As I watched Stephen Harper being grilled by Tom Mulcair today I couldn't help being struck by how beaten he looked.
How the fight seems to have gone out of him. At one point after slumping into his seat, he even let Paul Calandra the Con buffoon answer a question from Mulcair, something he never does.
Only to be forced back to his feet by Mulcair with this question:
And you can see what I mean eh? He's there but he isn't.
And it all made me ask myself the same question John Ivison asks today: Is Stephen Harper getting ready to RESIGN?
As Conservatives gathered to mark the start of the Christmas party season, it was curious how few were talking about the Senate. That’s yesterday’s news. All the chatter was about the Prime Minister: Will he or won’t he? Step down, that is.
One person said that Stephen Harper’s first ever trip to Israel was originally scheduled for March and was brought forward. Big decisions are being put off, the Conservative said, and there is open speculation that Mr. Harper will return from the Middle East in triumph and announce he plans to resign as Prime Minister before Parliament returns for the spring session.
Because surely he must know that if he is going to bow out now is the time. Surely he he must know that it's only to going to get worse.
The RCMP are investigating his former chief of staff and his star senate appointee. And who knows how many others in his inner circle? His former parliamentary secretary is in trouble.
The trial into allegations that MP Dean Del Mastro broke campaign spending laws is expected to take place in late June.
So is his chief bagman.
Conservative Sen. Irving Gerstein has thwarted a Liberal move to remove him as chairman of a powerful Senate committee until he explains his role in the upper chamber's expenses scandal.
The police are reading his lawyer's e-mails which could reveal he knew more than he has claimed. And will soon be reading the e-mails of Carolyn Stewart Olsen, his longtime confidant.
The spectre of Pamela Wallin is hovering over him like a predator drone.
Or haunting his dreams...
Waiting for her moment to make him pay for what he did to her, if Ol' Duff doesn't get him first.
And surely he must know that Canadians are tired of him...
People who know Mr. Harper say he has no desire to return to minority government, or worse, lose to a Trudeau. Yet the odds look extremely long on being returned as leader of another majority. This government has made the mistake of growing old — an aging process that has been hastened by it deserting many of its ideals.
Mr. Harper may conclude that people have simply grown fed up of seeing him around and it is in the interests of the party, and the broader Conservative movement, for him to retire.
And then there is Israel, the land he has adopted as his spiritual homeland away from home, just like he adopted Alberta as his Canadian homeland. Even though he couldn't be more Toronto, or more Etobicoke, the boring suburb Rob Ford rules over.
What better place for a final hurrah? In the only country that still loves him, with Bibi his boyfriend at his side.
Why else would he be trying to polish up his legacy by announcing in the next day or so that he is claiming the North Pole for Canada?
Or at least for Big Business.
Stephen Harper has ordered government bureaucrats back to the drawing board to craft a more expansive international claim for seabed riches in the Arctic after the proposed submission they showed him failed to include the geographic North Pole, The Globe and Mail has learned.
So he can pose as Great Arctic Leader again and return to his first slogan. The one he loved so much he had it engraved on his plane: The True North Strong and Free (and at war with the Russians)
And by next spring just as he's getting ready to depart, Jim Flaherty should be able to declare that the deficit dragon has been slain. Why do you think the Cons are slashing jobs and services like MANIACS?
So the stage would be set for him to declare victory, and get out of town in a hurry before he is embarrassed further. Or the police arrive.
Of course, I'll believe it when I see it. Because Harper may be a broken man...
But he is also infused with the power of madness, and he is desperate and bitter. So he is capable of ANYTHING.
And he is still dangerous. Still capable of taking the country down with him.
But I have to agree with John Ivison.
It seems to me that the departure of Stephen Harper, quite inconceivable not so long ago, is now eminently conceivable. And the answer to the “who’s next” question is: “Whoever Jason Kenney wants it to be.”
The Day of Deliverance has never seemed so near.
After eight long nightmare years I think I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
And I can't even imagine how great it's going to feel to hear him say he's quitting.
But I made this video last summer just for that happy moment eh?
So I do know how it will sound...
From coast, to coast, to coast, all over The Great White North.
And I do know what I'm going to say eh?
Glory, Glory, Hallelujah !!!!!!
The monster has departed.
And Canada is free again...
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Not to burst yer bubble, there Simon, but harpie won't resign and Canada isn't free as long as there's a majority of CONS running the asylum. We saw what happened in Ontario when mcguilty resigned . . . another librocon just as bad as he was took his place. "No investigations . . . no prosecutions." "Don't like your utilities bills going up? Don't use so much energy!" while they stuff their pockets with the payola they get as kickbacks from their corporate masters who slaver over the newfound yet pointless (except for the "bottom lines" and insanely greedy shareholders) windfalls that these fucking libs keep handing them again and again and again!
