Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Michaëlle Jean and the Con Attack Machine



I wanted to give Michaëlle Jean the benefit of the doubt, when she said two years ago that she saved Stephen Harper's Con regime during the Coalition Crisis, in the higher interests of the nation.

My preoccupation was really to make the best decision in the interest of the country. What was best for the country. 

 Q: In terms of what informed or guided you, was it the best interests of the country, full stop?

 A: History will judge. But I think that everything that I anticipated happened. And this was part of my thoughts.

But I think that Peter Russell's views about what really happened are closer to the truth.

She was afraid of the Con attack machine.

Constitutional scholar Peter Russell told OntarioNewsWatch.com this week that weighing on Ms. Jean’s mind at the time was the likelihood the Tories – had they lost office – would have poisoned confidence in the coalition government through a PR campaign framing the change as an illegitimate transfer of power. 

The Conservatives, he told the Ontario-based news website, “have a huge publicity machine” at their fingertips.

Not just afraid of what it might do to the country. But also I believe of what the beast might do to HER.

Four days after the Prime Minister publicly explained that Jean and her spouse had both undergone thorough background checks... there came to light, on August 17, the existence of a documentary in which Jean had been filmed with several hard-line Quebec separatists, all toasting "to independence" after Jean stated: "Independence can't be given, it must be taken."

And who can blame her eh? Because can you imagine what the Con Attack Machine of Personal Destruction might have done with that one?
















But the fact remains that it was probably fear for herself, as well as fear for her country, that explains why Harper was able to bully her into saving his government. And why he was allowed to get away with portraying a coalition agreement as a coup d'etat. Instead of a perfectly legitimate political arrangement.

And in that regard she did her country no service. By among other things preventing Canadians from seeing the true face of Harper, and how he'd do ANYTHING to hang on to power and win his precious majority. Because he does love power almost as much as he loves himself.

"When you walk in the door, all you see are pictures of Stephen Harper," said Ms. May "I'd say between every window, in every available space of the wall, at eye level, every available space has a photo of Stephen Harper."

And he is really CRAZY eh?

Still, in other interviews Jean has talked about how she was monitoring public reaction to the crisis. And if she had looked out of the window of her castle, she would have seen lots of angry Canadians, but not enough of them in the streets.

Which at the end of the day leaves me with these haunting questions: what if we had been millions?

Instead of just thousands...



And of course, when will we ever learn?

Only by raising our voices and taking our anger to the streets will we be able to at least slowdown the destruction of our country. 

The Cons are grotesque bullies but we must never be afraid. Michaëlle Jean failed to save our Canada.

But our attack machine will show the Cons no mercy.

And we will save it for her...

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13 comments:

Anonymous said...

“have a huge publicity machine”

Actually meant is a huge propaganda machine, oh my f'''in uh I'm being run over by it just because I'm Canadian.

I call for the unfairness rule:(

Anonymous said...

Simon: That has been my impression all along. MJ was afraid for her own position (and the perks that come with being GG) and also being attacked in the press by the Con machine. Did not help her either as he replaced her, didn't he?

I sent her an angry but polite letter (made sure the anger was directed at the prorogation request, not at her personally) urging her not to accede to the prorogation request, if it should come. Never even got a reply pretending how she appreciated my viewpoint, etc. Only received the automated form letter saying that she had received it but that she reeeives lots of letters.

Unfortunately, I do not expect the present GG to be an improvement either. I expect that he too would likely have given Harper the prorogation (he owes him his appointment). To think that we pay their salaries, and now his taxes as well.

Lorne said...

"The Cons are grotesque bullies but we must never be afraid."

If ever there was a rallying cry, Simon, this is it. Well said!

Mogs said...

1. Canadians ask the Canadian Federal Government for a clear, permanent exemption for all Canadians from the Canada-European Union (EU) Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA); Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP): or any other agreements with foreign or corporate powers; including but not limited to the International Monetary Fund (IMF); World Bank (WB); World Trade Organization (WTO)
2. Canadians ask the Federal Government to protect the autonomous powers of the individual Canadians - to create local jobs, protect the environment, and provide services and programs as they see fit for the local environment – free from any restrictions to those powers in the above named
3. Canadians further ask the Federal Government to exempt us from corporate powers and we encourage and support the end to global corporate tyranny.

Kirbycairo said...

