Anybody out there still believe Prime Minister Stephen Harper is actually a conservative?
If so, check out this news report.
It says the Prime Minister slammed a Fraser Institute report, which suggested the Conservative government's recent spending binge had not really created much in the way of economic growth or jobs.
And in doing so Stephen Harper -- former president of the National Citizens Coalition -- uttered these words:
"Economic theory and history is clear, governments must … make sure [funds] are put to productive use in the economy to create jobs."
For him to say something so absurd, has got to be the final straw for anyone still harboring illusions that the Prime Minister has one conservative fibre left in his body.
I mean could you imagine Ronald Reagan or Margaret Thatcher or Mike Harris making such a statement?
But then again they were conservatives and conservatives believe only the free market can create real economic growth and real jobs.
For conservatives, the government is just an anchor to economic productivity. It's part of the problem not part of the solution.
Stephen used to believe that too. In fact, back in his NCC days, Stephen was a disciple of Hayek; today it seems he is a disciple of Jack Layton.
Anyway, I suppose we can expect the sharks in the PMO to go into full attack mode against the Fraser Institute.
Hope nobody loses their job.
Once there's a majority government, Gerry, they will be able to institute smaller government.
ReplyDeleteHaven't you noticed how the latest trend is for the government to HIRE away people from the Fraser Institute? Yup, that's the latest strategy--bring all those conservatives into government so they can be corrupted by power just as the earlier ones were. Then there will be no more criticism.
ReplyDeletei really hope that this talk is all about the politics and nothing to do with his actual beliefs. i would be gravely disappointed.
ReplyDeletebrad
Final straw? I doubt it.
ReplyDeleteMe thinks you gots lots of straws left Gerry.
Get a job at the Liberal site Gerry.Or go back to writing books.Whether PM Harper spent the money or DION-IGGY-Rae spent it,it was going to be spent.At least we know the money didn't go to the brown envelope brigade.PM Harper is running the country very well thank you.And the Fraser institute is just that an institute.They don,t run the country.CASE CLOSED
ReplyDeleteYeah, I do!
ReplyDeleteNow where's my prize!
Enough joking around Gerry. Now tell us the truth, are you leaving us so as to shack up with the Liblogs?
Fraser Institute ‘completely wrong,’ PM says
ReplyDelete“I happen to be a believer that under normal circumstances, it is the private sector that creates jobs and it is going to have to be the private sector that will ultimately create long-term jobs,” Mr. Harper said in London, Ont., on Thursday
“But we are in the circumstances where [government spending] was required and when that is required, we are not going to act on the basis of ideology, we're going to act on the basis of what the economy needs.”
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/fraser-institute-completely-wrong-pm-says/article1512033/
Tell me something Gerry.
ReplyDeleteIf the federal government was to borrow money, then hand it over to say a city, a school board or a county, in order for them to build or repair a bridge or community centre or a school. And then it is done in a fairly efficient and expedient manner. How could it not create jobs and economic activity?
The whole narrative that this money is all just flushed down the toilet just doesn't make sense. Again, based on the theory that this money is spent honestly and efficiently.
"Economic theory and history is clear, governments must … make sure [funds] are put to productive use in the economy to create jobs."
ReplyDeleteWhat the CBC didn't thoroughly report was the context in which those remarks were made. What sort of a quote inserts "..." in place of words?
I heard PM Harper's complete remarks (from where this snippet was taken) on CPAC tonight, and I was left with a significantly different impression than what the CBC report left.
Perhaps the CBC reporter didn't think the PM's complete remarks were important, and could be substituted with "..." in mid sentence, or that his detailed preamble explanation was irrelevant as well.
Sometimes news reports are not a completely comprehensive and unbiased interpretation of the actual event.
What do you want him to say? "Yeah we wasted billions of your dollars to prevent you all from rioting while you panicked, but you wanted it." How would the Liberals paint that? "Harper admits to blowing billions to prop up greedy industry". They had NO CHOICE but to bail. If they didn't bail the public would have freaked, and it would have been at odds with the G8 and the G20 and every other major political party in Canada, it'd have been a disaster.
