Hello kettle? Your black...

"The reason for that is that instead of dealing with the problems the way that people ought to deal with the problems, what in fact they're doing is they're giving in to short term political pressure, (to) get their pictures in the paper, make an announcement, go home to favourable headlines and then forget about it. “

This bit of wisdom comes from non-other than our very own Paul Martin. I almost fell out of my chair laughing when I read this. Paul Martin lecturing other world leaders on making unrealistic promises that they have no intention of fulfilling? Well, I guess Martin and the Liberals do have a wealth of experience in that area to draw on….

Oh, let’s see…
- There was no exaggeration in his promise to fix healthcare for a “generation”, was there? Hmmm…no hyperbole in that statement, right?

- Scrap the GST? Guess it depends on your definition of “scrap”…

- Fixing the democratic deficit “come hell or high water?” - guess the waters just not high enough yet.

- Restoring integrity to government? Who knew the guy was going to tape 4 hours of backroom deal making? Why that’s just so unethical! What goes on the backroom, stays in the backroom.

Well, basically you could just read the entire ’93 Liberal Red Book (and every little red book since) to get the picture.

But no, no…those were all sound, reasonable promises – not like those other headline chasing world leaders!

Open mouth, insert foot...

So....it didn't take long at all for Stephen Harper to display his flawlesss political instincts and somehow manage to stick his size eleven clod-hopper straight into his size twelve mouth. With regards to Bill C- 38 (same sex legislation):


"“Because it’s being passed with the support of the Bloc, I think it will lack legitimacy with most Canadians,” Harper told CBC Newsworld."

What is he thinking?? Does he think that comments like these make him seem more mainstream, more electable (Especially in "vote rich" Ontario)? Or do you sound more like a petulant, sore loser? Face it, this battle has been lost, move on (or at least this vote has been lost, anyway). Not to mention that comments like this sound a tad hypocritical, given that it would have been perfectly legitimate had those non-confidence motions from awhile back been passed (with the help of the nefarious Bloc).

The folks giving Mr. Harper advice should be telling him to shut up about the whole marriage issue - um, actually, can we get everyone to shut up about it? - surely there are more important issues facing us (ruinous tax levels, sagging productivity, out of control government spending, a distinct lack of ethics in government, etc, etc) that should be demanding our attention- personally, I am sick of hearing & reading about this.

So, Stevie - please - how about starting to talk about how the Conservatives would actually govern - maybe people will start to listen...I'd sure like to hear it, anyway....

Find Sand, insert head...

The illustrious Mr. Dosanjh is at it again. Honest debate about the future of healthcare in this country? Never! Why bother having an honest discussion about what options are available when one can just toss around the usual rhetoric and scare-mongering:

"Ujjal Dosanjh says he is ''disappointed'' the CMA will debate the role of private care at its annual meeting this summer. He says he would have expected CMA president Dr. Albert Schumacher ''to be a little more circumspect'' on the issue."
...
"But Mr. Dosanjh said it would lead to the destruction of medicare, and he urged doctors to exercise caution in reviewing such options.
''I don't see a great rush to set up private health care, because we have a very recent experience," he said of the Canadian public. "Forty-five years is not a long time in the life of a nation. There are people who still remember the dark days of private health care, where people had to sell their farms and sell their homes to care for their loved ones.'' "

Talk about laying it on a bit thick. But this seems to be the Liberals tried and true tactic. Why bother having a discussion about something as important as healthcare?? Its so much easier just to drop a few rhetorical bombs aimed at instilling some good 'healthy' fear - I mean look at the language he uses - "destruction of medicare"...images of poor people selling their house & children when they got the sniffles 40 years ago...gimme a break...

And why be "disappointed" by a discussion? As Minister of Health isn't Dosanjh's job to explore every alternative available to provide the best health care to Canadians? Shouldn't he be cheering the CMA on and encouraging such discussions from coast to coast? Or is his job to cling dogmatically to the status quoue, putting blind ideology ahead of discussing much needed reforms to the system??

