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Over at Scott Diatribe’s, his observations of the corporate media are that basically, the Liberals’ 150 Thinker’s Conference is going to “bomb”; to be a miserable failure. Here we go again. This sound familiar to anyone? It should. Not that long ago, the Corporate media was telling folks how to feel about prorogation of parliament last January; they kept touting that the CAPP rallies would flop, big time.
They were wrong for the most part then: while turn-out at some venues left something to be desired, it was winter; some places, it was frigid cold that day and I believe some parts of Saskatchewan was in a snow storm that day. Yet, folks still came out. We even had supporters from England the U.S. come out and hold small events in their own towns. Everybody who came out was well behaved (with the exception of those Agent Provocateurs); no one was arrested. When a veteran journalist like Craig Oliver comes out on Question Period to say that he’s impressed, and the fact the media and conservative blogospere lambasted us and got really nit-picky proved the events were indeed a success and this is something these Harpercon cheerleaders feared most. Plus, Stevie’s numbers went down considerably. Other than an Olympic burst for a few days following the high of the gold medal wins in Vancouver, Stevie hasn’t been able to regain his majority numbers, although, he is proving resilient.
Like with the CAPP rallies, they’re afraid that their listeners and readers will go astray yet again! Heaven forbid, some Harpercon opposition event may be successful. Hell, may take numbers away from Stevie. OH no! The Horror! Especially now that Stevie is about to bounce back in the polls, an event held by the Liberals could potentially bring him back down again or leave him stagnating in reduced minority territory.
The media may have reason to fear though. In history, the Liberals have held other such conferences: the Kingston Conference of 1960 which led to the Pearson government expanding on social programs such as medicare and the Canada Pension Plan. The 1991 Aylmer conference would lead to a Chretien win two years later. We have to remember, Jean Chretien before that time was considered to be unelectable.
Could this Montreal conference change Iggy’s luck? I personally don’t think he’ll ever be able to pull off any kind of win without some kind of arrangement with the N.D.P., be it coalition or be it a merger. But, who knows? Like Scott, I’m going to try to keep an open mind about this conference. Maybe the Montreal Conference could do for Iggy what the Aylmer Conference did for Chretien. Although, I don’t hold my breath on that one neither: Iggy has two marked disadvantage over Chretien back then: a united Right and a more Harpercon friendly media.
The only thing I can say is that this event will be a crap shoot: the Liberals are counting on this event to change their fortunes. Iggy would do well to perhaps be better prepared than Chretien was at the 1991 Aylmer Thinker Conference.
I have a feeling that most of these media outlets do fear the potential for a Liberal spike coming sooner than later stemming from this conference, which is why they keep predicting the event will flop. Their counting on the fact that once again, they will succeed in serving up that Harpercon kool-aid and thus, make the event a flop.
Unlike CAPP, many will be able to participate in the event from the comfort of their own home, on line. Not hard to do, really.
For the time being, let’s take Scott’s advice and wait and see what happens.
as an actual left leaning progressive, i see no purpose in this ridiculous charade to be held in montreal. i get the spam from liberal headquarters and when i cast my gaze into the future the last thing i want to see is either ignatieff or harper looking back at me. and that’s a much shorter glimpse of the future than 2017, if those two fools are still in positions of influence at that date then we are doomed. the liberals have failed and failed again to provide an alternative to harper. they have sold themselves out and any notion or potential for progressive action is only going to come from burning them to the ground and rebuilding.
2017 is a cute little topic to have in mind but the liberals are useless to this country today as they were useless last week and the week before that. i don’t see anything that indicates they are about to become useful or happen upon anything resembling credibility or ethics, conference or no. these squalid oafs failed to support their own initiative to include family planning in canadian foreign aid. that will lead to further poverty and suffering for women in impoverished nations. these liberals voted in favour of giving our money to the asbestos industry to help to poison and kill people in developing nations with a cruel and merciless product. these liberals signed on to a free trade act with colombia, largely to support mining interests that displace, exploit and often murder the poor and indigenous populations in the regions they despoil. these liberals are as greedy and amoral as harper’s conservatives. the conference won’t fail per se, it is the liberal party of canada that has decided to fail this nation.
ck Reply:
March 25th, 2010 at 9:03 PM
well, the 1991 Aylmer conference did help Chretien win in 1993, to be fair. Remember, before that conference, he was considered unelectable.