ReplyDeleteJanet said...
ReplyDeleteOnce there's a majority government, Gerry, they will be able to institute smaller government.
Seems self-evident, doesn't it?
Not to Gerry, though. He's been told time and time again that Harper can't govern like a real conservative in a minority government, but he chooses not to listen. He wants Stephen Harper to stand a principled stand, fall on his sword and LOSE THE NEXT ELECTION.
I suspect that Gerry is really a Liberal in disguise. :(
"Once there's a majority government (...)"
ReplyDeleteSecond law of thermodynamics. This government has been non-conservative for so long now it will simply be incapable of magically transforming itself into a real conservative one. Harper didn't even try to throw the base a bone with this statement; it was outright spiteful, more along the lines of, "Who are you to question me? Don't you know I'm the prime minister?"
Tell me, has there been one rock-solid conservative principle that Harper hasn't been willing to surrender or bend or throw under the bus to stay in power these last 4 years? I sure haven't seen it.
Optimus....really now, you're not watchin very carefully You fail to realize in your closed and uninformed little mind that all parties, all leaders do and have forever done precisely that. In order to make any contribution they'll have to navigate themselve towards being and remaining the governing party. It's called politics. Get over it because Harper is not the big cold blooded meany as you infer.""Who are you to question me? Don't you know I'm the prime minister?" It will never cease to amaze me how because the left is only capable of seeing through a very flawed filter they will consistently frame Harper in that fashion regardless of the facts Because they think it.. it is factual, true and irrefutable. The stunning weakness/arrogance of this position baffles me.
ReplyDeleteI like how the last anonymous whines without even offering a serious conservative policy like optimus asked for. Pathetic. All you Harper apologists are pathetic. I'm sure there were Schwarzannegger and Bush apologists in the states who did the exact same thing and helped frameshift their country's political spectrum to the left. Great job. Oh, and Harper raised CHRC funding apparently. Get on that Gerry. Also, when are you going to run in Harper's riding?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, you're an idiot.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a leftist at all. I used to be a card-carrying, donating Conservative. Then I watched this government jack up spending faster than any Liberal could dream, then not even give lip service to the idea that it might have to cut back to eliminate the resulting deficit. Watched it shovel out stimulus cash like there's no tomorrow. Watched it do nothing on reining in the likes of the CHRC (until, finally, this week). Watched it do nothing to try to inform Canadians about the realities of climate change, or the Afghan mission, and let leftist arguments carry the day. Watched it blame everything on either the previous government or its own minority status.
I've seen enough. This government will never be conservative. At best, it'll be pragmatic, stay-the-course, don't-rock-the-boat and achieve very little. At worst, it'll keep trying to out-Liberal the Liberals to keep them out of power.
And after years of this behaviour, I'm astounded that there are still "true believers" who think that Harper will magically transform into the great conservative defender if he gets his majority. The hell he will; he'll go right on being what he's been so far, because he won't want to rock the boat to win the next majority! Or some other excuse. There'll always be an excuse with this government.
Yes, yes, we'll only be conservative when it's easy to be conservative but right now it's just too gosh darn hard to be a conservative. And tomorrow doesn't look much better.
ReplyDeleteOn an unrelated note. I'd really like to give up drinking a bottle of scotch every night, and those two packs of smokes a day probably aren't doing me much good in the long run but right now I'm just so stressed out because not enough people like me I've just got to light up and have another round. Once more people like me I'll cut back, I promise. Maybe if I switch to cocaine that'll be better, it works for Rahim right.
And after years of this behaviour, I'm astounded that there are still "true believers" who think that Harper will magically transform into the great conservative defender if he gets his majority. The hell he will; he'll go right on being what he's been so far, because he won't want to rock the boat to win the next majority! Or some other excuse. There'll always be an excuse with this government.
ReplyDeleteSo you're saying that you'd rather have the Liberals in power. That's fine...this is a free country, and you are entitled to support whatever political party you like. Just stop pretending to something that you're not, okay?
We already have the Liberals in power. They're just under a different guise.
ReplyDelete