Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Oh and there was a budget

Just read two reviews of the cons budget, one by impolitical (LPC) and one from Accidental Deliberations (NDP) and I am sure there are many more out there. Didn't learn much about the budget, but we already knew what was going to be in it since March anyway. Of course with the addition of a few election promises that Harper had to make.

However what struck me was, that more time was spent comparing the NDP & LPC leaders or their responses than the actual budget itself. Our LPC guys line was used as the headline by the media, not yours. Or from the NDP blogger, a continuation of the electioneering attacks on the performance of the LPC prior to the election.

As an aside it amazes me that before the election, progressive bloggers of all stripes were attacking Harper for taking credit for the work done by Chrétien & Martin in reducing the deficit. Then once the election was called the LPC were attacked because Chrétien & Martin were now the same as the conservatives for making all the cuts that reduced the deficit.

Give me a break the only way you can reduce a deficit is to increase your revenue (raise taxes) and reduce your costs (make cuts) and that is what Martin did. Was it fun times? No.

Harper on the other hand believes in tax cuts, and the trickle down down theory of corporate welfare, which have reduced our revenue and as for cuts, they are also ideological based. Cuts to social services, cuts to union employees countered with military purchases, and outsourcing of government jobs.


Somehow to me Harper is not the same as the LPC were.

Anyway, it doesn't matter as the NDP attacks will continue, at least from some quarters. After all they are the Official Opposition, which is the second thing that struck me. I am willing to bet that over the next two years, Jack will say Official Opposition more times than Harper will say Majority Government.

Maybe the NDP are more like the conservatives than we have been led to believe :D.

Rae was a great choice for an interim leader, if not the only choice. He is an experienced parliamentarian, an experienced leader and he knows how to make the most with the reduced media coverage that the LPC should be receiving. The fun will be as imp points out, watching Rae get under the skin of Layton as much as he does the skin of Harper. Hey he's the unofficial opposition leader, so it shouldn't matter, right.

Layton on the other hand should lighten up. This bullshit about restoring decorum to parliament, does nothing more than make parliament more boring. Harper has his majority and Jack as the Leader of the Official Opposition, acting like the prime minister in waiting is not going to get him more media coverage nor votes in the next election. Because he is just acting.

I would prefer if he would just tell us a different truth.

Hey Canadians we messed up. We got carried away with the wave thing and believed the conservative planted articles that they couldn't get a majority. You the Canadian voters believed the attack ads and controlled media messages and together we re-elected a contemptuous, ideological government that is about to change our country beyond recognition and now none of us can do a thing about it.

Collectively we all blew it. So for the next four years we are going to yell, fight and scream, everyday to make sure that the next time you know everything that this Harper government has done to our country, so that you will not elect him again. But then again maybe Jack thinks that the NDP will automatically get the nod next time by looking like the leader in waiting.

If I recall the LPC had a similar plan last time out. OMG maybe the NDP are more like the Liberals.

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