Not necessarily a democracy
“A coalition if necessary, but not
necessarily a coalition.”
- Micheal Ignatieff
In case anyone missed that gem from Iggy Flop, I've included it here for further consideration.
The quote is a cute paraphrase of a very hackneyed political sentence from one of Canada's most notorious political leaders ever, Prime Minister Mackenzie King.
When faced with not having enough soldiers to toss into WWII, King was pressured to create a military draft, conscription. He knew that conscription was very unpopular in Quebec (there were riots in the streets in Quebec during WWII and wartime workers wanted higher pay while being excluded from serving in “an English war”, conveniently forgetting the occupation of France) and King needed Quebec votes to stay in power. So, when faced with this political puzzle, King opted for the best nug in the Liberal stash - say one thing and do what's best for his own hide. Thus the classic King phrase “Conscription if necessary, but not necessarily conscription.”
A perfectly nonsensical sentence that sets the tone for the Liberal Party even today. History buffs will remember the end result for Canada was poor rural English men went to get killed while French and urban elites performed duties more suited to their refined skills, like patrolling Lake Erie in case of a sneak attack.
Readers will note here that King used to take political advice from his stuffed pet dog and his deceased dear Mommy.
Iggy Flop's paraphrasing of King sums up his opinion of Canadians quite neatly, I think. In retrospect, we know King was more or less insane, with no leadership skills beyond keeping himself and the party in power.
Iggy's use of King signals to me that
a) he doesn't think anyone knows Canadian history and
b) a certain segment of Canadian society will eat whatever Liberal shit-sandwich is served up by whatever elitist asshole is leading the party... up to and including a Harvard Prof who spent most of his career outside of Canada, an intellectual who advocated for the invasion of Iraq from his ivory tower, a man who at one time suggested torture if necessary, but not necessarily torture.
That same man who insulted our collective intelligence by referencing Mackenzie King also happens to be the leader of a broken party, propping up the Conservatives while wagging a stern budgetary finger - give us three fiscal updates in 2009 or else!
Yes, Iggy's “amendments” to the Conservative budget apparently have nothing to do with spending money. All he wants is for the Harper Conservatives (prudent economists who have cut taxes and increased spending in all their budgets so far) to give Canadians fiscal updates three times over the following year, with a nice break from this harsh duty over the summer, naturally.
Makes me think Iggy is a leader by necessity, but not necessarily a leader. In return for supporting the budget, Iggy didn't demand more money for education, infrastructure, or a green economy. He didn't reference Nobel Prize winning economist Paul Krugman, who's saying even the US's massive $819 billion stimulus deal isn't enough. Iggy isn't asking for anything at all... except for an update on how the Conservatives are doing in March, June and December of 2009.
To be fair, Iggy says those updates will be confidence motions, meaning the minority Harper Conservative could get booted out of power. But to be equally fair, the Liberal Party has not voted against the Conservatives on anything of importance in the last year and a half.
That smug smirk glued to Iggy Flop's face is legitimate. He and the Liberals have pulled another rabbit out of the political hat. They've not challenged a single piece of Harper's budget, while boldly proclaiming in front of TV cameras that they'll be holding the Conservatives feet to the fire three times a year. I'd be smiling, too, if I'd pulled off that magic trick.
Oh, and the NDP and Jack Layton? They were willing to put Iggy and Liberals in power simply to get their hands on a couple junior ministries.
So, apparently Canadians have political representatives that work for themselves, but aren't necessarily working for the best interests of the people in this country. Who knows when or how the Conservatives will spend the money. No one really asked. The official opposition demands three updates in 2009, and the NDP wanted the Liberals in power. I'd be smiling like Iggy, too, if I could get away with calling that democracy.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
- Micheal Ignatieff
In case anyone missed that gem from Iggy Flop, I've included it here for further consideration.
The quote is a cute paraphrase of a very hackneyed political sentence from one of Canada's most notorious political leaders ever, Prime Minister Mackenzie King.
When faced with not having enough soldiers to toss into WWII, King was pressured to create a military draft, conscription. He knew that conscription was very unpopular in Quebec (there were riots in the streets in Quebec during WWII and wartime workers wanted higher pay while being excluded from serving in “an English war”, conveniently forgetting the occupation of France) and King needed Quebec votes to stay in power. So, when faced with this political puzzle, King opted for the best nug in the Liberal stash - say one thing and do what's best for his own hide. Thus the classic King phrase “Conscription if necessary, but not necessarily conscription.”
A perfectly nonsensical sentence that sets the tone for the Liberal Party even today. History buffs will remember the end result for Canada was poor rural English men went to get killed while French and urban elites performed duties more suited to their refined skills, like patrolling Lake Erie in case of a sneak attack.
Readers will note here that King used to take political advice from his stuffed pet dog and his deceased dear Mommy.
Iggy Flop's paraphrasing of King sums up his opinion of Canadians quite neatly, I think. In retrospect, we know King was more or less insane, with no leadership skills beyond keeping himself and the party in power.
Iggy's use of King signals to me that
a) he doesn't think anyone knows Canadian history and
b) a certain segment of Canadian society will eat whatever Liberal shit-sandwich is served up by whatever elitist asshole is leading the party... up to and including a Harvard Prof who spent most of his career outside of Canada, an intellectual who advocated for the invasion of Iraq from his ivory tower, a man who at one time suggested torture if necessary, but not necessarily torture.
That same man who insulted our collective intelligence by referencing Mackenzie King also happens to be the leader of a broken party, propping up the Conservatives while wagging a stern budgetary finger - give us three fiscal updates in 2009 or else!
Yes, Iggy's “amendments” to the Conservative budget apparently have nothing to do with spending money. All he wants is for the Harper Conservatives (prudent economists who have cut taxes and increased spending in all their budgets so far) to give Canadians fiscal updates three times over the following year, with a nice break from this harsh duty over the summer, naturally.
Makes me think Iggy is a leader by necessity, but not necessarily a leader. In return for supporting the budget, Iggy didn't demand more money for education, infrastructure, or a green economy. He didn't reference Nobel Prize winning economist Paul Krugman, who's saying even the US's massive $819 billion stimulus deal isn't enough. Iggy isn't asking for anything at all... except for an update on how the Conservatives are doing in March, June and December of 2009.
To be fair, Iggy says those updates will be confidence motions, meaning the minority Harper Conservative could get booted out of power. But to be equally fair, the Liberal Party has not voted against the Conservatives on anything of importance in the last year and a half.
That smug smirk glued to Iggy Flop's face is legitimate. He and the Liberals have pulled another rabbit out of the political hat. They've not challenged a single piece of Harper's budget, while boldly proclaiming in front of TV cameras that they'll be holding the Conservatives feet to the fire three times a year. I'd be smiling, too, if I'd pulled off that magic trick.
Oh, and the NDP and Jack Layton? They were willing to put Iggy and Liberals in power simply to get their hands on a couple junior ministries.
So, apparently Canadians have political representatives that work for themselves, but aren't necessarily working for the best interests of the people in this country. Who knows when or how the Conservatives will spend the money. No one really asked. The official opposition demands three updates in 2009, and the NDP wanted the Liberals in power. I'd be smiling like Iggy, too, if I could get away with calling that democracy.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
