Canadian Politics: Nothing Matches its Stupidity

Ever wonder why virtue in politics is so lacking in Canada? Andrew Coyne explains:

Why is Canadian politics so moronic? It isn’t that our politicians are especially stupid, as people: Stephen Harper, Stephane Dion and Michael Ignatieff are all intelligent men. They just behave like idiots. It’s institutional, a culture of vapidity that drags even the best down to its level.The dominance of the brokerage parties, combined with our peculiarly rigid tradition of party discipline, explains it in part: in few other countries is the party line so strictly enforced, to such trivial effect.

The supporting players also contribute: in particular, the expanding influence of the premiers in national debates — power without responsibility, as it is said, the prerogative of the harlot through the ages — has had a predictably coarsening effect, reducing what was an already overly regional politics to infantile calculations of profit and loss.

The role of the press gallery, marooned in Ottawa with only politics for amusement, must not be overlooked.

But two other factors should be mentioned. One is the size and shape of the Commons itself. Watch those British debates again: the two sides of the House are so close to each other they can almost touch.

In consequence, rather than bellow across the aisle, they are obliged to talk to one another. Nor do they sit at rows of desks, with all of the associations — of schoolboys, or bureaucrats — these imply. Rather, they recline on benches, as in ancient times.

And a last, more uplifting factor: peace and prosperity. That our politics is so banal is in part a tribute to our good fortune. We can (or so we imagine) afford it. In the absence of any obvious national crisis, we turn our minds to other things.

What ‘s that quote from Brecht? “Unhappy the land that has no heroes. Unhappier still the land that has need of heroes.”

The Jena Six: A Picture of Perfect Virtue

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Phrases like “stomped him badly,” “stepped on his face,” “knocked out cold on the ground,” and “slammed his head on the concrete beam” were used by the students in their statements [describing the virtuous Jena Six in action].

Fear Wheat Farmers, not Big Oil

You’ve been warned,

While the world’s leftists are worried about Big Oil, little do they know the true threat comes from Big Wheat. For while Oil has increased 100% or so, it has been nothing more than a diversionary tactic to distract the innocents of the world from the real threat;

Big Wheat.

We always knew the Wheat Board was evil…
[via SDA]

Sikhs & Liberals: Paging the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal

Bruce Allen:

“If you’re immigrating to this country and you don’t like the rules that are in place, then you have the right to choose not to live here…But if you choose to come to a place like Canada, then shut up and fit in … these are the rules. There’s the door. If you don’t like the rules, hit it. We don’t need you here. You have another place to go: It’s called home. See ya!”

Allen must obviously be made to pay for such heresy. Accordingly, talk radio bore Harpreet Singh is moving to have him removed from the Vancouver Olympic Committee. And the Liberal Party of Canada, ever ready to censor in the name of freedom, has gotten in on the action. MP Raymond Chan, who apparently received his ESL education from the Liberal Party:

“I find Mr. Allen’s commentary very deceptive [?] and inaccurate [?] and for him to use that kind of deceptive inaccuracy [?], to make inflammatory remarks, discriminatory remarks, is unacceptable…This is why I asked the CRTC to make a full investigation on his comments and report to the public as soon as possible…This is a Canadian issue.”

Lost in the ensuing politically correct pogrom, however, is that Allen also defended recent immigrants and Sikhs in particular from “immigrant-bashing,” a fact that has led BC attorney general Wally Oppal to defend Allen:

But he [Allen] also said there had been a lot of “immigrant-bashing going on in recent months,” and chided Passport Canada for declining passports to three Sikh boys because their photographs showed them with knotted hair covered by a handkerchief.

Could this be the beginning of something more?

Harper’s wooing of Quebec could do wonders for provincial rights; in some quarters,  better described as provincial accountability for their own jurisdictions and raising the monies to service them.

If Harper now hopes to satisfy Quebec, provincial officials suggest he might agree to the province’s long-standing contention that it should be able to opt out of national cost-shared programs and still get its share of federal booty with no strings attached. He might also agree to extend any limitations to federal-only programs.

Such measures would provoke concern in some quarters, especially among Liberals, that Harper is weakening the national fabric, ending the possibility of creating new coast-to-coast social programs with national standards. And it could hand Dion, who is intimately familiar with the file, an issue upon which to finally define his shaky leadership.

Still, some provincial officials suggest any backlash will be muted by the fact that Harper won’t be enshrining the new limitations in the Constitution. A federal law can be changed by future governments, administrative agreements eventually expire, policy statements can be ignored.

“It seems all esoteric to me,” says one provincial official. “Unless they’re talking about amending the Constitution and have the votes to do it, it seems like all sound and fury.”

I say, roll back the federal government!

Danny “I am Newfoundland” Williams Wants Court Challenges Program

Danny Williams is vowing to pressure Harper to bring back the CCP.  Too bad Harper doesn’t have any time for him, anymore.

“That’s something that whether he likes or dislikes Danny Williams, he should be doing,” Williams said after he made a campaign stop at the headquarters of the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary.

“If you’re going to tell people that minorities that don’t have the funds to create challenges in court because they may be challenging the government, how wrong is that? That just basically goes against fundamental principles of justice.”

The legal-aid program, which has allowed minority groups to mount constitutional challenges, was axed last year. At the time, the federal Tories said the move would save taxpayers $5.6 million over two years.

Check out some of the company he is keeping on this one.

Major-General Michael Jeffrey on Constitutional Order

Fanciful idealists often take for grant how exceptional a just liberal democratic regime can be. The present Governor-General of Australia, careered in the Australian army, offers some interesting insight into defending it in Malaysia. He also comments on why republicanism, in Australia, should not be taken lightly.

In 1999, Australians voted “no” in a referendum for a republic system for their country.

“We’ve got a very stable system of government. There has been no coup or civil war, in part because of the constitutional linkage between the Crown, the Governor-General and the Government of the day.

“This has given Australia great stability,” he concludes.

Gays Too Precious to Fight in War

After some bruising commentary here and here, this interview with top American military brass really tugs at the heart.

‘Gays Too Precious To Risk In Combat,’ Says General

For the kids…

I just read Aaron’s recent post on the Waterloo board’s recent school board meeting. All I can say is that if the gays, lesbians, transsexuals, clueless and neopolitan among us feel so abused in public schools, maybe they should put all that extra energy into productive use by funding their own school system where they can teach their own values and keep their totalitarian doctrines to themselves. At least then they’d be in an environment where they’d finally achieve the *diversity* level they’ve been wailing about all these years… And hey! I’m sure that school would have the most stylish uniforms in the region!

A Vote Against Legal Apartheid in Canada

There are lots of reasons to not vote for John Tory in the upcoming provincial election. And then one enormous, glaring check in the pro-Tory category.

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