Wednesday, November 04, 2015

The Day the Sun Went Down on the Harper Regime



I missed the ferry back to the city so I could get this shot. The one I have been dreaming about for more than nine years. 

The shot of the sun going down, at last, on Stephen Harper's long and monstrous reign of terror.

To make it even better it was a glorious, warm, Indian Summer evening, as if Mother Canada herself was celebrating, or rewarding us for having given that ghastly tyrant the boot.

And as a bonus there was Harper himself, reminding us why he was more than good to go.



For only a depraved clinical psychopath would praise and thank those he had tortured and terrorized for so many years, with this "farewell letter."

After years of acrimonious relations with the federal public service, outgoing Prime Minister Stephen Harper has issued a letter to Canada's "world-class public service" thanking members for their support and dedication to Canadians.

And as if to torture them further, suggest his many victims had supported his foul regime.

"I am very proud of the remarkable work we have accomplished together towards meeting these objectives," he wrote. "I would like to thank each and every one of you for the support you have shown my team and me over three successive Parliaments and for the dedication you have demonstrated in delivering for Canadians.

Even as he killed 37,000 government jobs, intimidated and muzzled civil servants, tried to steal their pensions and their sick leave, attempted to strip some of them of their collective bargaining rights, and attacked or fired anyone who dared criticize him. 

So needless to say that farewell letter didn't please their union.

It is unfortunate that the Conservative government was not able to recognize the important contribution of public service workers during their mandate," said PSAC national president Robyn Benson in a statement to CBC News. "We look forward to building a positive and constructive relationship with the new Liberal government where trust and respect for public service workers is restored."

But was of course, entirely consistent with Harper's psychological profile...



And the kind of sick joke that only he could enjoy.

But then Harper is in for a little torture himself. First he'll have to resign, which will be painful enough. 

Then he'll have to watch Justin the Son of Trudeau being sworn in and receiving the kind of adulation he never received in his almost ten years in power.

And then on Thursday he'll have to meet with his still shell shocked, shattered caucus, where as L. Ian MacDonald reports, it's all over but the shouting. 

The Conservative caucus meets for the first time since the election at midday on Thursday. It’s going to be a long, long afternoon. The first member to speak will be Stephen Harper. He is expected to accept the blame — or at least the responsibility — for the Conservatives’ defeat. 

So he should. 

He'll have to humble himself to try to explain why he ran such a disastrous campaign.



From snitch-lines to the Fords, party pols were astonished at the incompetence and stupidity of the campaign high command. As one former senior Harper official wrote to a friend, the mood in the war room in the final two weeks was one of “throwing anything at the wall to see what would stick.”

And since he's decided to remain an MP, no doubt to make sure he can't be called to testify at the Duffy trial.

As one commenter points out, it probably isn't going to get any better.

I don't think anybody would want to be Harper for the next few years. He's going to have to sit there and watch helplessly as the Son of Trudeau rules the country in his place, dismantling everything he worked on, piece by piece. 

On top of that he's being reduced to the status of a lowly backbencher where he will be surrounded by Conservatives angry at him who will be allowed to speak their minds for the first time and will have no fear of him anymore.


Which is music to my ears, because I'm not about to forget what he did to this country and its values, so I want him to be punished as much as possible... 



Or humiliated beyond recognition.

But I'm sure you know that, and how happy I am to see that loathsome bully beaten and humbled. So instead I think I'll tell you the story of an old man named Jimmy, who I truly believe despised Harper and his filthy Con regime even more than I did.

I met Jimmy in the cancer ward a few weeks before the election call, when I dropped in to see a nurse friend of mine. I heard him bending the ears of anybody who would listen about the evils of the man he called Harpocrite.

And when my friend told he was dying and had no visitors, I decided to drop in to see him whenever I could. And it quickly became apparent that he was literally living for the day the Cons were defeated, and was terrified he would die before that hour arrived...