Um...Unfortunately, with the Liberals I think the answer to that one is pretty obvious....

Not Welcome

So – Paul Martin has struck another blow in slaying the democratic deficit. He has now come out and said that Gurmant Grewal is not welcome in the Liberal caucus. How brave and upstanding of our gallant Prime Minister! Seedy backroom deals during a tense moment are A-Ok…but making such dealings public? How dare you! Just for that, the big furry Liberal welcome mat is henceforth withdrawn. Now will you learn to keep your mouth shut and just play the game the way we tell you to play?

Ah, and I love the way the Star continues to spin, spin, spin. The one line summation in the above story about the whole 'tapes affair'? "Experts allege the tapes were altered." Not "there are 4 hours of tapes with the PM's chief of staff and health minister offering seedy backroom deals."...No sir! Just that a snippet out of 4 hours of tapes may have been "altered" (sounds sinister, doesn't it?).

And the Blind can see!

This story just gets better and better.

So, now we know that not only is Takhar's wife the CEO of the company that is supposedly in a "blind" trust - but the trustee in charge of the trust is none other than the CFO of Takhar's company and Takhar's riding association.

And all Dalton McWimpy can say is that this type of relationship is "probably a mistake"?

Probably?? I know that McGuinty and the truth are not well acquainted, but this is the best he can do - "probably a mistake"? Are you f'n kidding me? It goes beyond a mistake, it makes a complete mockery of the entire concept of a "blind" trust...

But I guess thats just another term like "integrity" and "ethics" which our governments like to throw around to make the little people feel better while they devise new and better ways to ensure that things work out for their benefit...

Oh, I'm just on pins and needles waiting to hear what knots the "integrity" commissioner will tie himself into to be able to announce that, of course, the Liberal minister had nothing more than a momentary lapse of reason.

Much like the momentary lapse the people of Ontario had when they elected this pack of shitswallowinglyingbastards.

Sticks to notes, defers to deputies

I have a feeling that we’ll be seeing much more like this with regards to Belinda’s “performance” as Human Resources Development minister.

“By using pithy catchphrases and deferring questions to her deputies, the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development answered question after pointed question about Canada's employment insurance program, a key function of the sprawling department Stronach has inherited.”

Why, that just about says it all doesn’t it? Isn’t that what government is all about – throw out a few pithy catchphrases and let your deputies answer all the tough questions…and you too can be star!

Isn't that what we expect from Ministers in Government - when confronted with a complicated issue, just spout out a few pithy catchphrases and move on - as long as it makes a good sound bite, who cares?

And then, of course, there was this quote from an earlier article (where Belinda explains why she jumped ship on the Conservatives)…

“Mine is a question of fate and circumstance," she said. "I was having great difficulty lining up with the Bloc to bring down the government at this time.
"I didn't think that was in the national interest . . . I thought unity was at risk."

So in order to save the country she bravely sacrificed herself….to become an instant (if horribly unqualified) cabinet minister. If, as she seems keen on asserting, it was out of such selfless motives that she crossed the floor, could she not have found another way to go about it? If blind ambition was not her true motivation could she not have simply abstained from the vote, or even just voted for the damned budget? Well, no, because doing any of those things would not have allowed her to become a Very, Very important Minister. Why, she might have had to actually put in some hard work and show some level of, you know, competence before she was handed a plum job like that….instead, she gets to join Honest Paul & the gang around the Cabinet table immediately, where she can join in the fun of separating Canadians from their money and spending it like there was no tomorrow….

Transport minister Takhar photographed by 'peeping Tory'

Gotta love the spinmeisters down at the Star…

What an amazing ability they have to apply just the right amount of twist to a headline…and voila! What should by all rights be an expose on more Liberal sleaze is turned around to suggest that its the conservatives who are engaged in unseemly behaviour.

In this latest case, Transport Minister Harinder Takhar was photographed visiting a company that has supposedly been placed in a “blind trust” (“blind” as in he is not supposed to have any dealings with it….um, despite the fact that his wife is CEO)...I guess “blind trust” is one of those loose terms bandied about in government, like “ethics” and “morals” – really has no meaning, but it sounds nice, and gives everyone a warm and fuzzy….

