Take Your Ball and Go Home!

[slb44]

So the true identity of Bush in a Parka has been revealed. Yesterday Canada's parliament debated extending our armed forces tour of duty in Afghanistan for two years. Since the deadline for withdrawal of our forces was February 2007 there was no urgency to this matter. Nevertheless our Prime Minister decided he needed to get this through

Comments

[mzcalypso]

He's actually a two year old who when he doesn't get his way, kicks sand in his so-called friends faces and takes his ball and goes home to sulk.

The problem is, the buggers kick sand in everyone's faces and accuse them of aggression. I wish you luck in prying the bastard loose, out of somewhat selfish reasons - if those creeps manage to get control of Canada we'll have wasted a lot of time and money in trying to emigrate to a sane country.

Greed and stupidity, a really bad combination!

[slb44]

Well I'll do whatever I can to get him out of power. *g*

Hey, here's an idea, maybe we can trade him and his family for you and yours? That'd be more then fair imho. ;-) And I'm sure your president would enjoy his companionship immensely.

[mzcalypso]

Well, Canadians are known for making shrewd bargains, and it's about time the US got the sticky end of the stick. Not that we're particularly great, but a math professor and a massage therapist sounds like a great bargain to me, in exchange for an oil-sucking swine. And he'd be comfy here; our senate just passed an anti-gay-marriage Constitutional amendment. bush needed to throw a bone to the most hate-fueled segment of his shrinking support base. X-P

On the other hand, the job of National Tailpipe is pretty well filled, with lots of senators and governors waiting to replace him, so mr harper might have a long wait to be somebody important.

[ozreison]

I've been telling people, ever since the election got called, that it was a matter of time before things like this started happening. Because it isn't the Conservatives everyone is used to. It's the Reform/Alliance/Conservatives, and Harper, and the right wing are in power whether we like it or not.

How no one else could see this until now is a complete and utter mystery to me. And if they vote that man back in a second time, so help me, I'm really going to look at the option of moving to Europe, where at least I get some real history along with governmental pratfalls.

[slb44]

I was reading the Globe this morning and kept coming across these stories and it was just so damn infuriating. Are we the only ones with our eyes open, or are all the rest of them just so damn weary of the political bullshit that they don't care anymore. They make like an ostrich and hide their head in the sand hoping things will just keep clunking along. The thing is, with this asshat in power the sand is going to get kicked around and kicked around until they're forced to face facts and it'll be too late then, we'll be living in a dictatorship and trying to figure out how to get back to what was the status quo.

You could always be self sacrificing and offer to trade places with mzcalypso. I know she'd really appreciate it. *beg*

[ozreison]

Everyone is upset with the Liberals, but no one seems to recognise that the Convservatives could possibly be worse. But hello... Reform. D'uh. *headdesk*

[slb44]

I suspect the only way we'll usurp these bastards any time soon is if the NDP and Liberals merge. God! That means we'll be reduced to two parties for all intents and purposes, so one way or another asshat is going to force us to become more and more like our neighbours to the south. *shudders*

[slb44]

Hah! Great minds and all that. *bg*

The thing is I suspect that even he's beginning to wonder if a majority is in the cards for him next time around. He very specifically said, in regard to the appointment commissioner, that he'd wait until he had a majority government. I find that very telling. Prior to this he'd been saying when I have a majority or after the next election. His town has definitely changed.

I agree that we're basically lazy and complacent when it comes to politics, I think even he knows that we're all very mistrusting of politicians at this point in time and that minority governments or very slim majorities might well be the trend of the future.

[slb44]

Oh I think he knows. I think that's why he rushed through the extension on the Afghanistan mission. He can read the polls and the letters to the editors everywhere and now that a female has been killed, I'll bet the calls for pulling out will just increase. There's already some talk about officially lowering the flag for her when they repatriate her body, which is a bending of his own rules

[plaidlibrarian]

people were crazy enough to feel that it was time for a change just for the sake of change.

From a good Liberal:

"Why is it time for a change? It isn't. Our employment growth, our increase in living standards, our productivity growth - all at or near the top of the G7. Nine years of balanced budgets and debt repayment, protecting CPP so it won't go bankrupt. Our unemployment the lowest it's been in 30 years. This isn't opinion. This just is. Two years of a good economy and it seems like a blessing. Eight, and it's inevitability. It's not."

If Harper gets a majority I may be moving, but I hear John Howard in Australia is as big of a right wing nutcase.

[calemiri]

I hear John Howard in Australia is as big of a right wing nutcase.

Yup. Also Bush's lapdog-cum-come fuckbuddy if Blair is unavailable, if you believe some of the more... graphic rumours.

It's possible we may have a coup, but then it's been possible that we may have a coup for four or so years now, so I won't be holding my breath. No point in hoping for a change in government here, since Labor is still a basketcase and well... people are just as lazy here as elsewhere, compulsory voting notwithstanding.

[slb44]

Howard (the Duck?!?) has been headline news both here in the states over the last couple of days, much to my amusement and the confusion of a lot of other folks. I've spent some time explaining what an asshat he is. *g* I guess I should just be pointing them towards you for a more up close and personal point of view.

[calemiri]

Yes, our great leader of the perpetual sniffles. He's had that 'I've got a bit of a cold' voice for as long as I can remember. It's damn irritating after a while. Doubly so when he's happy, for some reason.

"'lil Johnny" and "Honest John" (please note the self evident irony of Aussie nicknames) are other nicknames in use. "That bloody wanker" also springs to mind, but is rather freely applied to whatever politician is under discussion.

First Australian Prime Minister in what? 40 years? to address a Canadian Parliament. But his round-the-world trip is not a junket... oh no. On the up side, if he was hoping to get away from criticism about the IR reforms, he thought wrongly. *g*

For once I'm actually hoping Rupert Murdoch is right, because he's predicting Howard will retire sooner rather than later, and I think Costello would have a harder time keeping things in line whilst running roughshod over the general populace.

[calemiri]

I'm guessing the list is like all wannabe dictator's lists - the one of who is first up against the wall when the revolution comes. Making people put themselves on it is a strange twist though. Normally people don't know for sure they're on The List until walls and firearms are involved.

I'm surprised he hasn't insisted the opposition all sign up before he takes questions from them too... or perhaps he made an exception and signed them up himself.

In the interim, maybe the media should try blanketing him out - he doesn't want to play ball with them, they have tonnes of other newsworthy events to report on. See how well he handles being a total non event. (I know, total wishful thinking there, but fantasies are good and stress relieving and all...)

[slb44]

Yup.

I think that's because he's already got that list, it comes with the position. *g*

I suspect that what he's going to force the media to do is dig for stories which will ultimately result in dirt, dirt and more dirt. He thinks he can play the Liberal party scandal through to a next election, but bored and out of work journalists are the enemy of stability when it comes to governments. If there's no news to report, they'll make it if they have to. ;-)

[calemiri]

Hasn't anyone drummed into his head that you keep the media on a tight leash and/or make sure they have stories aplenty to keep them occupied? Otherwise they will get bored and dig around to see what they can see... very much like puppies left alone all day with no toys to play with.

I still think it would be fun if there was no reporting of Federal politics... of course, then people might come to the belief that they didn't have a government at that level, and so not vote at all... which could be a good or a bad thing, depending on who actually did manage to give a damn.