Stephen Harper and the See Saw Game

Uh oh. It looks like Stephen Harper is courting Jack Layton, like a horny old goat werewolf.

No doubt to try to soften his image, attract more female voters, and pretend he doesn't want an early election. And the NDP appears ready to go along because they really don't want an election.

And apparently, after making it sound like they're hot to trot, neither do the Liberals. 

OMG. Pass the gravol. Welcome to the see saw game, doesn't it sound familiar?

But here's the thing eh? Whatever progressive party ends up supporting the budget, will be giving the Harper Cons a lot more than a bunch of economic measures.

By voting for yet another omnibus bill, they will be allowing Harper to change our country beyond recognition...without even needing an election.

A 900-page budget bill changes the country, and a decision to let such a bill pass is a decision to let Harper change the country. Some Liberals yesterday were elated over the game of footsie between Flaherty and the NDP. That means he’s afraid of an election! He’s afraid of Ignatieff! Their internal polls must show it’ll be a slaughterhouse! Victory is ours! Maybe not. Maybe it meant Flaherty wants his budget to pass because it’ll be another 1,000 pages of changing the country, which is what Conservatives are in business to do, and as long as there’s no election they can keep right on doing it.

Great eh? This isn't just convenient collaboration, it's abject SURRENDER.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, until progressives in this country realign their forces, like the Cons did years ago, this nightmare will go on and on.

We can't just wait for the winning conditions. We can't just wait for the Bloc to implode, because that's not going to happen.

We can't just wait for Michael Ignatieff to suddenly become popular.

Or sprout a pair of...um...wings.

We need new ideas, bold visions, and the political courage to carry them out.

We need to drive these ghastly Cons from power by whatever democratic means necessary.

We need to remember that when we are divided we are weak.

But when we are united we are STRONG...

Because until we grasp that simple and increasingly obvious truth, we can play the see saw game all we like.

But we will be going NOWHERE...