April Reign

Speak your mind even if your voice shakes

NDP

Lies, Lies and Damnable Lies

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The Star has picked up and ran with the ball of shit containing the lie that Jack Layton and Olivia Chow lived in subsidized housing

From time to time [Jack Layton] has been criticized for saying one thing and doing another, including being caught red-handed in 1985 living in subsidized housing in Toronto when his and Olivia Chow, then a Toronto trustee, were raking in a combined $120,000 year.

Anyone familiar with co-op housing is aware that all economic levels live there with those in the lower brackets sometimes being subsidized. There are a few townhouse complexes throughout Hamilton based on that very structure.

This is an old and tired lie and beneath contempt, certainly beneath the The Star. It is time for a retraction and an apology and for this lie to be given a proper burial.

Read more at Dr Dawg’s

1 Cat 2 Cat Red Cat Blue Cat

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As support for the NDP rises there rumblings from some quarters that the NDP is somehow betraying Canada by running a great campaign. Like Harper they have fallen victim to the idea of Canada as a two party system. The concept is that by not supporting the Liberals the NDP is complicit in allowing Harper to win. This presupposes that A) Harper will win and that B) the NDP has no responsibility to its members and contributors to run a proper campaign.

I want to vote for a party that has a commitment to health care and the bona fides to go with it.

I want to vote for a party with a commitment to labour, to protecting pensions and with a vision to bring dignity and hope to the lives of the poor including poor seniors.

I want to vote for a party with a commitment to human rights, women’s rights and respect for the environment.

In short I want to vote for a leftist party, which Ignatieff says the Liberals are not, “I don’t think of the Liberal Party of Canada as a party of the left. I never have,”

I have no problem with Layton and Ignatieff combining their efforts, coalition governments have been wonderful for Canada, however, we have had the Red Cats and the Blue Cats isn’t it time for “little fellow with an idea”?

Stephen Harper – He’s Not In It For You!

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Stephen ‘we aren’t in election mode‘ Harper’s attack ads on Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff takes various quotes with no context in order to paint him as someone with no love for Canada and apparently by extension no right to govern. Now I’m neither a Liberal nor a great supporter of Ignatieff, however, if this is the litmus test for leadership let’s see how Harper does when hoisted on his own petard.

“A culture of defeat…”
describing the Atlantic provinces

“Canada is a Northern European welfare state in the worst sense of the term, and very proud of it. Canadians make no connection between the fact that they are a Northern European welfare state and the fact that we have very low economic growth, a standard of living substantially lower than yours, a massive brain drain of young professionals to your country, and double the unemployment rate of the United States.”

June 1997 Montreal meeting of the Council for National Policy, a right-wing American think tank.

“I was asked to speak about Canadian politics. It may not be true, but it’s legendary that if you’re like all Americans, you know almost nothing except for your own country. Which makes you probably knowledgeable about one more country than most Canadians.”

June 1997 Montreal meeting of the Council for National Policy, a right-wing American think tank.

“Canada appears content to become a second-tier socialistic country, boasting ever more loudly about its economy and social services to mask its second-rate status, led by a second-world strongman appropriately suited for the task.”

“It is time to seek a new relationship with Canada,”

“In terms of the unemployed, of which we have over a million-and-a-half, don’t feel particularly bad for many of these people. They don’t feel bad about it themselves, as long as they’re receiving generous social assistance and unemployment insurance.”

June 1997 Montreal meeting of the Council for National Policy, a right-wing American think tank.

Harpers views on particular Canadians

Immigrants

“You have to remember that west of Winnipeg the ridings the Liberals hold are dominated by people who are either recent Asian immigrants or recent migrants from Eastern Canada; people who live in ghettos and are not integrated into Western Canadian society.”
Report Newsmagazine, 2001.

Does that make NDP supporters Satanists?

“The NDP could be described as basically a party of liberal Democrats, but it’s actually worse than that, I have to say. And forgive me jesting again, but the NDP is kind of proof that the Devil lives and interferes in the affairs of men.”
June 1997 Montreal meeting of the Council for National Policy, a right-wing American think tank.

