One of the distinguishing characteristics of the Harper government is its resolute support for the state of Israel.
Indeed, few Prime Ministers, if any, have been as pro-Israel as Prime Minister Harper.
It’s easy to dismiss this as a pure political move.
After all, for Harper strongly supporting Israel is good domestic politics in that it plays well with a key Tory constituency – social conservatives.
For a whole host of reasons social conservatives can be more pro-Israel than even many Israelis.
And of course, it might even help win the Tories a few Jewish votes.
But for Harper this is about more than just politics.
Back in the days when we worked together at the National Citizens Coalition, long before he needed to make any sort of political calculation, Harper used to regularly tell me that he was as he put it, “extremely pro-Israel”.
He simply thought it was important for Western democracies to support the only democratic state in the Middle East, a state which also happened to shared many of our values.
So Harper’s Israel stance represents a rare intersection of policy, principle and politics.
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7 comments:
Principle has nothing to do with actions of the Canadian PM! He's flip-flopped so many times on core Conservative values in order to garner political gains. Like the Boy Who Cried Wolf, Stephen Harper has no credibility, except for his SocCon base, so he'll never deliver a Parliamentary majority. When will the CPC caucus wake up and kick his sorry ass out of the party's leadership?
Thankyou for affirming the character of Stephen Harper. It is refreshing to see a Canadian prime Minister retain his belief in what is right and wrong. We have watched previous Prime Ministers throw there personal beliefs out the window for special interest groups.
Ken S from Ramara said...
Principle has nothing to do with actions of the Canadian PM! He's flip-flopped so many times on core Conservative values in order to garner political gains.
Right. Except that in this case, as the Prime Minister correctly stated, there are more political gains to be had if he *opposes* Israel. I understand where your confusion comes from, though...you're a Liberal, and seeing someone take a principled stand at the risk of losing votes is therefore incomprehensible to you.
That's what leadership looks like, Ken.
"When will the CPC caucus wake up and kick his sorry ass out of the party's leadership?"
The "CPC caucus" doesn't get to make that call, Ken S from Ramara, the CPC membership do.
You see, THAT's how it's done in a democracy and PMSH isn't going anywhere unless HE decides to go.
This principled support of Israel just reaffirms that reality.
So why is it you always find a negative spin when it comes to Harper and the Conservatives.
I’m referring to you giving first billing to the “it’s all about feeding some red meat policies for those loathsome social conservatives” narrative.
It’s really not that hard to read between the lines to see where your head is at and what you’re up to.
This is good, but somehow doesn't compensate fr betrayal after betrayal by Dear Leader. He's a loser who will NEVER get a majority. Ditch him.
Exactly how long is `never`?
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