Thursday, May 19, 2016

When Is Tom Mulcair Going to Apologize for His Disgraceful Behaviour?



It's the ugliest picture of the whole so-called elbow gate  bumpgate incident. 

The Commons is in an uproar, Justin Trudeau has apologized as a decent person should, 

And there standing in the gaggle of NDP MPs is Tom Mulcair grinning like a hairy ape.



Which was caught by the Quebec media, and under the heading "the scuffle you didn't see," was all over the province this morning.

Along with more evidence Mulcair started the whole thing. As this new video clearly shows ...



Which shows how Mulcair shuffles sideways, leftwards for once, and physically blocks the Con Whip from returning to his seat.

Before feigning indignation, while Ruth Ellen Brosseau, who also helped block the Con Whip, carried on like she had been shot.



And even worse, Nikki Ashton making wild remarks about how Trudeau had made every woman on Parliament Hill feel unsafe. Or how that errant elbow was a case of gendered violence.

Which as this writer points out diminishes the real fight against misogynistic violence, and it's real victims.

To manipulate the cause of violence against women for partisan purposes is the antithesis of NDP values of equality. 

To compare this incident to violence against women is a slap in the face to any woman who has actually been assaulted. To label this as violence against women is just plain cruel: Any woman who has suffered real violence certainly knows an accidental elbow is not akin to violence. 

This comparison – and all statements likening this incident to gendered violence – diminish the cause of those who fight violence against women. It diminishes the pain of the very real trauma experienced by women who have suffered abuse at the hands of men.

Which is appalling, and in my opinion at least, simply unforgivable.

So here's my question: If Justin Trudeau had the decency to apologize not once but THREE times.

The House resumed Thursday with two apologies from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over his behaviour in the House the night before, when he physically grabbed an MP and knocked another back into a desk.

Why hasn't Mulcair had the decency to apologize for HIS disgraceful behaviour?

And sadly the answer is because he has no decency, and hates Justin Trudeau with a passion that borders on insanity...



Like so many other disgusting Trudeau haters in this country.

For making him look a tired old hack, humiliating him in the last election, and above all devouring his party.



A random sampling of 1,517 Canadians over the age 18 by Forum Research found that 52 per cent would vote Liberal if an election were held today, enough to create a Liberal “supermajority” in the House of Commons, stealing almost all of the NDP seats and a few from the Tories.

If the poll results were projected to the House of Commons, the Liberals would take three-quarters of the seats — 261, compared to the 184 they won in the federal election last October — while the Conservatives would have 69 seats compared to the 98 they currently hold. The NDP would hold just seven seats, according to the survey. They won 44 last fall.


For if the NDP keeps shrinking the magnificent insignificant seven are going to start looking ridiculous...



But then who should be surprised?

When speaking of sheep, I predicted what would happen when Mulcair humiliated the party's youth wing...



And sure enough every single young NDP supporter I know, now supports Justin Trudeau. With the last two giving up in disgust yesterday.

And although I voted for the NDP in the last election, I won't make that mistake again. Not until Mulcair is replaced with a new and better leader.

One who takes the party to the left not the right...



And doesn't sound more like a Con with every day that passes.

Or a member of the Loser Party.

Yup. If Mulcair has any decency, which I doubt, he should apologize for his disgraceful behaviour.

And of course walk the plank as soon as is humanly possible...



Please click here to recommend this post at Progressive Bloggers.

46 comments:

Anonymous said...

The CBC hid the results of the daily ballot box question from us. It was: has your approval of Trudeau improved, stayed the same, got worse. At the end of P&P his approval rate was lots higher, but the final result is hidden. Gotta get rid of the bias in that publically owned outfit. We need truth from them. Stockwell Day was spouting his usual sanctimonious guff.

Anonymous said...

The repeated violent images of Trudeau by his supporters are very telling......and frankly disturbing.

Simon said...

hi anon...don't worry I got the final results. I was going to keep them for my next post. But since you had to suffer through the Conservative Broadcasting Corporation disgracefully biased coverage, I'll just tell you that 65% of the respondents believed that Trudeau's image had improved. Which is what I picked up in conversations today with people of all ages. Those Con media types have no idea what they are talking about....

Simon said...

hi anon...what violent images? The only deliberate thuggery was the Mulcair gang using force to prevent the Con Whip from getting back to his seat. And it was the sight of him being bullied that drove Trudeau to jump out of his seat. It was not the smart thing to do, but Justin's instincts were pure and noble....

justplanecrazy said...

The NDP will continue to bleed support as a result of this. Most Canadians are smart enough to see through their childish shenanigans and the ones who aren't vote Conservative.