ReplyDeleteWhen/IF harpie leaves, they'll replace him with another one of the heads of the seven-headed beast that has become Canada's government. And I don't hold any stock with Ivison or your thinking that that fucking asshole harpie is going to resign. he is too power mad and psychotic to EVER give up his emperorship.
BUT: it is one hell of a nice thought and like the old joke goes: "What do you call a busload of cons chained to their seats going off a cliff into a lake? A GOOD START!" Thank you! Thank you very much! Elvis has left the building!
hi anon...look you may be right, as I mentioned in the post the man is so unstable he is capable of anything. But I have been watching closely for eight years, and something is definitely up. For the last couple of weeks he has been acting stragely, so I do think it's very possible he realizes his time is up. Also although you're right that the Con regime will continue on until it is defeated, it won't be the same without his controlling and corrupting influence, and I wouldn't be surprised if it's torn apart by infighting.
ReplyDeleteBut yes, in a country full of relentless pessimists I am relentlessly optimistic. If I wasn't I don't think I would have survived this horrible period in Canadian history. But I don't allow that optimism to blunt my judgement, and every bone in my body is telling me that Harper's day of judgement is coming...
We will have to drive a stake through the heart of the Reformists. And after that, we will have to cut off the head of the Reformists and show it to those villagers wielding torches and pitchforks. You know, just to be certain.
ReplyDeletehi anon...well I don't know about cutting off their heads, but we should definitely brandish pitchforks in their general direction, and make an example out of them. And of course we will also need shovels, or front end loaders and fire hoses to clean up the manure they have left behind... ;)
DeleteThe problem is that the things Harper has done through his trade deals, his omnibus legislations and so on, are near impossible to repeal without extraordinarily expensive and lengthy court battles on both domestic and international levels.
ReplyDeleteIt would take successive governments to undo the damage Harper has done, even assuming they have the will to do so. Opposition governments secretly love governments like Harpers because once he is gone, he's done all the unpopular stuff that will actually benefit the incoming leadership and they can take advantage of it without dirtying their hands or sullying popularity.
If Harper goes, either by resignation or electoral defeat, chances are we'll see a Trudeau PMO and that will not be any better than Harper's rule. Trudeau is just a more charismatic Harper, he's in the pockets of big industry, of the oil and gas companies.
Harper has wrought extreme damage to Canada, damage that will be seared into the nation for decades. He has delivered Canada to corporate interests and secured his own future and the futures of his buddies in this delivery. That was his mission, and the mission done he's got nothing left to do.
We can only hope whoever forms our next government can staunch the bleeding and begin some form of repair. But I am not optimistic here in the least.
hi unknown...I don't blame you for not being optimistic, it has been a long and horrible nightmare, and it will take a long time to undo the damage Harper and his thugs have done. But you must never give up hope, because that's what they want us to do. And although the progressive alternatives are far from perfect, they are better than the Con regime. And once they are in power it will be up to us to drive them in the direction we want to go. Let's first get rid of the Con regime and then dare to dream again...
DeleteWhat amazes me is that his rats have not started jumping the ship yet, Signs of a micro managing psycho that has a firm grip on their tails. Staying on beside him is starting to look like political suicide, but lets not forget that, Canadians are very good at forgetting and forgiving. Although many are starting to wake up theres still alot of sheep out there that always make the same mistake, They are party loyal and thats how they vote, It doesnt matter who is driving the ship, sinking or not. However Simon I to see the same signs as you, However, With that said we are also used to Canadians leaders resigning over less, Nothing surprises us and i dont remember in my life time(49) any leader with such a hitler complex that loves zionism in Canada. We can only hope he leaves before we have to vote him out or the robocalls all over again and they are caught red handed.
ReplyDeletehi anon...yes the rats or the sheep haven't started jumping yet, but if they don't they will go down with Great Leader and that's fine with me. And yes there are far too many sheeple out there and too many are too passive. But the situation is evolving nicely, we are closer to the end than the beginning, and whether we defeat them, or the police arrest them, the universe is finally unfolding just as I hoped it would...
