It has to be the most bizarre disappearing act in Canadian political history.
The way Stephen Harper turned into an invisible man, or one with a baseball cap pulled down over his eyes so nobody can recognize him.
And has rarely been spotted, and never heard from, since the night he was defeated.
So I'm glad to see that somebody in the MSM has finally tried to find him.
As Ian Brown did when he set out to look for our Great Waldo Leader.
Where has Stephen Harper gone? What is he up to? The man who was prime minister for nearly 10 years and wanted to make it 14, the sixth– longest-serving federal leader in our history, the polarizing political mastermind who reinvented partisanship and confidently subjected his citizens to the longest, bitterest election in Canadian history, which was his to win and which he then shockingly lost, has virtually vanished.
In an attempt to find out how he's coping with his crushing defeat...
And try to determine who is the man behind the mask, lurking in the shadows.
His absence stirred me: I wanted to find him. Most everyone I met was keen to know what he was up to. Now that he has nothing to prove, no power to protect, people want to see what kind of man has been hiding behind the pose. Were we right to let him lead us? Were we right to let him go? Did his famous inaccessibility – then, as now – hide traits we ought to have valued, or was it a symptom of an obstinate nature, one we might want to avoid in a leader from now on?
Only to discover that Harper doesn't want to be found...
And have to settle for this explanation for his bizarre behaviour.
An unnameable former provincial premier (who, like nearly everyone in this story, refused to speak on the record) claims he recently asked the ex-PM what his plans were. His reported reply? “I don’t want to be the crazy uncle yelling in the attic.”
Which of course couldn't be more absurd or hilarious, considering that Harper has always been the Con's crazy uncle...
The depraved political monster who terrorized this country, and raped its values, for almost ten long years.
And you can't put lipstick on that kind of record, or that kind of leader, no matter how hard the Cons might try...
A 40-page monograph entitled Ordered Liberty: How Harper’s Philosophy Transformed Canada for the Better appeared in Policy Options magazine in December, the first brick (that would be an accurate word) in what’s going to be a heavily reinforced wall defending Mr. Harper’s record.
But because they are trying to rewrite history, I too would like to hear from Harper, and for more reasons than Brown does.
I'd like to hear whether he's ready to apologize, or is the slightest bit sorry, for having turned the last election campaign into a sewer of bigotry and xenophobia...
So we can read that into the historical record, and make sure that crime is never forgotten, or forgiven.
I'd like to hear what he has to say about having crippled our economy with his oily obsessions...
And how he feels about having led his beloved Alberta to economic disaster.
And of course I would LOVE to hear how feels about having been defeated by Justin Trudeau...
After having tried so hard to destroy him.
But most of all I'd like to find out more about what he's really doing in Ottawa.
Because when I look at the kind of material Rona Ambrose's new/nouveau Cons are putting out...
Or the kind of stuff she's tweeting.
40,000 Canadians served in Afghanistan and 158 gave their lives. Why won’t the Liberals commit to their memorial? pic.twitter.com/OcLqZLiI0A— Rona Ambrose (@RonaAmbrose) March 17, 2016
It's all looks so familiar, and it's like Harper never left.
So as I've mentioned before, I still can't help wondering who is really pulling Ambrose's strings?
Or wonder whether the real reason Harper is sticking around is so he can influence the result of the leadership race of the party he has always considered HIS.
Because if he is still an active player, we have every right to demand an explanation and an apology for what he did to this country.
He may think he's finished with us, but we are not finished with him.
The Cons will not get away with rewriting history.
Great Waldo Leader may think that Canadians will forget what he did if he pulls a disappearing act.
But we won't.
And we'll make sure that history's verdict is a harsh one...
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32 comments:
That picture of Rawna looks exactly like he/she looks in the HoC!!!!!!! Strings and all!!!!!!! No moral compass near her and her equally morally depleted crew!!!!!!! Best thing to happen to Canada is for the morally depleted Hitler Harper to disappear!!!!!!! Nice not seeing his mug shot anywhere these days!!!! Most chicken Hawks like this idiot usually run and hide!!!!! Pretty pathetic when you cannot face the country you once lead!!!!! Karma hit him bad when he was defeated by the young Trudeau!!!!!! Love it!!!!!! FS
Do Rona "Mad Bomber" Ambrose and the "Vanishing Harper"* both hear the very same voices inside their heads? Or does every Tory leader come with a downloaded set that was custom designed for their specific psychopathology?
