting Out the Media

aeon, with all due respect, I don't quite understand how one could take any sort of implicit fascism from this situation. While it is no secret that I am no fan of the Right Honourable Stephen Harper, P.C., M.P., I have no reason to believe that the man is a fascist. Granted, he is attempting to restrict the media's access to the parliamentary institution (an attempt which I oppose in its entirety), but he hasn't done anything fascist.

FiveParadox, Harper has spoke with right wing political strategists from the United States. These people have shown how they operate with the United States. Now look at them. Patriot Act, Wiretapping, Detentions, mixing Church and State, etc.

It is quite possible Harper will do what he feels he can get away with especially if these are the types of people he looks up to. With these types, the more they can get away with, the more they try to push the limits. Harper is a grown man. He’s set in his ways.

This media restriction again shows his hand. Out of principle, this isn't something the leader of our country should establish. This could actually be more serious than any fallout with Afghanistan. The reason being is that any loss with that country does not directly effect our Freedoms internally. This begins to.

From his own speech to the Council for National Policy, a right-wing U.S. think tank:

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNe...1213/elxn_harper_speech_text_051214/20051214/

“First, facts about Canada. Canada is a Northern European welfare state in the worst sense of the term, and very proud of it. Canadians make no connection between the fact that they are a Northern European welfare state and the fact that we have very low economic growth, a standard of living substantially lower than yours, a massive brain drain of young professionals to your country, and double the unemployment rate of the United States.

In terms of the unemployed, of which we have over a million-and-a-half, don't feel particularly bad for many of these people. They don't feel bad about it themselves, as long as they're receiving generous social assistance and unemployment insurance.”

Let me correct him in saying we have done the best economically to date, out-pacing the United States and Europe. Our currency is strong and our economy is strong while everyone else seems to be falling deeper into debt. Notwithstanding the growth occurring in places like India and China.

And this is what he thinks of the Council for National Policy:

“Ladies and gentlemen, let me begin by giving you a big welcome to Canada. Let's start up with a compliment. You're here from the second greatest nation on earth. But seriously, your country, and particularly your conservative movement, is a light and an inspiration to people in this country and across the world.”

Look at the mess the right wing of the United States have made to that country. And in their delusion they think that all the while they bring morality to themselves and to the world.