westmanguy westmanguy:
lol, I could barely get through that rubbage.
Its the same line Canadians have been hearing since Harper first came on the scene in 2004. That they're American-style neo-cons with a big bad agenda of privatization and the erosion of our cherished institutions.
Any of you read Andrew Coyne of the National Post from time to time?
http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/201 ... -the-time/The Tories and PM Harper are hardly neo-liberals foaming at the mouth. Harper doesn't move drastically, and he doesn't have some grandiose Trudeau style vision for this country. The strategy is not a secret. It has always been about INCREMENTAL conservatism. The Tories operate within the certain "given" centre-left frameworks of this society and seek to bring steady and staggered changes to institutions that are ineffective and not justified.
The Tories aren't going to privatize health care. Gay marriage is here to stay (hell; their record on asylum for LGBT refugees is STELLAR). Yah we are giving deep cuts to the CBC and pushing Canada Post on the road to privatization. But why the hell wouldn't we? The CBC has been a biased useless institution for far too long and needs to find a more sustainable business model. And Canada Post needs to join the rest of the Western World and be privatized (just like Germany and the UK have done!!).
The immigration system has been overhauled in quite the successful manner and since 2009, the number of BS refugee claims (from places like Mexico and Hungary) have plummeted.
Ahem:
http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/201 ... e-working/I give you, at times there are partisan hacks in the team that take things a step too far. But Harper has been a very steady-as-she-goes kind of leader. And this vitriol on the far left doesn't play to anyone but those who actually believe the dribble. We've had almost a whole term of Harper in a majority government. The sky hasn't fallen. The budget is pretty much already balanced. Canada's signed more free trade agreements than any past government.
There's a record I'm proud of too. CETA in Europe, South Korea, we're close to signing with Japan. Colombia. Expanded trade in Israel. APEC Pacific Rim negotiations. Harper is taking many good steps to diversifying our economy out of the U.S. dependence. We're on the verge of some important growth areas. I really don't think most of the population is buying this gloom and doom BS. At the end of the day people vote with their pocket books. Are taxes (at fed level) are some of the lowest in over half-a-century. The books are going to be balanced by 2015, and barring any economic downturn I can't see Harper not winning.
Well, I feel the same way about the Naitonal Post--I can't make my way through that rubbage either.
Well, 2015 is a long ways away. I don't think Harper is a shoo-in by any means. The books were already balanced when Harper took power, I believe. The biggest factors in favour of the Conservatives are the relatively weak leaders of the other parties, and the fact that they may split the left. But current polls indicate that people think this government is out of gas and just trying to hang on to power for the sake of holding on to power.
Also in the opposition's favour, the Conservatives have alienated some of its traditional base with the foreign workers fiasco and screwing the veterans. The Unfair Election Act isn't winning them any friends either. Nor did the Liberalesque senate scandals. And they are pretty vulnerable on the environment front.
I don't think the attack ads are going to work this time. Attack ads from a position of vulnerability come across as desperate, an attempt to deflect.
I'm not sure if I'm going to have a red or orange sign on my lawn yet. We'll have to see the caliber of the candiates they put forth locally, and how powerful and positive the message is nationally. I'm kind of excited--for the first time I'm going to be getting involved and volunteering.