But does the Star shout out to the world that a Liberal Minster was caught red-handed dropping his dark glasses and cane whilst having a peek into his “blind trust”? Nope. The headline makes it sound like the Tories are a bunch of unsavory types, what with them being “peeping tories”…sneaking around, lurking in the bushes…jumping up and yelling “boo” at some poor, unsuspecting innocent Liberal…

Once again, the real story seems to have fallen by the wayside...(see my earlier post about the infamous Grewal tapes)

All the news thats fit to print

Just caught Dosanji, our illustrious and ethically challenged Minister of Health on Global News. And what a display he made! When pressed on what, in the wake of yesterday's Supreme Court ruling, the Government was doing to lessen Canada's crippling waiting times, the Minister stammered a reply that the magical $41 billion His Highness Mr Martin threw at the problem earlier in the year would pretty much do it...and that waiting times were being shortened as we speak!

And how did he know that?

Why, he reads the papers and talks to his "colleagues" (um, not on tape though!). Isn't it wonderful to know that the man who is tasked to be the Minister in charge of the bestest healthcare system in the world (TM) gets his information on the functioning of the system from the same sources as you and me (and the rest of the plebes)? From the papers??

I myself find it ever so comforting to know that when I pick up my morning paper I can be secure in the knowledge that the Minister of Health is reading the same information...that he is not privy to any, you know, inside information that might go beyond what the press sees fit to report...and that he can then use this info to make decisions that can profoundly affect the lives of millions of Canadians...

Well, actually I find it extremely alarming and breathtakingly stupid....but I would expect no less from this pack of blowhards and demagogues currently calling itself a government...

Quebec ban on private medical care struck down

It’s the End of the World!

Well, not really – its just the first potential breach of the government’s monopoly on health care delivery.

About time, wouldn’t you say?

How much more blather do we have to hear from politicians about “fixing” health care (for a generation, no less!) – and finding that their much vaunted reforms amount to nothing more than blindly throwing another bucketful of cash down the sinkhole Then we get to watch as they practically break their arms patting themselves on the back for being so generous…until the next “crisis” in health care erupts and they have to throw another bucket in.

Well, I guess at this point its pretty much a perpetual crisis.

Its high time that our politicians (and we the sheeple) started having meaningful debates about healthcare in this country instead of engaging in the usual demagoguery and rhetoric (Two Tier health care! Two tier healthcare!).

Like….taking an honest look at other systems in the world that mix Public and Private – and which, rather than delivering up their people unto satan, actually produce outcomes equal to or better than ours, at lower cost.

Where waiting lists are practically non-existent – as opposed to our system which seems to be seeking to actively entrench waiting times as an integral part of the system.

Where people are not, as our politicians would have you believe, forced to whip out their credit cards or take out a second mortage everytime they get the sniffles…

Maybe this latest ruling in Quebec will lead to some open and honest debate

But I’m not holding my breath…this is Canada after all – where its much easier to just plant your flag on the “high ground” and label your opponents as unprincipledfascistbigots than engage in an actual, you know, rational discussion.

...and case in point - just saw an ad for CBC news...and the commentator indicated that there was a story coming up about the ruling and how it could "change" (spoken with scary quotes) health care...Change? why on earth would we want to change anything about the Bestest Healthcare system on earth??

Are you kidding me?

New poll gives Liberals big boost - NDP now leads Tories among Ontarians, women...

So sayeth the Toronto Star...

To which I must respond - Are you kidding me? It seems that the people of Ontario have decided to buy into the Liberal spin - to declare their support for untrammelled corruption, sleaze, vote-buying, waste, mismanagement and all the other prominent Liberal "values" instead of...wait for it...Stephen Harper's scary "hidden agenda"...

Nosir! The the Libs may be corruption personified, but that Harper...well..he's an angry man...and they have this "hidden agenda" we keep hearing about (but never see)...

