Tory tactics

Forty years ago, when I was much younger, more passionate, and probably less wise than I am now, I was a Progressive Conservative.  In those days,  anyone could go to any political rally anywhere to listen to, and occasionally heckle, a candidate.  Indeed, attendance was encouraged.  It was seen as a way of influencing the undecided.  Politics was interesting, and it was fun.

Not so to-day.  To-day, one must pre-register to attend Conservative functions.  Inquisitive students who attend the rallies of more than one party, and who are unfortunate enough to be photographed with an unacceptable leader, are ejected from the hall.  Anyone who deviates from the chanting in unison and the obligatory clapping at pre-determined appropriate moments is immediately suspect.

If this description sounds disquieting, it is perhaps because one could apply it to the infamous Nurenburg rallies held in Nazi Germany in the 1930s.  Enforced conformity is undemocratic.   It is suggestive of Orwell's "1984".  It also might be symptomatic of a kind of mentality that is incompatible with the very notion of open and accountable democratic government.  Let us not forget that the Conservatives have already been found in contempt of Parliament.  Are they not contemptuous of the Canadian people?

The Personal Results of Governmental Stupidity

On March 25th, 2011, my wife's niece died suddenly and unexpectedly of complications arising from treatment for leukaemia.  She was 19 years of age, academically brilliant, and before her diagnosis was looking forward to a great life.  Over 200 turned up for her funeral, and there was not a dry eye in the room.

However, her aunt, who lives in Lebanon with her husband and child, was not there.  Notwithstanding that she has visited Canada on several occasions in the past; notwithstanding that she and her husband are respectable, established, and successful business people in Lebanon, and notwithstanding that her presence in Canada would have posed no threat to security (or anything else), she was denied a visa to enter Canada by our present Conservative government.  First, a letter from the attending physician was requested.  It was supplied.  That was not sufficient for the goons who run the visa service.  They wanted more, in the form of a death certificate.  That was also supplied.  After receiving everything they asked for, our beknighted government refused admission anyway.  And in so doing, they forfeited the votes of a lot of people.

This kind of arbitrary arrogance is precisely why Harper and his dinosaurs should not be returned to office.  They have too much to learn about compromise, humanity, and humility to be fit to govern.  Their record on the economy is spotty, and at the best, no better than the Liberals before them. Their foreign policy record is poor, and their respect for civil rights and just plain human decency almost non-existent. (especially if you happen to come from the Middle East and are not Israeli).  The Conservatives should be consigned to opposition or oblivion until they finally learn to treat all persons fairly and equally.  I recommend Burns' famous poem, "Is There for Honest Poverty", as a starting point in their education.

I intend to disseminate this tale to as many persons who will read it, in the hope that it will influence them not to vote for the Conservatives in this election.

Middle East and North African uprisings

The turmoil in Tunisia, Libya, Morocco, Jordan, Egypt, Yemen, and Bahrain is long overdue, and should not be too surprising.  The Arab world (for want of a better term) has been left behind in all respects: sciientific and social progress, technological change, economic improvement, and political development have stagnated in the region for years.  And the population knows it.

Repression, often in the name of religion, has deprived the region of most of the benefits that should have accrued from being the collective possessors of one of the world's most valuable resources - oil. Some have estimated that as much as a trillion dollars has been wasted on armaments, another trillion on frivolous projects (like growing grain in the Saudi desert), and a third trillion stashed away by avariciouis ruling elites. 

It is clear that the lot of the average person in the region (Israel excepted) has not materially improved over the past fifty years.  What has changed, however, is the ease with which the man in the street can have access to information, and how he can use that information to compare his lot in life to his compatriots in other countries.

Revolution born of desperation, as we are seeing in Libya, cannot be easily repressed with savagery. There seem to be parallels between the popular movements that have appeared throughout the Middle East and North Africa, and the French Revolution, which began with peasants asking for food, and ultimately changed most of Europe.  Most strikingly, these movements are popular, and do not seem to be motivated as much by religious fervour as a desire for change. While it is much too soon to forecast the outcomes of events in the region, we do live in interesting times, and a new, perhaps better, Middle East might emerge.

The Conservative Record

According to the latest polls, the Conservatives enjoy a significant lead over the Liberals and other parties, and may, if they get lucky, form a majority government. But do they deserve this level of support?

This is a government that has just reduced immigration quotas, to the detriment of those seeking to reunite their families.  This is a government which has substituted a nominal monthly payment in lieu of a comprehensive national daycare programme.  This is a government which has chosen selectively to protect, or not to protect, the civil rights of its citizens -- just ask Omar Khadr and others--and this is a government which has prorogued Parliament in order to avoid having to face the electorate.

The Conservative government has also stifled its members, refused to communicate with the public through the press, and has attempted to control the dissemination of information in order to deflect and prevent criticism.  Most recently, one of its ministers has apparently deliberately misled Parliament, with the support of the Prime Minister.

In foreign policy matters, the Conservatives have squandered Canada's good reputation in the Middle East by supporting Israel above all other states and causes in the region; they have effectively thwarted the will of Parliament by keeping Canadian troops in Afghanistan past the July, 2011 deadline set by the legislature, and their policies in China and elsewhere have been ineffectual.

Conservative propaganda has focussed upon "supporting the troops" and being "tough on crime"  With respect to the latter policy, it is worth noting that it costs upwards of $100,000.00 per year per prisoner to keep someone in jail, and that the Tories' tough on crime policy will cost billions in new prisons, staff, and policing -- not to mention the social costs to individuals and families.

This is not good government: it is mediocre government.   The Conservative government is almost devoid of original thinking, hidebound by ideology, and overly controlled from the top by the Prime Minister.  It has to go, for the good of the country.