I’m willing to keep an open mind.
As for Iggy failing to be an alternative to Harper, I still have to ask Progressives who say this, why? That kind of thinking is dangerous as it will help get Stevie a majority.
Evangelical Christian fundies who are ga ga giddy into turning us into a Totalitarian regime would be most frightening. It is to me.
The point is that Iggy ain’t goin’ anywhere so fast. His departure at this stage of the game would be suicide for the Liberals. If you really don’ t trust him, allowing a Harpercon majority to steamroll Canada beyond recognition is not the answer. Instead, we should be lobbying for a coalition with the N.D.P. I for one would also like to see the end of backroom deals between Layton and Stevie.
iggy appears more than happy to spin on any dime, reverse any decision and abandon any held position in the pursuit of power. for a supposed man of letters, he has proven dreadfully inarticulate, his caucus is ill led and he really isn’t demonstrably different than harper. in all honesty i don’t trust him any more than i trust harper and i can’t see the rightward trend of the liberal party being adjusted for the sake of decency. fact is that the liberal arsehats are fighting with the conservative arsehats for the exact same centre-right voting bloc. neither caucus is showing a lick of interest in anything progressive. as far as i can tell we have shitty prospects ahead with either party and with either leader. i would love to see a bloc and ndp agreement to try and force the liberals to act like an opposition party but i fear the worthless liberals are just too cowardly and stupid to grow spines any time soon. gathering the ignorant losers in a convention centre won’t change them, it won’t steel them to fight and it won’t replace harper with anything better. iggy would find jesus and start preaching himself if he thought it would get him his prize. i have never felt so hopeless about our nation’s politics than at this moment. we aren’t the sort of country that goes in for revolutions but our two largest political parties certainly are revolting. i’ll campaign against both come the next election, when harper calls it to suit himself.
ck Reply:
March 26th, 2010 at 7:27 AM
PSA, unfortunately, many of those Centrists are being taken on Harper’s sharp right turn by the corporate media machine. Hell, when even a newscaster like Brian Lilly can’t even report the news without cheering on the Harpercons and Master Steve…
Chantal Hebert over at the Toronto Star pointed out that one of the hesitations for the Liberals to entertain getting into bed with the N.D.P. is they’re afraid they won’t be able to get the majority Centrist votes that are going to the Harpercons. While I”m for a coalition, at least temporarily to get Steve & his evangelicals out of office.
As pointed out, that abortion thing was Iggy’s idea and that vote turning out the way it did was a tactical error. It should have been a whipped vote. Those Catholic MPs: I don’t see them ever having any higher positions than they do now and no doubt there will be consequences internally. At least Iggy wouldn’t criminalize abortion here in Canada, like a Harpercon majority would.
Read my co-blogger’s last piece: http://sistersagesmusings.ca/2010/03/26/the-olson-gambit/
Harper is already about to set a dangerous precedent with Clifford Olson as he ages out to receive old age pension. I somehow doubt Iggy will callously remove every universal social program the way Stevie would.
Be very afraid of a Harpercon majority; a totalitarian regime.
People complained about comparing him to Hitler. Well, I’m seeing more of a likeness to General Augusto Pinochet, but without the military junta and maybe, just maybe, without the violence. (although, not sure about that neither: Stevie appears obsessed with free-markets: Pinochet murdered for them)
i am by no means unaware of what a rotten, two-faced turd stephen harper is. but i maintain that ignatieff is not much different and certainly no more inclined towards decency or ethics. in fact one could suppose that at least harper is relatively true to his nature whereas iggy is a greasy creature who will twist in any direction if it will get him what he wants. and as far as harper turning back the tides of progress, well he certainly hasn’t found an impediment to that trajectory in today’s liberal party or their slippery leader. they are a party without policy, without cohesion or leadership. the family planning vote was supposed to be a whipped vote. but there’s no discipline because if the tables were turned iggy would merrily adopt the opposite stance and vote no himself. i just don’t believe in him or the party he leads. there is no good choice at the moment and i don’t take any comfort in the very slightly lesser of evils.