Canadians deserve to know.
* sounds like it could also be the name of a species of Canadian wild fowl, suitable for the $ 1 coin
"So I'm glad to see that somebody in the MSM has finally tried to find him."
What an utter fucking waste of time.
he/they will NEVER apologize or be brought to justice. It's part of the deal the liberocons made to be allowed to "come to power". Just like o-bomb-a did with the rethuglicans so he could "win" the White House.
Who knows......
Who cares......
Why bother?
The image of Harper as a "crazy uncle yelling in the attic" really made me laugh.Probably would be too crowded for the loner as his buddy Preston is already there. Suspect that he has turned his back on all Canadians as they were either too stupid to follow his vision and his party was too stupid to flawlessly implement the plan.The only thing he is likely interested in is supporting any organization that promotes the myth that the Harper years were the best and most visionary in Canadian history.Rona is just reading from a copy of the old song book..what page will it be today.. absolutely no vision.
Rt
Peter Kent's comments about Harper in ipolitics article I just scanned are another indication of how I think Harper is being rebranded by cons. The nice introvert who gets along with everyone and is staying out of the way as CPC moves on. Mmm, I remember a better description of Harper I heard years back. He's not content once he's pulled someone down, he needs to hold their face in the dirt. We really cannot believe this clap trap from Kent and others.
We need to move on, but we also need to learn from our mistakes and not repeat.
I'm sure we will hear nothing but bs from cons next week as budget is tabled. Another reminder of what we left behind.
Cheers Simon!
TS
Never in the history of Canada, have so many voted for the most unsuited person to be our Prime Minister. Harper is an amalgam of everything Canadians didn't want or need from a Prime Minister.
Years from now historians will look back perplexed at and wonder how the Canadian voters justified in electing he most unqualified and unsuitable candidate to lead our country. It must have been a case of mass psychosis.
I would rather a leg amputation than 'Go unlimited' with the Globe & Mail in order to read that article. I ended my association with them the *first* time they endorsed Harper.
He could be hiding with Mulcair, of whom we haven't heard much either since the election.
He is not in the public light and I'm good with that. Don't care where he is. Don't care what strings he may or may not be pulling. We have a new P.M. with some strong Cabinet Ministers, new Senators.
Prefer to put this not so pleasant part of history behind me and not think about Steve all that much. it is important to not forget history, because as the old saying goes, you will repeat it.
However, if harper wants to stay out of the limelight that is his business and now that he is no longer P.M. that is his right. As long as he meets the requirements as an M.P. for showing up in Parliament, it doesn't matter to me, where he is, what he does. He is history and he is not coming back. Lets not keep talking about him, because as some believe, "I don't care what you say about me, just spell my name right". To continue to give the old regime space is at some level giving it some sort of legitimacy. Lets focus on the left over nasty con types in this country like Brad Wall and Christy Clark and perhaps other social issues we need to resolve.
Here's a fitting headline Simon, "Steven Harper Missing and Presumed Pouting."
Poor Ray Novak must be exhausted from coddling, cuddling and consoling our Dear Departed ex-Leader. Can you imagine the "fits of white hot rage" and the "depression that renders him useless"(much like his tenure as PM)he must be going through?
There are two ways he could have taken defeat, like a man or a cowering, slinking, coward.
Harper's no man.
JD
Harper's absence would indicate to me that he had a collection of stooges to guide him in his every word and movement all during his tenure. Without them he is like a lost child. How could one man make so many blunders and not even make any effort to correct or even admit he was wrong and just carry on as if nothing had happened.
Well Harper's not exactly 'wanted', that's for sure.
Jim Prentice & Steve are holed up together in an undisclosed location going through PTSD therapy and cognizance reality associative processing [CRAP].
I had to laugh too, recalling this recent vile piece by Manning. Without going into the sub-comments, I saw only one comment in more than a thousand that seemed to support Manning. One person wrote that if that piece had been posted in the comments section, (s)he would have reported it.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/justin-trudeau-the-best-prime-minister-the-united-states-has-ever-had/article29206854/
TF
Who wrote this complete liberal tabloid journalism garbage. Hope you enjoy your Justin years, his legacy will be that of his father's ....ballooned deficits and debt and a social program for everyone so the liberals can buy your vote. Liberals believe that they are smarter at spending your money thsn you are, good luck canada your in deep trouble...like 30 billion dollar deficits!