I personally give MJ no benefit of a doubt. I find it a cruel irony that she always made such a big show out of the importance of Democracy in developing countries but was personally responsible for the death of democracy in Canada. She threw away hundreds of years of precedent and it is now clear that a PM can prorogue parliament simply to hold on to power. We cannot be surprised now if Harper finds himself in a losing position in the run up to the next election and he simply prorogues parliament, refuses to call the election and then rule by decree until he feels in a better position to win. As far as I am concerned Jean is the responsible for the death of Canadian democracy and if there was any justice she should be in prison.

Simon said...

hi anonymous...I still remember how I felt when the first Con attack ads appeared on our TV screens.I had never seen anything like them on Canadian TV and I was shocked and disgusted by the sneering bullying tone of these weapons of personal destruction. But of course, I had seen ads like them on American TV, so I knew what kind of people were working in the Con War Room, I knew they were reading from the RepubliCon manual, and I knew this country was in deep doo doo. So I really have to thank the Con War Room for giving me that advance warning, and I can honestly say that every time they run one of those sneering bully ads I feel even MORE motivated to defeat them...

Simon said...

hi anonymous...there was a time when I was extremely happy with Jean's appointment as GG. Having a cool black woman who knew about the plight of the poor Haitian people representing us made me proud to be a Canadian. But I'm afraid she disappointed me. She became far too enamored of the armed forces, started dressing up in military drag, and of course allowed herself to be bullied by Harper's rabid ravings about the Coalition.
She has many good qualities, but I don't think she should be too smug about her decision to let Harper of the hook, because history won't be as gentle as I am...

Simon said...

hi Lorne...thank you. I've hated bullies of any kind since I was twelve, and when I set up this blog that's what I was planning to write about. But then the Harper Cons came along and I became interested in politics, because they were the worst bullies I had ever seen. I despise their policies, and the way they lie all the time. But the reason I hate them so much is because of the vile way they try to destroy their decent opponents. It motivated me to work to defeat them every day of my life. And I do need motivating because I'm lazy eh? So thanks Steve !!!! ;)
And yes, being afraid at a time like this is simply unthinkable...

Simon said...

hi Mogs...I don't know if you've read about how the Cons are selling us out to get into the TPP, but it's a humiliating sight. Harper and his gang are crawling on all fours agreeing to ANYTHING as long as they are allowed to join, And when Canadians find out what's going on they are not going to be pleased. It's a global hog banquet and we are on the menu...

Simon said...

hi kirby...A lot of my friends feel the same way you do, and I should probably feel the same way. But as I mentioned above I'm slightly biased in her favour. I tried to imagine what it must have been like to be in that position, watching Stephen Harper whip up the mob in English Canada into a frenzy of anti-separatist read anti-Quebec feeling, and portray the Coalition as some kind of evil threat. It was his most disgraceful performance ever, and one of the most frightening things I have ever seen in Canada.
It scared me, so I can only imagine how Jean felt, especially with that tape hovering in the background.
But still, it is at times like that a good person can become a great one, and at the end of the day she either gave in to Harper or took the easy way out.
And although I wouldn't go as far as to say that she's responsible for the death of Canadian democracy, because we the people will revive it once we dispose of its enemies. And quite frankly I find it totally absurd that our fate should be in the hands of a representative of a foreign Queen, which is something I find humiliating.
But as you point out, she didn't serve the interests of our parliamentary democracy well, she didn't rise to the occasion, and we're still paying for that fateful decision...

Anonymous said...

Simon,

I have and it is humiliating at best...

At worst what I now fear for is why did we all sign up to be victim's for this fraud?

How could that be that the majority would allow a few, ahem, uh whack-nuts to take command while we were looking to better our lives? And be allowing and open, without hurting?

We were asleep at the proverbial wheel while they conned in and took command and screwed us? fuck we must wake up as a people.

Kirbycairo said...

Hi Simon, maybe I overdid it a bit, but I find it so frustrating that someone like MJ failed to rise to the occasion and it reminds me of how many others have let Harper get away with everything.

It is amazing that so much of our Parliamentary system is not codified in law but is solely based upon tradition. Harper (as well as previous Liberal Governments) have demonstrated that tradition is far too easy to ignore. I only wish the NDP was willing to make it a primary plank of the their election efforts to actually make more of the "traditional" rules of our Government actual laws. (I know they want to stop the PM from being able to prorogue, but that is hardly enough) I have a terrible fear that if the NDP actually won they would slip into the same old habits of other governments.

Anonymous said...

I forgot to say illegalize the CIA on Canadian soil...