Buckdog

If you're feeling like learning a thing or two you'll go out and pick up Paul Wells' book "Right Side Up". You'll then proceed to read it with an open mind.

When you're done with that, you'll read this post of yours, and realize the folly of your assumptions.

Yeah, Harper has wrote some seemingly nasty things about Canada - but:

a) the context is important
b) people grow

Folks on the Right wing of the political spectrum go to great lengths to ensure that their political foes are held to account for anything they say.

Fair ball, but politics is a two way street.

- "people should be held accountable for the things they say" -

Yes, growth and personal development are admirable attributes for any public official.

However, as part of the learning process, acknowledgement of former erroneous viewpoints and polices should be articulated.

So...any speculation on just what it is Jack Layton thinks he's going to squeeze out of Harper in the coming months?

(and whether any such concessions will result in actual implementation by a CPC government...)

I have read some Lib bloggers who think Jack will try to make some gains on proportional representation but I don't think that the Tories would ever go for it - they want a majority at some point and PR would make that VERY difficult.

All the polls seem to be saying that Canadians are getting really worried over the environment / global warming issues. That is why Harper is having his little green 'awakening'.

I think the only thing Layton and Harper can trade on are green/environmental initiatives.

No matter what happens, I can't see either the Libs or the Conservatives getting a majority this spring. I think after the next election, we may just find ourselves with another Harper minority government.

I think after the next election, we may just find ourselves with another Harper minority government.

Just what Canada doesn't need - Harper running things (*shudder*)

Great post!

Steve doesn't really like Canada; he's a lot closer to many Americans than to most Canadians; You start to wonder why he's still here.

Man, if you go by this speach from years ago by Harper, you've REALLY gotta have a hate on for Trudeau right? I mean, friends with Castro, communist supporter, only western leader invited to Maos' funeral. I can't recall Harper macing a Canadian yet. Fundamentaly speaking of course.....

Uh ... one big problem with your comparison between Trudeau and Haper.
1) Trudeau is dead.
2) Harper is the sitting Prime Minister of Canada and is therefore fair game for a good political critique.

Being a Conservative I reserve the right to pick on Trudeau....

be my guest. Being a New Democrat i reserve the right to pick on Harper...

I suppose this posting was supposed to be a biting (excuse the term) indictment of Harper, but much of it reads rather well.

It seems bizarre that our health system is in such state of decay, yet any innovation that involves the private sector is shouted down. To dismiss private-sector solutions is putting ideology before the only people who really matter - the patients.

And while Harper may admire certain aspects of the conservative movement in the U.S., the Liberals have had a number of prominent U.S. Democrats up here to give speeches. (Kerry at the national convention, for example).

Constructively criticizing Canada is not hating it - indeed quite the opposite. You sounds like the old bumper sticker ("America - Love Or Leave It").

rabbit said, "It seems bizarre that our health system is in such state of decay, yet any innovation that involves the private sector is shouted down.:
NONSENSE - our health care system IS NOT in a state of decay. That is a right wing myth perpetrated by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (a dangerous extreme right wing organization) and the Fraser Institute (another phony right wing entity).

The thing that absolutely mystifies me is that there are people out there who actually believe that we're going to get cheaper health care delivery through a private system.

I think the best way to combat any attempts to rationalize more private delivery is to ask people how exactly will health care become cheaper when you have to tack a profit on it?

The simple matter is that such things are only true in the nightmares of George Orwell and Reform Party fantasy land.

Any way you look at it, public health care is cheaper. It's been proven till the cows come home, and the only people saying otherwise are dishonest hacks. The worst part about it all is that when it comes down to it, why on earth would anyone want to get rid of such a wonderful system?

Oh yeah, because it offends the ideology of the twisted people who can't handle the idea of paying for something that will benefit other people.

It's sick.