reasonoverpassion

Where do all these dire prediction that the coalition goverment will not work come from? Mostly its wishful thinking on the part of Conservative supporters. Face it--Harper really dropped the ball this time. I've heard Harper's a big hockey fan. Maybe this is more apt analogy: Steven Harper = Patrick Stefan ??=Ales Hamsky Oiler v. Stars in 2007 Look up Patrick Stefan misses empy net on You Tube

I think all members of parliament have already taken the oath of alligience ot the Queen anyway. It means nothing and its not incomptible with separatism. Jacques Parizeau has mused publicly on whether an independent Québéc would retain the Queen. He has publicly stated he has a special affection for the monarchy. BQ actually voted to keep the Queen in the citizenship oath in 2000.

Peace hands down. Conduct this poll in Iraq. I think peace would also win hands down. Without peace and security people cannot live. It is a prerequisite for everything else, a functioning economy and a functioning political and social system. Liberty comes later and is outgrowth of these things. Most Chinese have been willing to sacrifce liberty for peace until now because they fear chaos so much. The past 20 years are the first time the Chinese have been free of chaos in living memory. Score one for Nicolo, I also beleive he was talking of "civil peace"

The reason the Bloc get a say in anything is that they were elected--pure and simple. I can't say I like it, but there it is. There are plenty of people around who have been elected to parliaments from parties that advocate the break up of other countries. (1) SNP (Scottish National Party) Currently adovocating the break up the UK and the establishment of an indpendent Scotland. Has members in the UK partliament, members for the European Parliament representing the UK and currently a minority government in the Scottish parliament. (2)Plaid Cymru (Welsh National Party) Also advocating the break of the UK. Advocates the establishment of a free Wales. Junior partner in a coalition goverment with the Welsh National Party has members in the UK partliament, members for the European Parliament representing the UK. (3) Bavaria Party Advocates the break up of the German State and an indpendent Bavaria. Hold seats in the Bavarian state parliament. (4) Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya, ERC Advovates the breakup of Spain and an independent Catalonia. Currently holding seats in the Spanish parliament and European parliament seat representing Spain. Canada is not unique in this regard. The answer is fight these movements democratically. My impression is that Quebecios separtists are slowly losing the fight. Thanks to Brian Mulroney were stuck with them in the Federal Parliament for now.

M Dancer: I don't understand what you saying here. The entire premise of this thread "Top Ten signs you are a leftist idiot" is completely flawed. As one of the alledged "leftist idiots" I am challenging all the assumptions made at the start of this thread. Most of these are gross simplications of reasonable positions. Some on left might hold to simple positions but I dont. As for the need for the US of a source of oil under their control, how is it that you assume this wasn't a factor in the Iraq War. Establishing a government "friendly to US interests" was one of the stated aims of the war. Is an oil supply which is stable a part of US interests?

Angus: I've travelled around Alberta a lot. I know almost no Albertan sees anything wrong with being a petro-state, which is sad to me. The money which is flowing through Alberta should be used to encourage economic diversification. Alberta should be trying to attract high tech industries to end their extreme dependence on a single non-newable resource. Learn from what is happened to Ontario (dependence on auto industry) learn what happened to Newfoundland (dependence on the fisheries). Think about your future. But this is a voice in the wilderness, isn't it? The old saying "you can't argue with success" holds true here.

Harper is going to brought down because he pushed his own agenda ahead of what was best for this country. Harper didn't win power fully or completely under any system of government (37% of the vote, no majority of seats). He doesn't have a majority and he can't govern like he has one! If he can't compromise he needs to go. Guess he is just getting sick of hiding his true colours (Reform/Republican). Those Canadians who thought he was something other than right wing ideologue have their eyes openned. Most people in Ontario know it and know that the most right wing ideologues from the Harris days (Flaherty, Baird et al.) are in cabinet because they are they true believers in the Reform/Republican agenda

