If the weather in the Scottish highlands hadn't been so perfect, I might have written something in the last three weeks. Especially since somebody once said that if you want to write an insightful piece about Canada you have to leave it.
So I thought I might try to explain how the Cons and other hate mongers had managed to corrupt this country so much, with the help of our shabby media and a small army of dirty old men.
But the weather was so balmy, the sea air was so fresh and clean, and I had such a great time sailing up and down the north east coast and meeting old friends in places like this one...
Canada and its fetid problems seemed so far away, and so easy to forget.
Until I travelled down to Edinburgh to participate in this big anti-Trump rally protesting his presence in Scotland.
A so-called Carnival of Resistance.
And while I was there I couldn't help wondering whether Canada has the will and the strength to resist the coming Trump invasion of our country.
And fight for its freedom like Scotland had to do for centuries...
For that invasion is coming...
This grotesque fake news scandal was just a taste of what is to come...
A disgusting attempt to smear a decent prime minister.
As well as a desperate attempt to destroy the #MeToo movement, and harness the misogyny of the dirty old men who infest this country, for crass political purposes.
And although those dirty old Cons ended up drowning in their own excrement, this depraved ad makes it only too clear that Andrew Scheer is trying to win the next election just like Donald Trump did.
By fanning the flames of intolerance.
Andrew Scheer’s Conservatives seem to be betting that the path back to 24 Sussex Dr. is paved with racial intolerance, xenophobia, and stoking the flames of division.
It’s barbaric cultural practices 2.0, more nuanced, but the intent is the same.
Scare, fear, hate
And what is now also too clear, is that just like Trump the creepy religious bigot Scheer is a traitor to his country and its values.
A man unfit to be the leader of a Canadian party, let alone prime minister of Canada.
And the fact that our miserable Con media has failed to condemn his disgusting racism, or call for his resignation, tells you how low they have fallen.
You know, shortly before I left Scotland I visited this small cemetery in the grounds of a ruined abbey, where dozens of young Canadian flyers are buried.
And as I stood there in the stillness of the afternoon, in that lonely place, I imagined what the young dead might say if they could speak.
And I'm pretty sure it would be something like this:
We sacrificed our lives so you could live in freedom in an independent country. So the least you can do is fight those Con bastards until they too are defeated.
For you too are in a war, and unless you destroy them, they will destroy our country and its precious values.
So while it's never easy to leave the highlands I love so much...
I return to Canada refreshed, and ready to fight the Cons harder than ever. As we all must.
We have been too soft for too long. We have let them get away with murder.
The politics of fear and division have corrupted one country after the other, but they must not be allowed to corrupt this one.
So this treasonous Trumpling and his racist Cons must and will be defeated...
24 comments:
Welcome back Simon! I’m happy you had a good rest, and I don’t blame you for not blogging. Scotland seems like a beautiful place, Canada is just more of the same, and the Cons are as bad as ever.
Welcome back to Toronto. A city devoid of culture, soul, cohesion. An airport without any real destination.
Scotland looks nice. Could use more Muslims though.
#openbordersforscotland
Welcome back Simon we missed you! Progressive Bloggers isn’t the same without you, and on some days is as Con as the Blogging Tories. I was a bit disappointed that you couldn’t find any time to blog, but now that you are back I forgive you ;)
A. 1:03 p.m., "a bit disappointed that you couldn't find any time to blog". /give me a break. Simon needs vacations and breaks away from blogging. You know what happens when bloggers don't take breaks? they burn out and some even stop blogging for years. An American blogger, Brilliant At Breakfast, was out of it for several years. A B.C. blogger, L. Yuille, has stopped almost all blogging. Now Harvey O. at Keeping it Real, he takes vacations with no blogging. Usually a month in the winter and some time in the spring and fall. Yes, we his faithful readers get depressed and out of sorts and don't always know what to do with our mornings, but we're strong and suck it up. So my advise to you, suck it up. Simon needs to go away and enjoy himself without thinking of the problems of this country at least a month a year. Yes, I'll be trying to figure out how I'm going to get through it if Harvey and Simon were to take their vacations at the same time, but alas there are other progressive bloggers in the world.
So welcome back Simon. The pictures are wonderful and I can certainly see why you go to Scotland every year.
As to fighting the Cons, yes we are in for it, especially with Harper making his little trip to the W.H. and his rather nasty comments regarding NAFTA and Trudeau. We can expect to see a lot of that in the coming year. My take on it is Harper would love to be back in office or at least pulling the strings of whomever is in office. He, Putin and Trump would love to see three fascist dictatorships all joined together. Right now, Canada is sitting in the middle, preventing it.
We can expect Russian interference in our elections both civic, provincial and federal. This week it has been reported the Russians can hack and close down the American electrical grid, nuclear plants, major industries, etc. I'm sure they can do the same in Canada.
Scheer's comments need to be exposed as does his affiliations with the "white is right" groups. That message needs to be gotten out to the various communities across the country. He is not a Conservative. He's a fascist, in my opinion. If this country is going to have a Conservative Party, it needs to go back to having a progressive Conservative party. In my opinion countries with 3 or 4 parties always do better. It gives voters a choice. its what makes a good democracy.
Perhaps a break at Christmas...........Skiing on Mount Washington on Vancouver Island is usually wonderful at that time of year.......
Can’t accept that Justin is just a dirty old perv. Oh well, wait till you hear about the next 3.....