DeleteHow could he return from Israel "in triumph?" Harper has alienated Canada from much of the world. He shows contempt for the UN, climate change, the environment and has been a strong support of US initiatives including Guantanamo. He offered "on a platter" a Canadian citizen, Omar Khadr to the Guantanamo "kangaroo court" and showed all of us that citizenship means nothing in this country to Harper. He picks his favorites, bullies intimidates, lies and spreads propaganda. Yes, please resign!!!! YOu are no longer wanted and that has been the case for a very long time
ReplyDeletehi Helen...well of course the "triumph" would only be in his deranged mind, but it does show how desperate he is. And if he can fool himself into thinking he can go out with his head held high after his appalling record, so much the better. As long as he goes and the sooner the better. But won't that be a great day? Endure a little longer, stay strong, and we will have the best victory party this country have ever seen...:)
DeleteYour post was soooOOoo empowering and awesome, I fear that it wont happen, in some way I hope it wont. here is why. I hope harpo and his gang of tugs remain in power, remain the ones with authority, long enough to be convicted. You see if harper leaves before all the investigations are over I do not think we can bring charged to him and his government (I know it is a long shot from the start) I would like criminal charges lad against harper, crime against our constitution, crime against the population of Canada and certainly crime against first nations. ..In the mean time I would like to see harpo and his gang of ignorant tugs, to remain in power so we can amass the evidence to charge them. Yes the crime minister has to go but he also has to pay.
ReplyDeletehi Alain...thank you so much. If I can help empower my fellow progressives I can't imagine anything better. I also understand your desire to see justice done. I share that wish myself. But I don't think that the Cons can escape the legal consequences, by jumping into their getaway car and leaving town in a hurry. Unless of course they all move to Vic Toews' old place in the Paraguayan jungle which would be fine with me. ;) So we could have the best of both worlds: the Cons out of power, in handcuffs, in a court...
DeleteAt this point I WANT Harper to fight the next election, I want him to wear his record with no way of weaseling out in the way Mulroney tries to. The damage is already done to this nation, another couple of years isn't going to make much difference in that respect, and having him as a uniting focus for removal both in his own person/party AND in terms of the way he governed and the direction it went is at least a starting point for trying to heal what can be healed and hopefully to prevent anyone like him from ever becoming PM ever again.
ReplyDeleteI know you know Simon that I am very bitter about Layton and the NDP deciding Harper was the lesser of two evils back in 2005, that Martin and the Libs at the time were the greater evil. I think though at this point most people, even most NDP supporters (not the hard core partisans though, for the most part those types refuse to see anything wrong about their own side/leader, it is in the nature of zealotry, and in this I mean all hard core partisans of all parties, not just the NDP), at this point I believe would agree that another year or two of Martins Libs would have been far less traumatizing for Canada and the health of our democracy than what Harper gave us, and would if they could go back in time and prevent the fall of Martin then. Harper and his legacy needs to be repudiated in the strongest possible terms by the electorate, and the best way for that to happen means Harper must be the one defeated, not his successor. If there was ever a time for the NDP to stand and be counted for principles and progressive Canadian values first, that really was the time and place, and under any prior leader to Layton I truly believe they would have too.
So since Harper did that much damage I want him to wear it, and wear the repudiation which is coming (even if you agree with some of his economic or foreign policy aspects, the way he corrupted the tools of power to suit himself, the way he corrupted the election process itself to win power with, these are things no real believer of democratic values can support if they are honest with themselves, and I do believe there are more than a few of those on the right/Conservative side even now, at least of the voters, the core party faithful, those I am not so sure of alas), and I hope/pray in the next election. I think it is, I think the combination of the scandals plus length of time as government is finally tipping that point over, and once it gains momentum I don't see it stopping.
Please understand this about me Simon. I was raised in a family that had half rooted in old school PCPC roots back to the days of Confederation, and more than just voting, I mean people that worked for the parties Provincially and federally and ran/won for them too, this is true for both sides of my family. The other side was equally well rooted in the Liberals also going back to Confederation. I was raised with pride in this, along with the pride I had in my family that served in both World Wars and as Peacekeepers after the second one. That public service and civic duty was honourable and must be done honourably. That this is the responsibility of those honoured and lucky and privileged enough to live in a democratic society, that this is required from all citizens, else the system cannot hold.
To be concluded...
Conclusion:
ReplyDeleteI also while growing up had a lot of contact with our local NDP leader, first while she was Provincially the only elected NDP legislator, and then once she was recruited for the federal side, you might have heard of her, Alexa MacDonough. She tried hard to recruit me for the local young NDP because she saw how much politics and issues mattered to me (well she also knew my family from both sides and wouldn't have minded giving them a bit of a tweak by bringing me over to the dark side as it were, but in a friendly manner). This is in part why I am such a process geek, it is also why I am and always had been a true swing/unaligned voter, I grew up aware of the merits and good faith of those in all three parties, and that there were true differences between all three (even if there could be some significant overlap in some respects between PCPC and Lib on economics and Libs and NDP on social justice/policy issues. It is also why I felt connections to all three parties at deep levels.
