[angler57]

Does anything of lasting value ever really get accomplished at these conferences?
How much tinkering into a countries business is another nation willing to accept?

[Khar]

Considering how tied many of these nations are, a fair bit -- especially since if we don't all move together there can be massive economic ramifications. America cares a bit of what Canadians think because we are a major trade partner, Germany and France care what each other do as economic powers and neighbours, Japan needs to be sure on the direction other nations are taking to make sure they can plan in the right direction, etc and so forth.

Conferences can achieve something, but there has to be a concerted effort to see this change. In this case, a lot of leaders came with a few ideas of what they wanted done, and that's what made it different (although not as wildly successful as I'm sure some people were expecting) than the summits which, to be frank, simply broke down.

[Apollo]

Mr_Canada wrote:

I wonder if the Anarchists would ever have enough power
to cause 1 billion dollars worth of damage to the Canadian Taxpayers?

The lefties always tell us that if it saves just one life, its all worth it. Personally, if a few black block members died while celebrating next to a burning squad car, I wouldn't shed a single tear. I doubt anyone would.

[EyeBrock]

If he's still in jail it's for a good reason.

[andyt]

EyeBrock wrote:

If he's still in jail it's for a good reason.

I'll buy that. I worry more about the ones that were released without any charges, and those pre-detentions sound pretty hokey to me too.

[Zipperfish]

Bacardi4206 wrote:

The government put safety and control as a priority.

The problem is when safety aand security become such an overriding priority that things like budgets and protecting people's rights adn liberties go out the window. Every day there is some municipal, or federal, or provincial politician passing some new law or insitituing some kind of security measure to make me safer. You know what? I'm plenty safe, thanks a lot. Some yahoo throwing a newspaper box through a window is not, in my opinion, sufficient reason to put the entire civilian population of the area in lockdown mode. I'd prefer if the governmment made a little more effort to spend less and stay the heck out of my way.

Quote:

As good as our military is, if anybody forgot. Our military is a little preoccupied trying not to get shot in another country. Doubt they should be proving security detail for 3 days against protestors and limit the manpower in Afghanistan for 3 days simply for cost sake.

They did this for the Olympics. Actually, I seem to recall that they were in Afghanistan, at teh Olympics and undertaking some fairly major operations in Haiti at the time.

[EyeBrock]

The Army were pretty heavily involved in the G8 and G20.