Comments on: Mourning a moggy

By: SeanStok

SeanStok — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:35:21 +0000

No worries! Also, while Harper's international performance may be underwhelming as whole (though picking up in the last six months), I found our Kyoto inaction under the Liberals to be truly embarassing (from a party that generally did well with external relations, without getting into a big debate about it).

By: kc

kc — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 07:51:23 +0000

Yes i would much prefer Harper to fly his own colours rather than under the flag of convenience of a faux liberal. It’s called honesty in my world.
If you’re implying that cons can’t be any other way i call BS. Lougheed was a very successful ethical conservative [ i liked him alot] Klein less so [ i found him a joke] but lots of AB’s disagreed with me. Campbell doesn’t hide his light under a bush [ i don't like him, but i give him credit for breaking out of the typical con mould]. And Harris had some success – he was an asshole, but at least he didn’t pretend otherwise, nor did he, unlike Harper, betray every con principle in the book merely to retain power.

By: canucklehead

canucklehead — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 06:20:47 +0000

That's well put Crit... it's a yawning meme. [youtube oTMXTxQBI10 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTMXTxQBI10 youtube]

By: canucklehead

canucklehead — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 05:56:05 +0000

well yes, I don't think there can be any doubt that *Historical Conservative Figure* was nearly the worst thing that ever happened but having said that, they were certainly head and shoulders above *Current Conservative Figure* who – because he can't be described as rigidly ideological in this context – we will therefore describe, not as a reasonable compromiser, certainly not as an open armed uniter, but as a weak kneed waste of space who ought to have the courage to more plainly extrude his despicabality.

Conservatives have always been horrible and never more so than at this very moment, there can be no question about it.

By: Crit_Reasoning

Crit_Reasoning — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 04:52:38 +0000

I know, Sean. Sorry, I should have made it clear that I wasn't being critical of you or your joke; it's just that your joke caused me to drift in to a tangent about how the Liberals like to pretend (without credible evidence) that Harper is "embarrassing" Canada.

By: SeanStok

SeanStok — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 04:34:50 +0000

Joking, my friend. Only joking.

By: Crit_Reasoning

Crit_Reasoning — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 04:04:52 +0000

The rather poor headlines featuring Canada over the last few years internationally.

Evidence, please. I don't think Canada's coverage by foreign media has changed much since 2006 (and I'm one of those geeks who occasionally reads foreign newspapers, just for kicks).

By: Habitant

Habitant — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 03:28:21 +0000

''Well respected''… Is that the vibe your getting from this most recent APEC summit?

With the current conservatives, it's an ''us against them'' with pretty much everything. I don't think they are tuned to hear what the world is telling them. The rather poor headlines featuring Canada over the last few years internationally is not a thing of the ''left wing media'' but I guess it's easier to blame them.

By: Crit_Reasoning

Crit_Reasoning — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 03:06:23 +0000

Harper isn't really "a joke internationally". In fact, one could make the case that Harper is well-respected internationally. He's no limelight-hogging superstar, but he's anything but a joke.

The Liberals have tried their best to peddle the "international joke" line, in the Narnia ads and elsewhere. Their efforts haven't been successful, because their funhouse-mirror distortions don't jive with reality.

As the bottom-trawling LPC has recently discovered, concentrated BS is no substitute for real alternatives and real policies.

By: Crit_Reasoning

Crit_Reasoning — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 02:48:36 +0000

Nobody outside of Canada "noticed" us because Harper was a few minutes late for a photo-op. Some wire services included it as a two-sentence item buried within a larger news report that day, and a mere handful of foreign newspapers bothered to print it as a brief standalone "ain't-that-cute" blurb (e.g. two paragraphs beside the coffee ad on page A35.)

In short, nobody outside of Canada paid attention to it. Some Canadians like to pretend that this was an international gaffe, because they think it's embarrassing to Harper, but the harsh reality is that people from other countries don't notice or care about stuff like this.

By: Crit_Reasoning

Crit_Reasoning — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 01:55:00 +0000

And for your leg.

By: Anon

Anon — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 23:23:08 +0000

Not really. Baird is an exhibitionist. He knew this would create a stir.

By: David M

David M — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 21:43:01 +0000

Does it seem a little strange that Baird would expect the conservative caucus to know all about his cat? Or that he would need to spread that news to his co-workers?

By: kc

kc — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 19:48:31 +0000

Much as i dislikes Thatcher, mostly as a trasher of culture and society, i’m pretty sure she would have depised Harper – much to her credit. Thatcher was a pitiless bulldozer. Harper hasn’t the intestinal fortitude to be any where near as direct or compelling.

By: Dee

Dee — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 18:31:09 +0000

Yep, our Conservative government sure does a great job… being an international embarrassment.

By: Habitant

Habitant — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 17:30:33 +0000

There's a bit of a contrast between Chrétien and Harper. Whereas Chrétien could be an embarrassment internally at times, Harper is a joke internationally.

That wacky comedy troupe Harper and His Government will be at it again at the APEC summit with fresh new material we can all hope… I say they will bomb!

By: Gaunilon

Gaunilon — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 17:27:27 +0000

It must be tough for lefties to have the their hopes raised to fever pitch, only to have them dashed so cruelly.

By: Jack Mitchell

Jack Mitchell — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 16:04:45 +0000

I'd name my next cat "Baird" but I fear for my furniture.

By: SeanStok

SeanStok — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 12:41:42 +0000

Don't forget the whole bathroom incident at the G20. We've found our niche.

By: Sir_Francis

Sir_Francis — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 08:46:23 +0000

For the first time since Stephen Harper's accession to the PMO, England had a reason to notice we still exist. Capital.

"Canada's Back! As the Comic Relief"…

By: canucklehead

canucklehead — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 07:31:00 +0000

This must be twice as strange for the Brits x)

At least we Canadian conservatives can say we have had our Thatcher now.

Irony of the month: Stephane Dion's dog Kyoto seems like a thorough contrast to Baird's moggy Thatcher, yet Thatcher (the Lady) arguably set Kyoto (the Treaty) in motion by creating the precursor to the IPCC panel as a strike against the coal mining unions.