I'm not sure why Jimmy hated them so much. He said it was because of the way they had treated veterans, or for threatening to make poor seniors like himself wait until they were sixty-seven to collect their Old Age Assistance. Or because the Harpocrite lied all the time.

But I couldn't help feeling it was also because that poor lonely old man had been cheated out of so many things in his life, the thought that somebody could steal his country was for him the ultimate indignity.

So when Harper called the early election, Jimmy was so excited that he might live to see him toppled. When I hauled out my trusty i-pad and showed him some of my silly little photo-shops like this one... 



He would roar with laughter, and the nurses later told me that they had never seen him so happy.

But sadly the story did not end happily. Jimmy died just over two weeks before the election. Slipped away in the first light of dawn, like so many other terminally ill patients.

So yesterday when I watched the sun go down on the Con regime, I couldn't help thinking of that lonely old man who was deprived of even his last wish...



Or help whispering "Jimmy, Jimmy, the Harpocrite and his gang are going down in a ball of fire. The day you dreamed about is finally here."

"And isn't it BEAUTIFUL?"

And the only thing I regret is that I wasn't able to make this one for him...



Aren't we lucky to be alive to see a day like this one?

The tyrant is finally down.

Our dream finally came true.

Life can be cruel.

But that new day I always knew would arrive, is finally dawning...



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38 comments:

lagatta à montréal said...

I'm feeling so sad about that man, though.

jrkrideau said...

Lovely photo at the top of the post. Harper sailing off into exile or Harper missing the boat. I cannot decide which is the proper interpretation but either will do.

Scotian said...

Well written piece Simon. Also, well done with the old dying man who was alone, that speaks very well of your humanity and compassion, not that any of that is any surprise to me, but still, well worth noting for here. I too sorrow that he did not live long enough to see this happen, but he may have held on long enough to see the tide turning enough to see Harper was doomed and doomed to defeat by another Trudeau. If he couldn't hold on until the end let us hope and pray he was able to take at least that much with him when his time came. It clearly was that important to him.

Anonymous said...

So long Steve, you big turd.
JD

The Mound of Sound said...

The scars run deep, Simon. Change will help dull the pain but we'll need time and plenty of it to get us through. It'll be a lot tougher than when we bid adieu to Mulroney. We thought him a monster at the time but Harper has shown that Brian was no more than a petty thief.

Anonymous said...

An Excellent "The day the sun went down on the Harper Regime" posting Simon ... I couldn't be happier myself ... AWESOME !!!!! ... TY

thwap said...

One wonders if harper was being sadistic or delusional when thanking the public service. A little of both perhaps?

I suspect Ottawa won't see much of harper. He'll have to appear for the first little bit, but the man is a bully and a coward who now has no power. It will be just like him to sulk in Calgary and neglect his responsibilities until he can line-up some corporate boards and what-not.

As he also hides from the Duffy trial.

e.a.f. said...

Liked the post and especially the picture of the tomb stone with the statue of Harper. Now lets get on with re claiming our country and getting some things done. People seem in a pretty good mood about the change in government. Lets take advantage of the spirit and get some things done. we can all start in our own neighbourhoods to try and make even one thing better, whether its visiting some one like Simon did or joining a local group to help kids. This is our country, only we can make it work.

Marmalade said...

I agree! Canada has a new Prime Minister and Cabinet and as I watched this happening today in Ottawa, I couldn't have been more prouder.
As the old saying goes....."if you aren't happy with your life, make changes"........take responsibility and do something for those less fortunate.

The Mound of Sound said...

I can't see Harper waiting at the baggage carousel at Macdonald-Cartier International. I don't think he could endure that much stinkeye.

David said...

I have a hard time imagining Harper hanging around as a lowly backbench MP for more than just a few months. Maybe he will pack it in early in 2016, so a by-election will have to be held.

I'm hoping some disgruntled Con secretly records the entire caucus meeting on their cellphone, and posts it on Youtube. Or maybe he or she will offer it to the Toronto Star, who would go crazy if they could transcribe the caucus meeting and publish it. 8-)

Anonymous said...