And Jack! & the NDP? Those plucky ideologists who show their committment to their principles by essentially declaring that even though the Liberals are corrupt & can't be trusted...well, for $4.6 billion or so (and the opportunity to stick it to Big Business) - why we can look the other way on that whole "corruption" thing. After all - we care about people, for godsakes!

I guess as long as the Liberals don't steal too much...

Stop this ride - I want to get off!

Damning with faint praise...

Getting away from the sordid mess Canadian politics has become, lets talk about the latest Toy commercial from Lucasfilm...er, I mean the latest film in the Star Wars franchise - Revenge of the Sith.

What can I say - since I had rated the previous two films as among the worst in cinematic history, my expectations were not high for the latest release. Going in with such non-lofty expectations certainly helped...and I found the film to be....OK (thats as good as I can give it.) - the bad dialogue and wooden acting (Treebeard from LOTR gives a better 'performance' than most of the actors in this film) can only partially be covered up by the glitzy digital special effects, and wham-bam action sequences.

All in all, I was able to shut down my critical faculties for a couple of hours and enjoy the film for what it was - but now I find a few things seem to be nagging me:

- Medical science has taken great leaps "a long time ago, in galaxy far away", such that a man who has been dismembered and covered in boiling lava can be saved, but handling childbirth? seems have the good robot doc stumped .
- Darth's "seduction" to the Dark side seems to be less of a seduction and more of a hoodwinking by a master con-artist...
- The Dark side seems to consist of getting a bad skin condition and the ability to shoot some cheesy blue lightening...um, so why is it so "seductive"??
- I know that George Lucas is aiming the film at the kids who buy all the toys (or more accurately cause the toys to be bought) but come on...does that mean that he has to write at a 4th grade level? I can partially understand the wooden acting based on the dialogue the actors are forced to recite - and lets face it, the fact is that Lucas is far more enamoured of creating incredible digital landscape etc. than working with actual actors - they are like props he is forced to work with.
- Darth Vader calling out "Noooooo" has to be among the cheeziest moments ever in film...
- The opening space battle was impressive looking...but left me bored since I had no clue who was who, who was shooting at who, or why I should care about any of it...
- Why on earth did Lucas have to try and tie things together so much and have all these characters from the first Star Wars films make appearences in the Prequels...I know this was supposed to give the Star Wars geeks a little thrill (omigod...look its a young Chewbacca!!)...but jesus, I found it annoying.

And amazingly, all that being said, I still thought that this movie was better than the first two...but maybe that was Lucas' real genius...making the first two movies so bad that we couldn't help but give the third a passing grade...

Hmmmmmm....

Liberals more credible than Grewal, poll finds

And of course, no sooner do I complete the previous post, then I see this headline in the Star...

Of course, you have to read to the very end of the article to see that the poll in question asked a very basic (and stupid) question - which once again places undue attention onto what should be the least important aspect of this affair (who cares who approached who??)

From the Liberal Party Newsletter...er, the Star:

Decima told poll respondents: "The Liberals say that Mr. Grewal approached them and asked for an appointment. Mr. Grewal says it was the other way around."
Pollsters then asked the question: "Whom do you believe more?"

And the response to this inane question? 25% believe the Lieberals, 23% Conservatives...which of course warrants the big headline making it seem that the Liberals are somehow more trusted (I am suprised they didn't slip in a reference to the Conservative's "hidden agenda", but maybe they are leaving that to the Globe)...oh and they also leave the fact that the poll has a margin of error of +/- 3.1% till the end as well...since that would mean that their headline is actually...misleading? Since they are in a statistical tie...


But that doesn't make as good a headline, does it...

Tapes....its all about the tapes, man...

