The Eve
Today is the eve of something big in Canada.
Yes, election day has arrived and it appears that Paul Martin is about to reap from the poison seed Jean Chretien sowed for him after ten years of more or less perpetual backstabbing. Can't say I have a lot of sympathy for him, but there are fewer fates more humiliating, more public, than the one awaiting Mr. Martin, so to some extent my heart does go out to him. At the same time, to so openly and impatiently await the political passing of Chretien, to in fact, push (pusch?) for it so hard, shows unseemly ambition, except for maybe a Conservative.
After all, he had it all, didn't he? He was finance minister, a position often used to keep your enemies close I suspect, by Chretien, and by the gods he actually did well by it. To the joy of his backers in the business community a gargantuan federal deficit slipped away (or was diverted to the provinces and municipalities) under his management. Hell, even the voters seemed to accept the fact that the massive cuts to social programs were necessary to achieve this.
In any case, their party, their team, was voted in again and again. Granted, this was made much easier by the divided parliament the Liberals inherited, what with the Tories gutted to nothing at the hands of the newly-formed Reform and Bloc Quebecois parties tearing apart Tory support in the west and Quebec. It all made for a very smooth ride - he could play the financial heavy while Chretien and his tough-little-guy persona would take the heat.
And all the while, Paul stewed, knowing that he was still playing second fiddle to the guy that beat him in the leadership race, knowing that he had gotten as far as his dad did, but could get no further, and knowing that the only positive thing the party was accomplishing was the budget that was balanced at his hands. This must have been all the more galling after Chretien bobbled the 1995 Quebec referendum and nearly cost them everything.
After nine years of quiet (yeah, right!) backroom planning Martin left or was pushed from Cabinet in 2002, at which time open warfare with Chretien began. To fight as hard as he did to get to where he did makes his coming fall all the more tragic. All we need is a few deaths in Act V and it would be truly Shakespearean.
Ah yes, it is indeed a new beginning - a good time, all in all, I think. The conservatives are now united under a new banner, they have come through their dark time if you will, and I think that this is a good thing even though I disagree strongly with just about everything they stand for.
Yes, they are united, and so too should the Left be. It is time to shed the illusion that the Liberal party represents left-wing concerns, the responsible left, as they like to portray themselves. The Left, those that perhaps believe in a little more than (semi-)enlightened self-interest, have been ill-served by the Liberal Party of Canada. The Liberals deserve more than a beating at the polls - they deserve worse than they are getting today, I'm sure. A splintering of the Liberal Party into its right-wing fiscal element and left-wing social one would be a good thing, a very, very good thing - even at the expense of a majority Conservative government.
For too long we have defined our country by its relationship with the United States or by its role in the world. We have seen more of that during this past election campaign. These are not bad things, knowing how we fit into the world is important, but such knowledge is decidedly incomplete. It is time for a more thorough discussion of who and what we are, an open and frank one between the nation's conservative and liberal elements; both united and both unafraid.
The conservatives are on board. What about us?
Yes, election day has arrived and it appears that Paul Martin is about to reap from the poison seed Jean Chretien sowed for him after ten years of more or less perpetual backstabbing. Can't say I have a lot of sympathy for him, but there are fewer fates more humiliating, more public, than the one awaiting Mr. Martin, so to some extent my heart does go out to him. At the same time, to so openly and impatiently await the political passing of Chretien, to in fact, push (pusch?) for it so hard, shows unseemly ambition, except for maybe a Conservative.
After all, he had it all, didn't he? He was finance minister, a position often used to keep your enemies close I suspect, by Chretien, and by the gods he actually did well by it. To the joy of his backers in the business community a gargantuan federal deficit slipped away (or was diverted to the provinces and municipalities) under his management. Hell, even the voters seemed to accept the fact that the massive cuts to social programs were necessary to achieve this.
In any case, their party, their team, was voted in again and again. Granted, this was made much easier by the divided parliament the Liberals inherited, what with the Tories gutted to nothing at the hands of the newly-formed Reform and Bloc Quebecois parties tearing apart Tory support in the west and Quebec. It all made for a very smooth ride - he could play the financial heavy while Chretien and his tough-little-guy persona would take the heat.
And all the while, Paul stewed, knowing that he was still playing second fiddle to the guy that beat him in the leadership race, knowing that he had gotten as far as his dad did, but could get no further, and knowing that the only positive thing the party was accomplishing was the budget that was balanced at his hands. This must have been all the more galling after Chretien bobbled the 1995 Quebec referendum and nearly cost them everything.
After nine years of quiet (yeah, right!) backroom planning Martin left or was pushed from Cabinet in 2002, at which time open warfare with Chretien began. To fight as hard as he did to get to where he did makes his coming fall all the more tragic. All we need is a few deaths in Act V and it would be truly Shakespearean.
Ah yes, it is indeed a new beginning - a good time, all in all, I think. The conservatives are now united under a new banner, they have come through their dark time if you will, and I think that this is a good thing even though I disagree strongly with just about everything they stand for.
Yes, they are united, and so too should the Left be. It is time to shed the illusion that the Liberal party represents left-wing concerns, the responsible left, as they like to portray themselves. The Left, those that perhaps believe in a little more than (semi-)enlightened self-interest, have been ill-served by the Liberal Party of Canada. The Liberals deserve more than a beating at the polls - they deserve worse than they are getting today, I'm sure. A splintering of the Liberal Party into its right-wing fiscal element and left-wing social one would be a good thing, a very, very good thing - even at the expense of a majority Conservative government.
For too long we have defined our country by its relationship with the United States or by its role in the world. We have seen more of that during this past election campaign. These are not bad things, knowing how we fit into the world is important, but such knowledge is decidedly incomplete. It is time for a more thorough discussion of who and what we are, an open and frank one between the nation's conservative and liberal elements; both united and both unafraid.
The conservatives are on board. What about us?
Good points, Kev, particularly on the need for the Left to consolidate. I've been thinking that if the NDP is smart, they'll try and posit themselves as the natural party of the Left, and try and skim off the leftish portion of the Liberals.
Posted by
Anonymous |
Mon Jan 23, 07:56:00 PM
Dan,
One of the problems I've seen with the NDP in the last few years is that they have tried to play to the centre a little too much. The possible upside is that they stand to gain by skimming off soft Liberals as you say, however the risk is that their identity becomes blurred with the larger Liberal party. I fear that is what has happened. Being more openly leftist, while maintaining sane fiscal policies I think is the way forward. Instead of tempting soft Liberals, I would rather see them establish a solid, independant left-wing presence and build from that.
Posted by
kevvyd |
Tue Jan 24, 10:29:00 AM