Sarkozy, Desmarais, Harper, Bush

[August1991]

President Nicolas Sarkozy's declaration of love for Canada - a Quebec newsmagazine has dubbed him "Sarko the Canadian" - is rooted in a 1995 encounter with one of Canada's richest men.

The fiercely ambitious young French politician's career was on the wane when he was introduced to Paul Desmarais Sr., the media-shy Montreal-based billionaire famous for befriending a succession of Canadian and foreign leaders.

Desmarais began inviting Sarkozy to Canada, where he has been a guest at the spectacular $10-million, 75-square-kilometre Sagard estate near Malbaie.

The Gazette

I'm no conspiracy theorist but I wonder how the State works and how governments exercise power. IMV, Leftists are well-intentioned but naive. They dream of the perfect State and the perfect government that will execute the State's power. IMV, such a State will never exist and even a democratic State will never have such a government.

The ultimate critique of Leftists is that they are clueless. It is dangerous to concentrate power and no successful State does it.

----

Sarkozy cut short his attendance at the Francophone summit to fly to Washington. No harm there. I have a different question, that I once asked in a different thread. Has Stephen Harper ever met Paul Desmarais?

I still don't know the answer.

Edited October 19, 2008 by August1991

[jdobbin]

Sarkozy cut short his attendance at the Francophone summit to fly to Washington. No harm there. I have a different question, that I once asked in a different thread. Has Stephen Harper ever met Paul Desmarais?

I still don't know the answer.

Why do you want to know?

Desmarais and Harper have certainly attended the same functions such as Bilderberg but whether they have ever sat down to discuss the future together, I don't believe they have.

[Topaz]

Why do you want to know?

Desmarais and Harper have certainly attended the same functions such as Bilderberg but whether they have ever sat down to discuss the future together, I don't believe they have.

My research found that SR. is on the board for the Carlyle Group. So he's made friend of most of the PM's of Canada and Presidents of the US.

His son Andre, is married to Chretien daughter. If Harper didn't know him he does now and he'll probably become one of the elites of the world if he wants that kind of life.

[eyeball]

I'm no conspiracy theorist but I wonder how the State works and how governments exercise power. IMV, Leftists are well-intentioned but naive. They dream of the perfect State and the perfect government that will execute the State's power. IMV, such a State will never exist and even a democratic State will never have such a government.

Hmmm, I'm a leftist, apparently, and I dream of a transparent State and a government that's accountable to the people that elects it. I've theorized more about how to take the secrecy out of how the State works and how governments exercise power. If I was in charge of making the State accountable I'd essentially wire its uppermost levels to the Internet. No lobbyist for example would be able to get within 15 meters of a Cabinet Minister without a wearable modem and camera. Orwell himself would probably blush at the thought.

The ultimate critique of Leftists is that they are clueless.

And so, the ultimate conclusion is that Rightists know everything? Please. In terms of knowing what the State is actually doing, everyone is just as clueless. I trust the State about as far as I can spit and the governments that run them even less. If everyone really thinks about it they'll probably conclude corruption has done more damage to everyone's ideals than any policy a government ever enacted. Nothing pisses me off more than when some party I've voted for blows my hopes by getting ensnared in corruption. We all owe it to ourselves to demand more from our governments. Fix them and I bet the State will be a lot less imperfect than it is too.

It is dangerous to concentrate power and no successful State does it.

That's never stopped them from trying and they succeed long enough to do a lot of damage when people let them get away with it.

[August1991]

eyeball, I think you're naive. I prefer the American system of explicit checks and balances.

In Canada, we in theory have a "monarch" who supposedly because of birth stands above the fray and protects the State. In the modern world, this idea is increasingly absurd but in Canada, it is preposterous.

The only checks on the power of a federal PM are the provincial governments, and possibly a Supreme Court and the Charter of Rights.

----

Anyway, my OP was tongue in cheek. Stephen Harper is arguably the only recent federal PM who has essentially no ties to Paul Desmarais. I'm sure that Desmarais has asked to meet Harper. I wonder how Harper has responded.

I used to think that Harper was a Leaside kid and not really a Desmarais sort. Who knows.

[jbg]

Anyway, my OP was tongue in cheek. Stephen Harper is arguably the only recent federal PM who has essentially no ties to Paul Desmarais. I'm sure that Desmarais has asked to meet Harper. I wonder how Harper has responded.

I used to think that Harper was a Leaside kid and not really a Desmarais sort. Who knows.

Lots of people meet each other, exchange pleasantries, have nothing in common and part acquaintances. That could well be the outcome of a Desmairs/Harper meeting since they are antithetical to each other, yet both powerful.

[August1991]

Lots of people meet each other, exchange pleasantries, have nothing in common and part acquaintances. That could well be the outcome of a Desmairs/Harper meeting since they are antithetical to each other, yet both powerful.

In the US maybe. But not in Canada, and certainly not in Quebec.

BTW, Harper and Desmarais are not antithetical: Desmarais is a staunch Franco-Ontarian federalist, who supposedly prones a laisser-faire economy (while benefitting from government contracts).

Quebec is like Finland: everybody knows everybody, which is both a benefit and a curse.

[g_bambino]

In Canada, we in theory have a "monarch" who supposedly because of birth stands above the fray and protects the State. In the modern world, this idea is increasingly absurd but in Canada, it is preposterous.

The only checks on the power of a federal PM are the provincial governments, and possibly a Supreme Court and the Charter of Rights.

And it is "absurd" and "preposterous" because.... you say so? How absurd and preposterous you must think all the other Westminster systems of the world, whether in the monarchical or republican form. It appears you desire a US-type congressional system for every state on the planet. Talk about naïve idealism.

Edited October 23, 2008 by g_bambino