Simon said...

hi justplanecrazy...I'm pretty sure it will, and I have to admit I'm a bit sorry about that. Because I believe the NDP can play a valuable role in this country, some of them are or used to be some of the finest idealists in this country. And of course, I did vote for them in the last election. But the party lost me when Mulcair humiliated the NDP Youth wing, batted away their great manifesto, and never mentioned them in any of his speeches. I'm not a member of the youth wing, but I know a couple, and it pissed me off to see how they were treated. So as I said in my post I'm not going to even think about the NDP until it stops playing footsy with the Cons, and get a new and modern leader...

Anonymous said...

I voted NDP last election. They were my party of choice, though I would have been prepared to vote strategically for the Liberals in order to vote Harper out. But this incident has caused me to rethink my party of choice. I really did not expect much of Mr. Trudeau in the beginning, except that I figured he would be better than Harper. Yet I must admit the more I see of Mr. Trudeau, the more impressed I am with him, and the more I see of Mr. Mulcair post-election, the less impressed I am with him. This incident has only reinforced those impressions.

Ron Waller said...

Didn't realize Mulcair was such a weasel. Glad NDPers voted to get rid of him.

The outrage from con lowlifes at the NP is laughable. When Rob Ford walked across a room to purposely bowl over a woman councilor -- onto the ground with his fat body -- they found nothing wrong with it. Disgusting hypocrites.

Don't blame Justin one bit for getting frustrated with these weasel obstructionists. I get frustrated just reading about it.

Anonymous said...

Yes!! So heartened by response. Canadians are not stupid. If you read comments from The Guardian on this story, you will split your gut laughing. Trudeau's approval rating on this event appears to have improved abroad as well.

The fact that it is on video for all to see is priceless. Mulcair is just West End Gang scum. Simon, as an x-pat Montrealer I hope you get my drift. HOOLIGAN. Which is not what Canadians need or want in the House.

TS

David said...

Simon: re that EK dude you banned. How do you know that the Anonymous person above (discussing "violent images of Trudeau") isn't the same person using another computer? If I were you I would ban the use of posting as Anonymous until the person agrees to adding a moniker at the end eg. Anon Pete, Anon Suzy, etc. which helps us realize they are different people.

Kirbycairo said...

I am compelled to say that I think there is at least a small aspect of gender in this incident. For all the overplay of the NDP etc., the machismo of such physical actions as those taken by Trudeau in Common are all too commonly "male" in nature. Of course, Trudeau apologized as he should have, but it should be a reminder of how quickly men can respond to such events with a degree of physicality. This doesn't take away from the fact that the NDP members were also acting in an unacceptable manner in 'body-blocking' a member. But this certainly should remind us how poorly our representatives act on a regular basis. I have always found Trudeau a little macho for my tastes. But given how much I am disgusted by Mulcair, I think my concern about Trudeau is because I expect more from him given the tone he is trying to establish. I think all of it reminds me of how far we have to go (including myself) to move away from the physicality (both de facto and symbolic) of macho culture.

jrkrideau said...

Thanks for that video. It is extremely revealing and my respect for Mulcair just went from fairly high to negative numbers. I had thought that the NDP had a few principles. But then I muust have been thinking of David Lewis or Jack Layton and not the current crop.

They now look to have much the same level of ethics as the Cons and I would have thought that close to impossible!

They just lost my vote or the possibility of any help until Mulcair is gone.

Anonymous said...

If anyone else acted like that at work they'd be fired. Imagine if you was a manager at a company, saw an employee who wasn't moving fast enough, starts swearing and aggressively stormed over and grabbed him by the arm and in the process elbowed a female employee in the boob. Justin should be suspended from the house of commons until he learns how to behave.

Dan said...

I get that the NDP aren't buddy buddy with the Liberals and visa versa, but it bothered me for a long time why the NDP seemed to handle the Cons with more kid gloves than they did the Liberals. During the 2008 and 2011 elections it seemed to me like the Cons and NDP coordinated their attack ads on the Liberals (again I get that there is no love lost between any of them, but I thought at the time the enemy was the Cons--foolish me.)

At this point, Mulcair doesn't strike me as someone who would have dismantled the Harper "legacy" but rather as someone who would "build" upon what little there is of it. Maybe the NDP under Layton would have, but definitely not Tom.

Tom's fierce questioning of Harper before the 2015 election now seems more like Kabuki theatre (lots of drama over nothing.)

Anonymous said...

Me too. I tweeted Charlie Angus, who I have always admired, my concerns, and not in a nasty way, and I, who have voted NDP,CCF for 60 years got back a tweet calling me a troll. One of the most disappointing things I could imagine.

Anonymous said...