Is it possible that the used to being control freak Harper could suffer a complete mental breakdown? He's in a Catch 22.... if he doesn't remain an MP, he fears being called to testify at the Duffy trial. (Couldn't he be called to testify ANYWAY?) But by remaining an MP, he will have to endure the cold shoulder of many/most? of his fellow Cons.

David said...

22 Minutes: Goodbye Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v937M5sTQ2k

David said...

The Stephen Harper Non-Answer Generator (Part 7)
http://operationmaple.ca/the-stephen-harper-non-answer-generator-part-7

David said...

Harper's Gone. How Do You Feel?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UC5cG1LMmE

David said...

A good day for Canada, an awful one for the NDP
http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/gerry-caplan/2015/10/good-day-canada-awful-one-ndp

Anonymous said...

If you genuinely believe that Harper was a "ghastly tyrant" then you live in a fantasy. Maybe read some world news or better yet travel. Then you'll really understand the meaning of your words. Muammar Ghadaffi was a tyrant. Pol Pot was a tyrant. Kim Jong Un is a tyrant. Stephen Harper the boring accountant does not fit this definition. You insult th memories of people who actually struggled and died under oppressive dictatorships by insinuated that Canada is in that category.

Simon said...

hi lagatta...yes that is a sad story, but I see many all the time, and at least Jimmy died with hope in his heart....

Simon said...

hi jrkrideau...I'm glad you liked the shot. But sadly that's not Harper sailing into exile. That's just me having to wait another hour for the next ferry... ;)

Simon said...

hi Scotian...thanks I appreciate that. I'm glad you liked the story. I wanted it to speak for Jimmy and all those others who didn't live to see the day when we finally took our Canada back. I am consoled that he died with hope in his heart. And yes although I have had to toughen myself up, to fight the bullies in school and then the bully Con regime, I am a gentle person who would much rather be helping people than fighting them...

Simon said...

hi JD...well that's short and sweet. But doesn't it feel great to say it? I have to struggle to keep my feet on the ground I'm that happy...

Simon said...

hi Mound...yes you're right, it will take time to heal the damage that has been done, not just to our country but also ourselves. If a country could suffer from PTSD then we would be a good candidate for that diagnosis. And you're also right about Mulroney. He may have been a scoundrel but he was far more Canadian than Harper ever was...

Simon said...

hi Ty....thank you, and yes it isn't a great feeling? Canada is back to being Canada again, and I still can't quite believe it....

Simon said...

hi thwap...I don't know whether Harper was being sadistic or delusional or both. But having followed him closely for years I would guess the former. Unless after all this time he finally realized that so many Canadians hated the kind of person or leader he was. The problem with clinical psychopaths is that they really can't feel the pain of others, and are endlessly occupied with manipulating others as if the had no feelings. But I agree with you he will want keep a low profile, and once the Duffy trial is over, and he has done what he can to influence the leadership race, he'll be either working for Big Oil, or sitting on the board of some right-wing think tank. And if we never hear from him again I for one will be delighted. It's amazing how much damage a little twisted man can do....

Simon said...

hi e.a.f...look I agree that we need to rebuild this country after the Harper years, but we can do that and still seek the answer to some pressing questions. I will personally be moving on, but I want to make sure that what the Cons did to this country is never forgotten...

Simon said...

hi Kathleen...yes we finally have a chance to repair the damage, and make Canada what it can be. And all we have to do is be ourselves. In this troubled world our values are worth something, and I think many people will be glad to see us return to them...

Simon said...

hi anon...thank you and thank you ;)

Simon said...

hi David...neither can I. I'm frankly surprised that he is staying on as an ordinary MP. I can only attribute that to a fear that the Duffy trial could spring an unpleasant surprise on him, for as we know he is no fearless leader. And of course it does provide him with some input into the leadership race, and he is determined to make sure the so-called Red Tories don't gain the upper hand. And yes, I hope somebody makes a copy of his speech, because if not he will actually get away with saying practically nothing about anything from the day he was defeated. It's almost as if he believes that if he says nothing it didn't happen, which when you think about it is consistent with his belief that the truth is what he says it is. The man was a maniac and thank goodness we are rid of him....