There is an "Arrest Tony Blair for War Crimes" website.
http://www.arrestblair.org/
Where is the "Arrest Stephen Harper for War Crimes" website?
The Afghan Detainee File and proroguing of Parliament to avoid scrutiny is still open.
I'll put up $100
Justin simply a boy with no leadership skills to think of, and riding on his father's name.
The 40-page monograph entitled "Ordered Liberty: How Harper’s Philosophy Transformed Canada for the Better"
http://policyoptions.irpp.org/2015/12/01/harper/
was penned by Ken Boessenkool and Sean Speer. Both have worked for Harper.
Quelle surprise!
http://policyoptions.irpp.org/author/kboessenkool/
http://policyoptions.irpp.org/author/sspeer/
Simon, your obsession with harper's whereabouts is merely the obverse of most people, who simply do not care.
In any case, he has been in Ottawa, where he does keep a low profile, the proper conduct for a man who seems to be ashamed of himself, as he should be.
Here's an article on his whereabouts:
http://ipolitics.ca/2016/03/18/post-defeat-harper-a-polite-peripheral-presence-on-the-hill/
I politics did a fluff piece on Harper in the 'halls of the HoC' People still kissing his ass! "Post-defeat Harper a polite, peripheral presence on the Hill" here's the link: http://ipolitics.ca/2016/03/18/post-defeat-harper-a-polite-peripheral-presence-on-the-hill/ *vomit warning*
In other words, harper can be described as - A Snake in the Grass...
Your willingness to give just about every aspect of the Conservative regime (past and present) a flippant pass says to me you were never all that uncomfortable with the regime in the first place. How many times does Simon need to explain his Harper raison d'être to you e.a.f.?
Anon 1:35 am, if that were true he would not have been able to win the election with such a margin, and he would not be continuing to increase his support at home and abroad.
TS
Yeah, social programs for the oil and gas industry to cleanup their friggin mess in Alberta !
http://www.albertaoilmagazine.com/2016/03/psac-seeks-500m-federal-funding-decommission-wells-create-jobs/
Harper & his ilk need to be continuously exposed for all the retrogressive & detrimental
laws & policies which were inflicted on the Canadian populace during his reign as self appointed
dictator if we are to have a chance as a society of not falling for their kind of trickery & deception again.
Omar, Simon and I simply do not agree. He has is opinion and I have mine. In a free and democratic system, each of us are entitled to our opinions. Of course I understand this is Simon's blog. He doesn't have to explain his position. I do understand it very clearly. Just as I clearly understand how truly awful Harper and his Cons were. A lot of that ugly legislation Steve passed affected me and mine.
There are two thoughts on this:
I don't care what you say about me, as long as you spell my name right.
If we do not learn from history we are bound to repeat it.
So, Omar, we just aren't going to agree. As I said, Harper and his Cons are behind us. We still have Brad Wall. he of not permitting people "under the influence" into winter housing shelters. Like how nice is that. Let them freeze to death. We still have Christy Clark. Building Site C dam to flood thousands of acres of land and the highest rate of child poverty in Canada for 15 years; 1 in 5 children live below the poverty line. I'm suggesting we can move on to the next "harper in a dress or harper with a better suit"
ah, Ken Boessenkool, formerly employed by Christy Clark and her B.C. Lieberals in B.C. Christy had to "fire" him because of some activities discussed on B.C. blogs.
if we do not learn from history we are bound to repeat it.
Harper should donate a portion of his MP salary to a charity since he refuses to show up for Question Period.
What's a 30 billion deficit in an over 2 TRILLION DOLLAR economy?
Why aren't the Cons trotting out real economists saying it is wrong for the Libs to go into deficit? Because real economists (unlike Harper) say the time to borrow to stimulate the economy is NOW when interest rates are low.
Anonymous 2 (not Anonymous, the Con lover)
Whatever happened to polluter pay? The oil companies should have to pay to clean up their own mess!
Even little kids are taught responsibility in this regard:
http://www.peace.ca/kindergarten.htm
Clean up your own mess.
Anonymous 2
He is now being paid by the people he served while he was in power.
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