Very informative video showing just how childish politicians can behave.The sad thing is that they were playing this moronic game while the right to die with dignity bill was before the house.Not that the NDP are necessarily against this bill but are against another liberal sponsored piece of legislation that will keep parliament in session if childish delaying tactics are used to block future bills. The current opposition tactic is the use of asinine behavior to delay passing of legislation until they can go home for the day or parliament adjourns for the summer. The bill doesn't outlaw the behavior but could require parliament to sit well into the evening or delay vacations if important legislation is not adequately reviewed and voted on.The requirement to discuss legislation in a professional manner and then vote on it apparently is a horrible affront to the democratic process. Its preferable to behave like buffoons and have the legislation die due to lack of time or be forced upon them with no real discussion.Its something like a school teacher telling the class that they will have to stay after the bell if they keep on misbehaving. It works but they don't like it and some search for any excuse to change the game.
Rt

Marmalade said...

Angry Tom gets angrier......Time for him to go away!

Anonymous said...

It was all about deal making in its lowest form. Mulcair was playing, I won't use childish tactics to delay right to choose legislation for terminally ill patients if you take the bill to prevent future bouts of similar delay tactics off the table. The NDP were willing to use this legislation as a bargaining chip, wonder if anyone has proposed calling off the media dogs chasing the wife and kids in exchange for a few pipelines.Although at a sub conscious level it seems that Trudeau has sent the message that he will engage and beat them at their media games but leave the wife and kids out of it.
RT

e.a.f. said...

blocking anyone's way on the floor of the House is not acceptable. The NDP wears that one.

One could say Trudeau was trying to open up the log jam. so some one got elebowed. they obviously have never been to the CNE, PNE, a protest, a big sale, stood in line for food. the woman who got elebowed needs to get a life.

suggesting trudeau is dangerous is so out of wack, does a disservice to all of those sitting in the House. Of course if I got into a fight I'd want him as my back up. The Cons and NDP need to get a grip and deal with other issues. if they want to complain about the federal Liberals, then find something useful to complain about like perhaps housing on reserves or the lack of clean water on reserves, not some 15 second seeking waznna bee, who got "elbowed". you get more elebowing on an elevator.

Anonymous said...

The Liberal lies are getting out of control. Nobody blocked Gordon Brown, the Conservative whip. He said so himself, and he did not need Trudeau coming to "save" him. There was plenty of space for Brown to walk around the group of people. Mulcair did nothing wrong.

Anonymous said...

I know very little about Canadian politics, but you make so much sense. Thanks for keeping it real.

Anonymous said...

I think they learned this behavior from our U.S. congressmen. Bunch of children playing games while nothing gets done. Then recess! And they get paid for this b.s.

David said...

Get your facts straight, Anon. And why not identify yourself with a first name at least. Brown was surrounded by a bulge of NDPers, including Big Bulge Mulcair:

http://thetyee.ca/News/2016/05/19/Parliamentary-Brawl-101/

David said...

Simon: why are you not insisting that the Anons identify themselves by at least adding: Anon Pete, Anon Suzy, etc.

Simon said...

hi TS...yes I read the Guardian story and some of the comments, and I did find them heartening. Whatever the Trudeau haters say, Justin has improved our image abroad and made us proud to be Canadians again. And yes Mulcair and his NDP gang both started the incident by behaving like hooligans, or worse trying to make a harmless elbow look like a gender based assault. They should also be criticized and they should be shamed of themselves...

Simon said...

hi David...I can't discuss security matters, because there is a back story. It involves violent death threats, the help of some Anonymous friends, and the police, and of two of the foremost computer security experts in this city. But what I will say is that this site is now well protected, and is what I always hoped it would be a safe place for progressives to exchange opinions and encourage each other...

Simon said...

hi anon...I am almost the same position. I voted for the NDP in the last election, but was very pleasantly surprised by Justin's Trudeau's efforts to tear down Harper's foul legacy, and at least give me hope for a better future. And while I applauded Mulcair's efforts during those Harper years, I have been both disappointed and disgusted by his behaviour since the election...

Simon said...

Hi Ron...I have to admit that Mulcair had turned me off before this incident, but now I have almost no respect left for him. His childish behaviour by physically obstructing the return of the Con whip to his seat in unworthy of the leader of the NDP. And yes, I can't wait until he's gone...

Simon said...

hi Kirby...look I'm not defending Justin Trudeau's behaviour, and yes you're right, that kind of physicality is the weakness of men. And I have had to fight those same impulsive and violent reactions, especially when I was a teenager. When I was forced to become violent to defend myself from bigot bullies. But Mulcair started the whole thing by along with others trying to physically block the member of another party from returning to his seat. So he's guilty of the same thing. And the only explanation I have for Trudeau's reaction is that he allowed his anger at the way his family has been attacked to build up in him. And the opposition attempts to sabotage the working of Parliament finally caused him to explode. He can do better, and we men must always fight the violent genes within us...

Simon said...

hi jrkrideau...yes the video was instructive was instructive wasn't it? Mulcair made an absolute ass of himself, before, during, and after the elbowing incident. And I will never even consider voting for the NDP again until he is gone, and they have a better leader...