Simon said...

hi anon...we he has had a mental breakdown before, after he gave up working for Preston manning and returned to Calgary to sulk and join his missionary church. So I suppose anything is possible. But one thing is for sure, having revived the Liberal Party and brought another Trudeau to power will haunt him for the rest of his life....

Simon said...

hi anon...I get your point, but I am talking about his behaviour in a Canadians context. And in that context I am not the only one to pint out that when you try to rule by fear, and muzzle your opponents you are acting like a tyrant in this country at least. Many Conservatives also took that position, and voted for the Liberals or the NDP, so maybe you should ask them why his behaviour offended them. I have never called harper a Nazi as some people do, but I have no problem calling him a tyrant who tried to shutdown debate, and made a mockery out of our democracy. If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck it must be a duck....

Scotian said...

I have to concur with Simon's answer to you. Harper was a tyrant. He may not have been a bloodthirsty tyrant, but it isn't just being bloodthirsty that makes a tyrant you know. Harper was autocratic, micromanaging, saw enemies everywhere, gagged all communications except that which he vetted (look at how the messaging around the Duffy file was being managed according to PMO internal documents released during the Duffy trial, they are the clearest proof for this) person who tramped all over the rules and procedures of our governing system. He showed in his words and deeds that he felt he was above the law. He acted in ways unprecedented time and time and time again, and near always in a negative unprecedented way too. He did tremendous damage to our governing institutions and was one his way to corrupting the courts, which were our last line of defence against his anti-Charter/illegal approach to governing.

All that makes Harper a tyrant by a reasonable definition, even if he doesn't has a record as a butcher. So while yes, in global terms of tyrancy he is one of the lessers, that does not mean he wasn't one still. Like Simon I also avoided calling him a NAZI but I will freely admit in private conversations during the last election campaign there were events where I spoke to family and said that it felt like Harper was treading into national socialist territory, especially with the barbaric practices hotline. THAT really creeped me out!

Scotian said...

I know all too well what you mean, as we have discussed in the past I too have some experience with being bullied for being who and what I was. The difference for me was that when you are routinely bullied by gangs of people it is much harder to fight back directly, so I became a very good tactical and strategic thinker in how to avoid the situations as much as possible, and to be a very fleet of foot person when I could not...LOL. Ironically enough those skills and mindsets became very useful later in life in quite different ways. The one thing I never let it harden in me though was my heart and compassion for others, and what you showed for Jimmy was exactly the sort of thing I would have (and have) done in my life, as would have my wife.

I read your post out to her and she was really touched by it. She like I finds it a sad thing when our elderly are left alone like that, and especially a wonderful thing when those of us who are still young or even in prime of life parts of our life leave them that way when just a little time spent with them, especially in their dying days, can and does mean so much for them.

I may be someone that cares a lot about politics, process geek and so on, but before all that I am a human being, and I refuse to allow the negatives in the world to take that away from me, and it is good to see when others follow that same path, as you showed in this action with Jimmy. Thanks again for sharing it.

Omar said...

I'm having difficulty trying to figure you out over your last couple of comments, e.a.f. In the past you very much came across as an ally against the Harper regime, but in its defeat you seem to be almost making apologies for it. What's the deal? It would appear that you were either not paying very close attention over the years to Harper's blatant abuses; you are more than somewhat obtuse; or you harbour some sort of affection for what was clearly a government ruled by a ghastly tyrant. You tell me. Thanks!

e.a.f. said...

Omar, my goal in life was to see the Cons and Steve gone. I wrote endless letters to politicians and my letters to the editor, where I lived were published almost weekly, all anti Harper and anti Con along with any B.C. Lieberal--Christy clark and the child poverty B..C. has.