1. My support for Israel is not unconditional. To suggest that any group or country is beyond criticism just doesn't make any sense. To apply simple answers to Middle East politics where there are no simple answers also doesn't make sense. 2. I don't generally fault the foreign policy intentions of the United States. The road to hell is paved with good intentions. The problem with the US is their lack of understanding of the world around them--they also forget their own history. This leads to ideas like: "We will be welcomed into Iraq is liberators just like French welcomed us in 1944." Nevermind that proppped up Saddam for years, that Iraqis dont share Western values etc...The entire world doesn't want to be American. 3. Not all cultures are equally valid. This doesn't mean however, we should be so quick to tout the superiority of Western cultures to other cultures. It doesn't mean we can and should't learn from other cultures. 4. Do you deny that the need to have a cheap supply of oil wasn't a factor for the US to establish a presence in the Middle East? If you do, you are naive in my opinion. 5. Should war be the instument of choice in foriegn policy. Was Saddam an immenent threat to World Peace. What about the lies should about the "Weapons of Mass Destuction"?? Saddam was just some tin pot Third World Dictator with almost no resources who was no real threat to anyone except his own people. This puts him on par with every other Third World dictator. We was more a threat to World Peace than Robert Mugabe. 6. Fidel Castro is not a model for the world. However, if I lived in Central or South America and I wasn't fillthy rich, I'd rather live in Cuba than El Salvador, Columbia, or Mexico. The damage done to these countries by the World Bank/IMF is incredible. They have the same type of political repression as Cuba with not a dime spent helping their people. Certainly no free health care or education for the masses-- thats for sure. 7. There are conspiracy theorist on both sides of the political spectrum for 911. There was no conspiracy. 911 happened because the Americans thought they were invincible. Pre 911, terrorism happened in Europe or other far away places. Now we all know that is no longer true. 8. Speaking of conspiracies, Global Warming isn't a conspiracy hatched by left wing enviromentalists to further their own agenda. Look at the science and see how long we can keep our heads in the sand. 9. Look at the consequeces of lassez-faire capitalism in the current economic crisis in the USA. Blind adherence to any ideology is what should be dead for sides of the political spectrum. 10. Support for any war should not be a litmus test for partiotism. Those who oppose the war are not critical of soldiers who are fighting it. Soldiers fight because politicans tell them to. Does this mean politicians are beyond criticism because soldiers are fighting for them??

Alba4ever: We in Ontario don't need lectures from Alberta on how to build a viable ecomony. How Albertans don't see the folly of building an entire economy around a single non renewable resource is beyond me. You are about as economically diverse as Saudi Arabia. Thanks to politicans like Ralph and Ed who opted for quick and easy tax cuts instead of encouraging economic diversification, once the oil drys up or the (demand for it dries up) you'll be worst off than Newfoundland without Cod.

It would nothing nothing sort of tragic if Canadians were so foolish as to foresake our birhtright to enter the USA as a collection of 9 blue states and 1 red one (Alberta) Canada is important to the world and we need to proud of what we have done in the world. We have a responsibility to show the world a unique perspective on government and society.

Hey Slim MacSquinty: " What has Bush done besides create the crisis for the USA and destroy the surpluses left to him by Bill Clinton? Obama is at least working on a plan. Bush's repsonse to the crisis to do nothing and wait until he is out of office. So this means we do nothing except present some warmed over tax cuts and hope for the best. I won't be lectured by neo-cons on economics. You guys are responsible for the crisis thanks to deregulation of the finanical system and squandering surpluses by granting irresponisble tax cuts. You had better starting thanking Martin and Chrétien because they are the reason our ecomony has not hit the depths of the turmoil the American economy is currently experiencing. They knew how to balance a budget and create surpluses. Maybe should wait around and do nothing to stimulate the economy. Watch more manufacturing collapse, watch comsumer confidence erode. Then you'll start seeing some more similarities to 1929. Conservatives didn't get a majority (124 seats and 37% of the popular vote doesn't cut it) and they cannot govern like they have one --the real affront to democratic process. Harper thought he could kick his enemies when they were down. Guess he miscalculated. Well at least we agree on something. That person needs to govern for all Canadians and put away the partisan political games. Harper created this instability by playing politics. Lets hope for all the sake of everyone, Slim, it gets resolved soon. This is my third post-- I am liking this board

Given the importance of Canada to the world, by this I mean the ideal of a free and just society which aspires to provide equal opportunity for all its citizens, a multicultural society where people of vastly different origins live in peace. Where two founding ethnic groups managed to move beyond their hatreds and prejuduces to found a union which put individual rights and freedoms above those of the group. This is the Canada worth fighting for. To see this ideal destroyed by provinical narrow interests would be tragic.

Bring down this government. Harper has no idea how to address the current economic crisis. Basically he is floating the same ideas that Herbert Hoover, Calvin Cooledge, RB Bennett had to solve the Great Depression-- they didn't work in 1929 and they won't work in 2008. People need to wake up. The economic heartland of this county is in crisis and action is needed now. Like the action President Elect Obama is proposing for the USA and the action FDR and King took to solve the crisis in for their generation Instead of building consensus and addressing the crisis Harper decided to kick the Opposition when it was down. We need to work together and stick together to address this crisis and the time for regional and partisan petty politics is over. If Harper can't build the coalition required to address the crisis he needs to step aside and make room for someone who can.