Simon said...

hi Dan...I must admit that Mulcair's fierce questioning of Harper encouraged me and helped keep me going during the worst days of our long nightmare. But I started to lose faith in him during the election when he seemed more concerned with attacking Trudeau than attacking Harper. And his behaviour since the election, has only made my opinion of him worse. He doesn't seem to realize that Justin however flawed he might or might not be, is not Harper. He is a much nicer guy, and the way Mulcair goes after him is quite frankly disturbing ...

Simon said...

hi anon...I'm disappointed to hear that, because Charlie is one of the NDP members I most admire, for his work with our aboriginal people. But I blame Mulcair for corrupting him and his party, and it won't be the NDP I used to respect, until Tom is gone and the party can renew itself...

Simon said...

hi RT...I too thought that the NDP's behaviour was an affront to Parliament. And while I can't excuse Justin's behaviour, I have to admit that were I in his place I might have been tempted to do the same thing. And yes, delaying passage of a bill dealing with assisted suicide really is unforgivable when the deadline is only two weeks away. And so many suffering Canadians are counting on it. The Cons and the NDP need to come to terms with the fact that they lost the last election, and now it's the Liberals chance to govern...

Simon said...

hi Kathleen...yes I agree, but unfortunately the NDP is stuck with him until 2017...

Simon said...

hi RT...I find the whole atmosphere in our parliament extremely upsetting. I can't believe how the Cons and the NDP ganged up to attack Trudeau's family. And this latest ugliness is the absolute limit. As I told another commenter, the opposition needs to accept that they lost the election, and give the Liberals a chance to govern. If they don't do a good job, the voters will take care of the matter in the next election. But enough of those childish games...

Simon said...

hi e.a.f...yes you're right. It's absolutely ridiculous to accuse Trudeau of being a threat to women, when he is the most feminist prime minister this country has ever known. He shouldn't have lost his temper, but I can understand why he thought he was doing the Con Whip a favour by freeing him from the grip of that NDP gang. Who I should say looked almost relieved to have been freed by Trudeau, and only complained later...

Simon said...

hi anon 11:54...thank you for your kind comment. If you live in another country I'm embarrassed that you caught us at our absolute worst. And I want you to know that we can and will do better....

Simon said...

hi anon 8:30 pm...the video speaks for itself. Mulcair and his gang did try to block Brown in the most childish way possible. And they should be ashamed of themselves...

Simon said...

hi David...as I've said before, I think that would be a good idea, so commenters can have more of an individual presence without compromising their anonymity. But it's not something I want to impose. So I can only encourage them to follow your suggestion...

Anonymous said...

The video speaks for itself, and so did Brown. There was plenty of space to the left of the crowd for him to walk by. Nobody blocked him. Trudeau was not justified in his actions, and that is why he apologized. The Liberals also backed down from their motion to stifle debate, because they realized they were wrong to use that Harper-style manipulation of the parliamentary process.

Anonymous said...

Donated to the NDP , went to their rallies , supported them for 10 years , did my own campaign for 2 years that put 150,000 stop Harper stickers across the country and am now officially done with ever supporting them again.
Trudeau has been great , better than I thought and Mulcair is an embarrassment.
Cheers Travis

Anonymous said...

Anonymous 9:15 AM It is custom for the Opposition Whip to walk up the Opposition aisle to his seat. The rump opposition NDP were blocking him. CPC Whip tried to follow parliamentary protocol, while NDP played their silly games. Trudeau strode into the fray, released him from the blockage, bumped a boob & escorted him to his seat. Worst bartender ever cum accidental MP did the diva dive, got the phone, fled the house too shaken & abused to attend the vote, and the rest is history. May the NDP forever wear it.

Anon Liz

EasyE said...

I voted for Harper and any fool can see that Justin was in the right here. NDP children are just throwing a tantrum because they were caught.

Unknown said...

I disagree. It's the children on the floor playing keep-away-Gord-Brown who would lose their jobs. Trudeau's intervention, though undeniably unwise, was motivated by positive and productive goals. That is in stark contrast with the trivial physical obstruction and time-wasting by Mulcair and his gaggle of giggling goof-offs. What they did was deliberately destructive. I wouldn't trust any of them to work for me.

Unknown said...

I don't think you are seeing the same video I'm seeing. It is Mulcair and his cronies that would be out the door for their childish game of keep-away-Gord-Brown and subsequent utter lack of class. Trudeau's intervention, though undeniably unwise, was motivated by a positive and productive goal. That is in stark contrast with the destructive and pointless playground nonsense perpetrated by Mulcair and his gaggle of giggling goof-offs. What business person would trust an employee who acts like a child and then screams like a maniac when they don't get away with it?

Anonymous said...

Trudeau sucks. He's still not ready. Two sets of rules, one for all Canadians and one for the elite Justin. THAT IS DISGUSTING!