Is it just me or does anyone else feel that the Canadian media has completely lost focus with this whole "altered tapes" controversy? Whatever "tampering" there has been to the tapes (and I have yet to hear anything resembling conclusive proof that there has been extensive tampering of these recordings) - does not invalidate the fact there are four f*n hours of conversations on these tapes. Four hours! Has there been a massive case of collective amnesia?? Has everyone forgotten that just a week ago Paul Martin stood up in the House and stridently claimed - in his most idignant voice - that it was Grewal who approached them and that he had been met with an unequivocal "NO!"...well, in all those hours (4 hours!) the word "No" is one that is not heard...So you have the PM's chief of staff & a senior minister talking to a member of the opposition about at the very least jumping ship, or possibly accepting a position - say, perhaps a Senate appointment *wink, wink* - and not, as Honest Paul would suggest saying "No"...and eveyone is in a great kerfluffle that some small snippets of the tapes appear to have perhaps been tampered with? Why is no one hammering Martin about the fact that over the course of the week his story changed day by day? That he and the truth are rarely in the same room together?

Instead...its all about Grewal...sure I realize that attacking the source is a tried and true strategy to distract people from the real issues...but does our collective media have to follow the script so blindly? Is it impossible to ignore the man pointing across the street yelling "fire!" and ask questions about what he actually said just a moment ago?

Apparently not. Instead, its all about Grewal and the "doctored tapes" (although, no one, of course, is alleging that all the many hours of recordings have somehow been falsified).

Sadly, Mr. Grewal has provided the Lieberal spin-meisters with plenty of ammunition. And the Liberal friendly media are certainly sticking to the script. Too bad for the Conservatives that they attempt to shine a light onto incrontrovertable Liberal sleaze, and somehow they are the ones who come out looking dirty...

Ah well...

Paul Martin - Deficit Slayer!

No - not the fiscal deficit, so valiantly slain by Finance Minister PM back in the 90's...that deficit has well and truly been hidden, er, vanquished - drowned in a sea of surpluses. That those surpluses really amount to gross over-taxation and are generously fed by an obscene surplus in the EI fund (which isn't really supposed to be used that way, but nudge nudge, wink wink...who'll notice??) is a subject for later discussion.

Instead, lets chat about Mr. Martin turning his deficit slaying prowess to the much harped upon "Democratic" deficit. Much hot air was blown by the aforementioned Mr. Martin during the election campaign last year about how he was personally going to fix the "democratic deficit" that grew up under the tyranny of the little guy from Shawinigan. That and "fixing" health care for a generation. PM has obviously taken to the school of thought that teaches that if you repeat something often enough, why, it must be true! I beg to differ...

And what, pray tell, have been the results?

- A non-confidence motion is blissfully ignored so that PM can spend the next 9 (9!!) days fixing the "democratic deficit" through a sordid orgy of vote buying the likes of which we won't see until the next close vote looms. Billions of dollars spread from sea to shining sea so that a man desperate to be Prime Minister (since he spent the last 10 years striving for the top job) could cling to the job for another few months...

- A desperate man comandeers the public airwaves to address a Liberal Party crisis of Epic proportions (not an actual National crisis or anything) begging the opposition to hold off on election so that "Gomery can finish his work" - that they snuck in the last election before Gomery had even begun his work is conveniently ignored...but before we get a chance to judge the Lieberals in an actual election (you know, where the voters get to theoretically express their collective will), we MUST LET GOMERY FINISH HIS WORK...because now we need to have complete information in order to make a rational judgement (and it gives him more time to bribe us with our own money), whereas before, when it looked like they could win the election, we just needed airy promises about fixing health care and slaying the democratic deficit...no need to look under this or that rock - no sir!

Is this really the way to strengthen democracy in Canada?

Well, come on...of course thats a rhetorical question.

Its looking more like day by day democracy itself is being slain in Canada...

Cheers.
Steve.

Welcome

Welcome to my blog "Tangled Webs" - as in "what tangled webs we weave When first we practive to deceive...." - a place where I can share my cynicism and vitriol on any number of subjects...but particularly the sordid situation that is current Canadian politics.

As soon as time allows I will start to post some kind of meaningful content...well, it will be meaningful to me, anyway. As for anyone else who stumbles upon this...who knows.

Cheers.