Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Blogging in the Darkness of Harperland















On a grey, wet, day in Harperland it wasn't too hard to imagine myself in the last scene of The Planet of the Apes. Or imagine myself giving up blogging. For it was the worst of days.

First there was this devastating blow

Which means we might never know who Jean Poutine is until after the next election.

And then there was the grotesque scene in the Commons. Where the Con ape Dean Del Mastro managed to turn the proceedings into a farce. 

There were at least three questions here, perhaps as many as four. Mr. Del Mastro acknowledged none of them. In fact, here Mr. Del Mastro very nearly inverted the entire notion of Question Period. “What we have learned and this is what the Liberal leader must respond to, is that the Liberal leader provided training sessions by four Liberal members at one o’clock on Saturday, April 30,” the parliamentary secretary explained. “They trained them on Liberal robocalls.”

By trying to make it sound like Frank Valeriote's perfectly legitimate phone calls, were worse than the attempt to steal an election.

Repeating the words "deceptive, dishonest, and disgraceful," over and over again. As if he wasn't describing himself. While his fellow Cons howled like hyenas.

Only to return later in the day to ram through their fascist crime bill. Which turns Canada into a backward prison state. And howl all over again.

On the same day when Stephane Dion emerged from years of well deserved obscurity, to beat this tired old drum.

This is a hard truth, but it must be said.
The New Democratic Party is now endorsing positions of the Bloc Québécois that are harmful to Canadian unity. It’s time we talked about this issue.

As if that's what we should be talking about, as the Harperites torch our country. As if progressives should be fighting each other, instead of uniting to defeat the Cons.

Oh boy. It's almost too much to bear. For I'm starting to feel like Kev, from Trapped in a Whirlpool does.

This is perhaps Harper's greatest accomplishment, convincing enough Canadians that democracy is not worth the effort nor the expense. This more than anything, even robocon, has delivered his precious majority and abets his neoliberal and social conservative agenda.

What's the point of blogging, or marching, or trying to save the country you love, when so many Canadians couldn't care less?

But like Kev, I know it's important not to give up. For every little voice counts. Just like it's important to keep smiling in the darkness of Harperland.

So tonight I just want to say I don't know from what Planet of the Apes those Cons came from eh?

But give me some hope. And a saxophone.

And I'll knock dance those aliens out of the sky...

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Simon - Maybe this'll cheer you up:

Tory MP Dean Del Mastro admits to making his own recorded calls

http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/Tory%2Badmits%2Bmaking%2Brecorded%2Bcalls/6292378/story.html




Read more: http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/Tory+Dean+Mastro+admits+making+recorded+calls/6292378/story.html#ixzz1p0pz1j00

Jim Parrett said...

I wrote a similar post a few days ago on the futility of blogging in the age of Conservatism but pulled it. I'm feeling slightly better now. Your post helps.

It's never futile. I keep reminding myself that time is the Cons' worst enemy. The more they feel the need to press on the more 'mistakes' they make and the easier it is for us to unveil those misdeeds. Patience is difficult when our country is slowly being dismantled before our eyes but it is imperative to keep fighting. 'A Different Point of View' is trying to unite us. That also seems an impossibility. We are too diverse a group to pull it together. So we must wait. And jump on any slip up from the Conservatives. Only the cumulative effect of such detective work will work.

sassy said...

Yes Simon, some days I think that someone should be sending out "Sorry for Your Loss" cards to all Canadians.

But then again, perhaps not

Simon said...

hi anonymous...thanks for the links. I want you to know I am at this very moment sewing the bells on his new Con Klown hat. I know he'll look fabulous. And goodness knows he deserves it...;)

Simon said...

hi Jymn...I bet a lot of progressive bloggers are feeling like that right now. It is a truly disturbing time, we know it's going to get even worse, and a lot of people are feeling helpless. I am however optimistic that desperation will drive us together, and as you say to give up is unthinkable. Oh well, I'm glad I cheered you up a bit. That dancing robot sure did it for me. I've been imitating his moves and making my friends laugh so that's good too... :)

Simon said...

hi Sassy...that sounds like an excellent idea. But it'll have to wait until I mail out my "I'm So Sorry Please Forgive Us" cards to the rest of the shocked world. I mean if this goes on I may have to live there some day... ;)

thwap said...

harper is going to be forced to empower an independent judicial inquiry by the determined activism of people like us.

(Not by our blogging though. But that will help. It will be through direct action.)

Simon said...

hi thwap...you know I agree with you. Blogging, writing letters to your MP, signing petitions is all good.
But to put pressure on the Cons to hold a public inquiry we have to take the protest to the streets as well, like they do in other countries.
I don't know what so many Canadians have against demonstrations, but it's time they got over it...