Well I see the great postal filibuster has ended. The NDP has surrendered to reality. The union-bashing Cons got what they wanted. The workers were shafted.
And the Liberals looked lame.
But at least the workers were grateful.
And at least the NDP defined itself as THE opposition party, and appears to recognize the importance of symbolic protest.
In fact, symbolically, the NDP Commons filibuster over back-to-work legislation has been brilliant. It has gone on long enough to portray New Democrats as the party willing to defy Harper.
But, so far at least, it has not gone on so long that it materially harms the public and, in particular, those small business operators dependent on mail service whose votes the NDP hopes to attract.
Because now that the HarperCons have a majority, that's the only kind of protest we've got left.
Although I also note that Brigette DePape has some ideas in that regard.
"When they tell us to stay home they are trying to get us to forget that the power of the people in the streets is greater than the power of any government."
But here's the question. How far are we really prepared to go to block the Harper Agenda? And how many Canadians are prepared to stick their necks out to defend Canada? Like Tim DeChristopher is prepared to do to save the planet.
I ask that question because I recently watched a video of DeChristopher addressing the Power Shift conference in April.
And it was one of the most riveting speeches I think I've ever seen...
So how far are Canadians prepared to go?
I have no idea. I guess it depends on how far the Cons are prepared to go. And how much we love our country.
But I do know a couple of things eh?
If Tim DeChristopher ever runs for President of the World I'd vote for him.
Thanks to the NDP and Brigette DePape, the power of peaceful protest is alive and kicking in this country.
And the rest is up to us...
7 comments:
I don't really like Canada anymore. It's now, clearly, a right winged country. 70% of Canadians proved to be short sighted enough to have heaped praise on Steve and his little side kick Lisa "look how sexy I am" Raitt for neutering CupW and forcing the posties back to work for a lower wage. The spin machine was on. Posties and their union are greedy. Never a word about the 600 000$ per year salary + bonus Deepak Chopra makes.
Will of the Canadians. Pandering to misinformation. Now it's the posties. Tomorrow, every other working Canadian, unionized or not. Something they're too short sighted to get or refuse to get.
Even the G20 anniversary demonstration where John Pruyn, that poor amputee spoke, along with Brigitte DePape, only a few hundred showed up. Pretty underwhelming. Nothing to write home about. We, in Montreal, can get an impromptu anti-police demonstration together in the thousands in shorter notice for the recent shootings of Mario Hamel and Patrick Limoges.
In fact, I no longer refer to Canada as Canada anymore except to blog something on a serious note. I refer to it as "Harperland". In fact, I've rewritten lyrics to O Canada as O Harperland!
I'm going to be visiting my family in Toronto in August, but now that Rob Ford is mayor and most Torontonians are still in honeymoon mode with him, (not my family though), I dread the trip. Toronto folks really ain't Montreal people. If my dad weren't in such poor health, I'd move my folks back here.
No sirreee, Bob! I do not like it anymore! It's a pity the sovereigntist parties got so fractured here in Quebec. To the point where Johnny-Boy Charest could actually eke out a minority should an election be held this fall, according to latest CROP poll. Yech!
How far can we go with Ford in Toronto, Hudak may take Ontario and Harper federal.... surrounded by them ..god!!!
I disagree. Jack Layton lied and the NDP certainly aren't stronger for it. I predict the NDP numbers will drop in any future polls.
The NDP never intended to make a symbolic protest, Jack Layton said he'd use every ability to stall this legislation, he said he wouldn't "sit idly by" and let this legislation pass. The NDP said they were prepared to filibuster for the next week. Yet just after 47 hours Jack Layton gave up. For all the rhetoric, for all the promises, he let the bill pass.
If you're going to fight something, fight it. Don't promise to do something you're afraid to do.
hi ck...yes it is depressing how so many Canadians who should know better were willing to jump on the back of ordinary working Canadians, while the big bosses in this country carry off their bonuses in a wheelbarrow.
And yes Canada is looking like Harperland. As if it wasn't bad enough to have Stevie as our Prime minister, and the Fordzilla as Mayor of Toronto, I just read a poll today that had the Reform Con Hudak winning the next provincial election.... by a LANDSLIDE.
You know...the guy who wants to put chain gangs in our streets.
I blame this on prosperity, complacency, and greed. But prosperity comes and goes, and when it goes they'll be sorry.
In the meantime I keep feeling that if I don't get out of here, I'm going to be sorry. ;)
But you know what? It may be Harperland now, but if we all pull together, we can make it Canada again...
hi anonymous...as I was telling ck it's almost unbelievable, and definitely a horrible prospect.
The good news is that give the Cons a little rope, and they usually end up hanging themselves.
And of course if they need anyone to pull that rope I volunteer... :)
hi Scott...I respect your opinion, but I don't agree with it. I agree with Walkom. I think the NDP pushed the issue as far as they could.
They stood up for something, they got the thanks of the union, they got to show off their new MPs and since the lockout didn't go on long enough to hurt most Canadians, they got to have their cake and eat it.
Which to me means that they have political smarts, and that should help them in the next few years. Because they will be long ones...
thescottross, cupw had sent word to Layton,basically sayin' thanks for his efforts, but time to give it up. I don't have time to look for the link to the actual letter now, as I've gotta get ready to go to work,but, yeah, they basically asked him to try to get some amendments into c-6.
I suspect Layton will survive just fine. Not enough to be government, because, as I've mentioned, Canada has taken a sharp right turn and do believe in that Reaganomic trickle down austerity fairy who's going to award everybody in the land, but he'll survive in Quebec where we're too smart to believe that.
The Liberal party comes out the big losers in this. The media has shown them up to be irrelevent. Looking at Justin Trudeau's tweets from Saturday evening, he comes off, exactly as his Bloc rival, Vivian Barbot said he did, a dilettante. He certainly proved he doesn't have his dad's work ethic. I'm pretty sure his dad would've been in HoC day and night. Talk about amateur hour... Yep, Harper's going to be in power with healthy majorities for a looooonnnggg time to come.
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