Welcome back Simon! Hope you enjoyed a much needed rest, are fully recharged and have some new insights on how to fight the destructive chaotic loop that ensnares western politics. The Trumpian missionaries of destructive chaos have recently turned up the volume with little sign they want to turn the clock back to 1950. An authoritarian state somewhere around 1900 now seems more appropriate with the ensuing turmoil still to come. Perhaps the 1900's will be just a fly over on the way to ashes in search of the mythical Phoenix moment. So easy to destroy, so hard to build.
RT
There are Muslims in Scotland.
I agree. It is healthy to go on holiday, or at least to take a break. I hope to be able to do it soon.
That Financial Post montage is classic "fear of a Black planet" stuff. We don't even see the man's face.
In 1999 5ooo handguns legally imported into Canada. After Harper took over this leaped to 70000 a year. Another Con failure.
All to lawful owners and to mock gun control supporters. Yes, the correct word is mock.
Hi anon...thank you, I’m glad to be back. But I had such such a fantastic time, and travelled to so many places by plane, boat, and train, I may need to take another holiday to recover.😉
But at least I did recharge my blogging batteries, so once I get over my travel lag, I will be ready to join you and others in fighting the Cons harder than ever...
Hi anon@12:00...thank you for welcoming me to what sounds like Mordor. But I don’t think Toronto is as bad as you think. The recent shooting on the Danforth is enough to depress anyone, but the aftermath has been inspiring and shows the city’s fighting spirit, and that diversity is strength. As for Scotland, it could do with a little more diversity, but there are a growing number of Muslims and other vibrant minorities, and the SNP government is doing its best to encourage others to make Scotland their home...
Hi lagatta...you’re right there are a growing number of Muslims in Scotland. There are quite a few in government, the SNP government has taken in a good number of refugees, and there is even a new Afghan restaurant in my tiny village.😋
Hi anon@12:08PM...As I’m sure you know, Scotland voted against Brexit and most Scots want to remain part of the EU. So open borders is a big issue in that country...
Hi anon@1:03 PM...thank you, I’m glad to be back and able to talk to you all again. I’m also glad to be able to continue my long association with Progressive Bloggers and try to help rescue it from what it has become. I don’t blame you for being disappointed by my failure to write a single post, since I did promise to write a few. But as I mentioned above I spent a lot of time travelling and had neither the time nor the energy to write anything longer than a post card. I found it strange not being able to write anything, but maybe it was the kind of rest I needed so hopefully I can be ready for the massive battles ahead...
Hi e.a.f...Thank you for coming to my defence, and making me feel less guilty for taking such a long blogging holiday. And you’re right, I really needed it. The combination of Trump, Ford, Scheer, and Harper was wearing me down and I did need to take a break and think about anything but politics. Like what am I going to eat today, and who is going to win the World Cup. 😺
We live in dangerous times, and we face an uncertain future, and we do need to build up our strength for the big political battles that lie ahead...
Hi anon@6:43 PM...*sigh* now I know I’m really back. 🙄 But then there is something to be said about puncturing Con delusions. And sadly for you, the so-called “Gropergate” is one of them. There was no grope, there is no damage done, and despite all that Con frenzy Justin Trudeau is as popular as ever...
Hi RT...thank you, I’m glad to be back, my batteries are recharged and I’m ready to take on the Con Menace, as soon as I can determine where to start. For as you point out it’s one hell of a mess out there. However after spending three weeks in Britain and being forced to read and watch Brexit 24/7 our hideous problems strike me as far more entertaining. 😉
The way I see it the situation is now so grave, it can only lead to a decisive break with the past. When the Cons finally hit the floor with a sickening thud, it will herald the beginning of a new and better world. So first we fight and then we party...
Hi Steve...yes we are paying for Harper’s surrender to the gun lobby. But the good news is that the government and most Canadians seem ready for much tougher gun controls. So out of all that hideous bloodshed could come something good. We need to control guns as strictly as they do in Britain. And as the Brits have clearly shown it is possible to live quite happily without them...
How ironic, Liberal supporters claiming to be fighting for a gentle, kinder world but posting in the exact same venomous style they think only others do.
I can read the same style of crap at Rebel.
The World Cup final was a stunner. Sure, I also liked Croatia as an underdog (beautiful little country; I was there when it was still Yugoslavia, when studying in neighbouring northeastern Italy) but the very multicultural and strongly African side pissed off more than a few spokespersons of the racist far right and gave the celebrations a very special feel.
Kylian Mbappé is "pan-African"; dad is Cameroonian and mum is Algerian. And the lad seems to have his head on his shoulders - he gives all his World Cup take to charity. ) Of course he makes plenty at PSG, and making so much money as a very young man has caused many young athletes a lot of problems...
Lot of celebrating here in Montréal, by the "new" French - from old France - Maghrebi and sub-Saharan African communities and bog-standard Québécois.
And you were right to take a long holiday and refrain from blogging. So many people are burnt out. I work on my computer and have to keep from too much commentary as a "break".
There is no evidence whatsoever for "Gropergate", and it is wrong to play it up when alas there has been so much sexual harassment and abuse in politics - as in the cinema - because of the differential in power relations.
Hi Simon
Yes we are certainly bouncing on the floor but unfortunately in a chaotic regime the floor is not uniformly solid and its if they can hit the right spot its possible to pass through it to the next lower level. The Cons are now desperately searching for the weak spots!
RT
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