I know full well the abuses this country suffered with Steve at the helm and I know better than many where this type of activity leads.

Trust me I do not "harbour some sort of affection for what was .....:

When the two classes of Canadian citizenship were created I was one who could have been deported, had Herr Harper deemed me a "terrorist"

My point/attitude is, having seen the costs of enquiries, the number of people required, the energy, etc. and the non improvement once the reports are issued, except perhaps the Kever inquiry, into the blood system of Canada, there is not much point in spending hundred of millions of dollars on equiries I want to see an inquiry into the 1,200 Murdered/Missing First Nations women and that's it. The rest of our money and energy ought to be spent moving this country forward and that includes our health care system, clean running water on reservations, housing, etc. The usual social issues.

We have seen trials in other countries and even in Canada into government officials and politicians and people going to jail, but really in the greater context of life nothing changed. Look at Lord Tubby, time in the American jail system but back in Canada on t.v., radio, etc. We had the Nixon era, people went to jail but the same things happened again. Just have a good look at American politics.

e.a.f. said...

If you have a look at world history things happened time and time again, just the names change. From my perspective, it would be better if we get to improving things in Canada asap. The more we can fix, the better. The more things we fix, the harder it will be for those corporate elites to have a run at the new government. People will understand their lives are better.

It is important to remember history because if we don't as the saying goes, it will repeat itself. But spending millions and years "investigating" the "Harper" years will not make this country a better place. There were years were this country spent million on looking into the "Mulroney" years. Yes he lied. We have only to have a read of Stevie Cameron's book, On the Take, The Mulroney Years. it lays it ought. So when Harper was elected, personally I expected a repeat of the "corruption" It didn't surprise me when Harper went all fascist. I was expecting it. Now that it is gone, lets get on with making our country better again. There is too much to do.
My line has always been I'd like to live long enough to see Harper and Gordon Campbell, former premier of B.C. in hand cuffs and go to jail. But I know that isn't going to happen. Having lived to this old age, I'm a realist.

In my opinion, the new government needs to make changes and the country moves on. Yes, illegal activities need to be prosecuted and they will be when new cabinet ministers take over, but to start "enquires", not into it.

If there isn't a law against something, then its o.k., people can get away with things. For a lot of things that Harper and his Cons did, in my opinion, were immoral and unethical, but illegal in terms of the laws on the books, not so much. Rocco Gotti, of Toronto has taken the Cons to court many times and won. If he hasn't taken them to court on other matters its because it would do no good.

I don't know if this clarifies anything for you. Don't care if it does, but I thought I'd make an effort to explain, given all of us read each other and do share a lot of opinion and am sure we are all active within our communities in one form or another.

e.a.f. said...

quite agree with you Scotian, regarding "Harper was treading into national socialist territory". He wasn't just treading, he was stomping and getting louder as time progressed. People tend to forget Hitler didn't start out in full custom. He worked up to it.

Harper didn't kill people outright but his policies resulted in the deaths of many and one of those categories is the Veteran. More killed themselves than were killed in the fighting. If Steve hadn't taken a billion out of their budget and provided adequate services to veterans, many would not have died.

then when you look at what Steve and john Duncan did with the Appawattiskt and denying them adequate housing. didn't help the health of anyone. Most likely contributed to the ill health of many and prolonged ill health leads to an early death.

No Harper never shot anyone but he sure as hell didn't make life better for many and that contributed to their deaths. There is a nice study about how income inequity leads to earlier death...........

jolly roger said...

Don't go counting you chickens yet guys and gals, - 5 will get you 10, - that harper will go back to Alberta and sturrrup separation from Canada, - just what his oily pals, - the Koch brothers, - and other American shitdisturbers are up to, if you haven't noticed..

jolly roger said...

I'm sure your right Omar, - I noticed the same disingenuous rabble from e.a.f. too...