Feminist -read women’s rights and health care oh my!!

“The establishment came down with a constitutional package which they put to a national referendum. The package included distinct society status for Quebec and some other changes, including some that would just horrify you, putting universal Medicare in our constitution, and feminist rights, and a whole bunch of other things.”
June 1997 Montreal meeting of the Council for National

Lost your job? don’t worry daddy Harper cares or maybe not…

In terms of the unemployed, of which we have over a million-and-a-half, I don’t feel particularly bad for many of these people.
Rebel Youth magazine

Gay? no rights for you!

Same sex marriage is not a human right. … [U]ndermining the traditional definition of marriage is an assault on multiculturalism and the practices in those communities.
Hansard, February 16, 2005

Poor child? Suck it up wussies!

These proposals included cries for billions of new money for social assistance in the name of “child poverty” and for more business subsidies in the name of “cultural identity. In both cases I was sought out as a rare public figure to oppose such projects.”
The Bulldog, National Citizens Coalition

On coalition

As leaders of the opposition parties, we are well aware that, given the Liberal minority government, you could be asked by the Prime Minister to dissolve the 38th Parliament at any time should the House of Commons fail to support some part of the government’s program. We respectfully point out that the opposition parties, who together constitute a majority in the House, have been in close consultation. We believe that, should a request for dissolution arise this should give you cause, as constitutional practice has determined, to consult the opposition leaders and consider all of your options before exercising your constitutional authority. Your attention to this matter is appreciated.

From a letter to then-Governor General Adrienne Clarkson signed by all three opposition leaders: Gilles Duceppe, Jack Layton and Stephen Harper (September 9, 2004)

Congratulations to Andrea Horwath

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andrea_horwathAndrea Horwath is the new leader of the provincial NDP having been elected with 60% of the vote.

She is the second woman elected as a provincial party leader and her election comes at a time of crisis especially for those in the steel industry who provided major support.

The next leadership race will be for the Conservatives now that John Tory has stepped down. It will be interesting [or perhaps scary] to see how that turns out.

Howard Hampton: Soon to be former ONT NDP Leader

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hh_thumbnailTodays Star has a good article on Howard Hampton the soon to be former Ont. NDP leader. Hampton never did get the chance to shine, stifled as he was by the shadow of Bob Rae. A shadow which even a move by Rae to the Liberals has not lifted. Ironically Hampton and Rae were not allies during the Rae administration. The Neo-Con climate of profit and business before people was also not conducive to Hampton’s message of fighting poverty and social responsibility.

Hampton, according to the Star article, gets under McGuinty’s skin and that alone is endearing. Having campaigned originally on a message of change, McGuinty has done precious little to change the circumstances of the most vulnerable in the province.

I hope that the next NDP leader will take up the fight for social responsibility recognizing that a society is only as strong and as healthy as the weakest of its members.

Beware the Evils of LSD

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Liberals, Socialist and Disjoiners (Separatists)

Sensations and feelings change much more dramatically than the physical signs. The user may feel several different emotions at once or swing rapidly from one emotion to another. Sense of time and self changes. Sensations may seem to “cross over,” giving the one the feeling of unity and seeing democracy in action. These changes can be frightening and can cause panic among Conservative members.

HE WHO MUST BE OBEYED, fearful of losing his tenuous grip on the brass ring, has resorted to the silliest and shallowest of political manoeuvres – the scare tactic.

A missive to Conservative supporters reads;

“As you read this letter, the Liberals are holding secret negotiations with the socialist NDP and the separatist Bloc Quebecois to overturn the wishes of Canadian voters and take power,

Though he himself was involved in trying to wrest power from the government of the day jointly with gasp Socialists and Separatists [read Alison on this]

“respectfully point out that the opposition parties, who together constitute a majority in the House, have been in close consultation. We believe that, should a request for dissolution arise this should give you cause, as constitutional practice has determined, to consult the opposition leaders”

Yet he now maintains that such an avenue thwarts democracy. That’s rich coming from a man and a party whose ideology is the antithesis of democracy.