I respected the NDP as much as the other two national parties, and it was the NDP I trusted most to watch out and protect us from the rising right wing insanity that had infected the USA from the Nixon Presidency onwards, and was slowly trying to make inroads into Canada. I'm so bitter about Laytons actions because I felt truly betrayed b a party I hadnot just voted for in the past but also believed in, trusted, and supported in the past as a swing voter. In a party that I believe had still been led by Alexa would never have allowed Harper to rise to the PMO, and most certainly would have felt better the Libs than ever the Harper CPC, and indeed would have used the obvious chance to replace the Libs after the fall of Harper (since the Libs clearly were out of gas mostly and could only survive at that point with NDP help, and once the CPC lost Harper as leader the internal bloodbath would have been intense given the issues between the old school Reformers and PCPC wings in that party/movement, especially the way the Reformers crushed the PCPCers into their mold at the time) to give the NDP their shot at government, in part by proving themselves as the defenders of Canadian values against the extremists.
I'm telling you this so you understand why I feel the way I do, that it is rooted (and deeply) not in any partisanship for a party or leader but because before any party or leader or political philosophy I value the underlying institutions themselves. I value all the work my family put into helping build them along with so many other Canadians over the many decades. That the respect and honour they are all due has been so dishonoured, so contemptuously maligned by the Harper CPC is something I find utterly unforgiveable, and is something that needs to be dealt with in the harshest possible manner. That this is why I feel the importance of Harper taking his government down in defeat in 2015 cannot be overstated despite the fact that every moment he remains in the PMO makes me ill from the dishonour. That in my opinion the best chance we all have of starting to clean the stain on our honour requires he goes down in hard defeat, a Mulroney/Campbell level would be preferred, but even down to where the Libs ended up last time would be a good start.
Sorry about the length, but this is something I have very strong feelings on, and I wanted you to know why that is the case. I also wanted you to understand why I have such issues with the NDP these days and why I blame them so much for the current reality, that this really was in my view the House that Jack built, and that it is as much his legacy as enabling the NDP to be the Official Opposition for the first time. That for me the epitaph for Layton truly is he won the battle to lose the war, and is is Canada and Canadians that were the collateral damage from that loss. That at this point so much damage has been done that we almost need Harper to be the captain going down with his ship to even begin to make a dent in all that we have to recover from.
Certainly a lovely thought. harper resigning. nice christmas present. trudeau, sr. took a walk in the snow. stevie slime a walk through israel and had his come to jesus moment. not going to happen. Harper may do as you suggest. However, what will he do if he resigns? As P.M. he has developed a life style which he or the family will not be willing to give up. Not knowing what his net worth was prior to becoming P.M., it is hard to say. Of course the last con P.M. had a book written about him, On the Take. Will Harper be rewarded for all his work on behalf of multinational corporations? Some former P.M.s went to law firms where they were paid a great deal of money, but Harper can't do that. of course he could have his come to jesus moment in Israel and decide to go preach the gospel in China. then he can see what they are really all about.
ReplyDeleteIf stevie slime leaves early, the cons will simply find another leader, blame stevie for all the "bad" and win another election. We saw it in Ontario and we are living it in B.C. During the reign of the B.C. lieberals we have had the highest rate of child poverty for most of the past 10 yrs. Once we were second. this time the stats reflect we have 18.6% of children in b.,c. living in poverty. that is one in 5. Nothing changed when the lieberals went from el gordo to the dummy.
It is not enough for the cons to leave. we need a whole new attitude in this country. It may cost us a lot of money to get out of some of those trade deals stevie slime got us into but it will be worth it. we need a leader who will look after Canada not for today, but for the future. if the children of this country can not be lifted out of poverty, conditions in this country will become more like the U.S.A.
Mulcair has done a great job in the Commons but it will not translate to votes. The people of B.C. and Ontario have already demonstrated they love the right wing style which renders them powerless and poverty prone, but what the hell. Its going to be Christmas and I'm asking Santa for a new P.M., one who cares about this country first.
Memo:
ReplyDeleteTo all corrupt politicians, bankers, law enforcement, judges, corporate officers and associated minions: All who are not working towards the betterment of all Humanity.
This is your wake-up call.