Thursday, April 17, 2014

Stephen Harper and the Canonization of Jimbo Flaherty



Well I knew what he was going to do from the moment he announced that Jim Flaherty would have a state funeral, for no good reason.

And then let it be known that he had PERSONALLY written the eulogy he would deliver.

And sure enough he did turn that solemn occasion into yet another giant photo-op for the glorification of HIMSELF. 

The relationship between a Prime Minister and his Finance Minister is always a special one. But this, I can tell you, was more special than most.

A last desperate attempt to make himself look more human. At a time when he has never been less popular. 

Another crass attempt to sell his Porky Action Plan....



While, at one time, Canada was no better than middle of the pack, today in an uncertain world, Canada will have a balanced budget years ahead of others, with low debt and low taxes, and is recognized to be the best managed major developed economy.

It couldn't have been more obvious or more grotesque.

Especially since him and Flaherty parted company acrimoniously after Jimbo had the nerve to publicly criticize the Cons' flawed income splitting plan.

And as I've pointed out before, his legacy was nothing to celebrate.

Although you wouldn't know that from the gushing coverage of the MSM, who would make us believe that little Jimbo was a giant. Instead of Stephen Harper's shrunken ideological twin.

Despite our very different educational backgrounds and life experiences, Jim and I were philosophically in sync on just about everything.

But to appreciate the true irony, or horror of the situation, you had to see Evan Solomon running around in the street outside, trying to sop up glowing tributes like Jimbo had just been canonized, from anyone who might offer one.

And I mean ANYONE...



Even though Jimbo hated Jason Kenney and almost came to blows with him a few months ago in the House of Commons.

And even though the CBC is knee deep in its own blood thanks to Flaherty's brutal cuts.

But what I thought was most ironic was that the church where the service took place is right next to the park where Occupy Toronto once pitched its tents...



A park that is always full of homeless people, who Flaherty once threatened to jail.

And was once full of young people who I can never forget, and he betrayed so miserably.

A government bent on lowering the living standard of Canada’s next generation couldn’t do a much better job than Stephen Harper and his colleagues have done.



Because him and his evil twin were more interested in creating jobs for foreign workers. 

Some minister, some government, some LEGACY.

But then of course Harper is desperate to try to remake his image, to make himself look more human. Especially after this scary story. 

The Prime Minister’s Office is emphatically denying a former adviser’s allegation that Stephen Harper is subject to bouts of depression that leave him incapable of making decisions.

Which must surely make people wonder whether today's performance is just another sign that he is cracking up...



And what I do know is this, that kid was right. We ARE the change. We've got to change that foul Con regime and its depraved leader before they lead us to economic and social disaster.

And I also know that long after Harper's ghastly legacy and his porky plans are taken to the abattoir of history.

I'll remember the people who lived and dreamed in that park.

Their legacy lives on in my heart and my struggle...



It won't take me long to forget Jimbo Flaherty.

But I'll NEVER forget them...


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9 comments:

Lorne said...

Well said, Simon. I have to confess that I gave an almost complete miss to yesterday's media orgy; not sufficiently strongly constituted for such excesses, I instead doubled my daily dose of bourbon; it helped me get through this very trying period.

Lorne (who has not a a wee bit of the Irish but a whole lot of the bourbon)

Hugh said...

Low debt? $680 Billion and growing by $1000 every second. Canada's debt increased by over $100 billion since 2006.

http://www.nationaldebtclocks.org/debtclock/canada

e.a.f. said...

he didn't qualify for a state funeral. Can';t remember when a finance minister received one. Like what exactly did Flaherty do to qualify for one. There are a lot of veterans who should qualify for one, but not him. The funeral was simply a P.R. exercise run by Harper for the benefit of Harper. Turned off the t.v. for the day. All the coverage was more than I could bare. Flaherty will be missed by his family and friends, the country, not so much. The veterans and Armed Forces personnel who require more funding won't miss him, the children who live in the North won't miss him. The women's groups he helped defund won't miss him, and the list goes on.

The one good comment Flaherty had prior to leaving politics was he didn't see the use of the "split income".

Simon said...

hi Lorne....thank you, if I was faithful to my Scottish roots, and drank heavily, I would have done the same. I couldn't watch much of it either. The way the MSM has put the peddling of cheap emotion before reason and perspective is one the most frightening things I have ever witnessed. Seeing the establishment, or the one percent rolling up in their limos, right next to where the Occupy Toronto camp once stood was mind-blowing.We really are heading for a very bad place...

Simon said...

hi Hugh...the Con Ministry of Propaganda and Disinformation distorts their record, confuses the population like Poilievre is doing by saying 39 pieces of ID should be enough, when only 13 have addresses on them.
Their whole economic policy is screwed up. They don't want to make Canadians economically comfortable, they depend on keeping the masses down so they can make some incredibly rich. When you add to that the personality of Stephen Harper it's not just deeply disturbing, it's insanity...

Simon said...

hi e.a.f...I don't know what to think of the state funeral question. On the one hand I think we should honour our own, on the other hand it should mean something. If only 35 other Canadians have had a state funeral, and Jimbo Flaherty was one of them, something is terribly wrong. Because whether he was a nice guy or not, Jimbo was no giant...

e.a.f. said...

didn't realize there had only been 35 state funerals in Canada. Oil can must be desperate for a speaking platform. he must be crazier than the new book even suggests he is.

David said...

The best tribute the Conservatives could give Jim Flaherty would be to cancel their election pledge for income splitting, which would benefit only a small percentage of Canadians. In February, Flaherty questioned the fairness of this relatively narrowly cast pledge. According to the C.D. Howe Institute, 85 per cent of Canadian households would gain nothing from the measure.

carolineyeend@blogspot.com said...

we are already in that bad place and have been for 10 years