Harper to prorogue parliament AGAIN?

g_bambino · December 31, 2009

Why would he force an election?

I don't know that this will necessarily force an election; the Liberals are not guaranteed to pass a non-confidence motion in retaliation for this prorogation next March. It sure does put them on the spot though, and their mock outrage isn't helping them in this regard. If they get all frothy at the mouth about this and then don't vote the government down in the early spring, well, they're going to look quite the fools. Again.

Oleg Bach · December 31, 2009

And just when I thought you couldn't get any more kooky, Oleg...

My kooky meter is broken. It's not the public that has the power to prorouge..parliment does not have a say..Harper certainly did not come up with this one on his own - all that leaves are a few old Queens Council types messing with the colonialists.

g_bambino · December 31, 2009

My kooky meter is broken. It's not the public that has the power to prorouge..parliment does not have a say..Harper certainly did not come up with this one on his own - all that leaves are a few old Queens Council types messing with the colonialists.

Your kooky meter must indeed be broken; you can measure it against mine if you want to get yours back on track. I tend to run pretty high, myself. But, anyway, still not getting your point; Queen's Council, Britain, colonials... Wha?

August1991 · December 31, 2009

I haven't read through this thread but the poll is biased. I didnèt respond.

IMV, Harper has teh legal authority to prorogue. In political terms, he did the right thing.

When Paul Martin defied a vote in Parliament, this was a graver threat to democracy.

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Like Copenhagen, the Left has called wolf a few too many times. People are tuning out.

Smallc · December 31, 2009

When Paul Martin defied a vote in Parliament

Perhaps I'm forgetting something....

Oleg Bach · December 31, 2009

Your kooky meter must indeed be broken; you can measure it against mine if you want to get yours back on track. I tend to run pretty high, myself. But, anyway, still not getting your point; Queen's Council, Britain, colonials... Wha?

IF you run the kooky meter at full speed you are bound to hit the mark eventually. You know my point. Big buisness still has very powerful ties with big buisness in Britain. From what I gather this relationship will continue until the old guard dies out... It's odd that the prorogue phenomena pops up at this point in time..when finacial institutions are falthering and surrogate wars are raging..I suspect that if the government is not being effective in giving the powers that be what they want...and that government is dysfunctional..just like the stock market - sometimes it's best to pull the plug before it becomes more unmanageable.

Jack Weber · December 31, 2009

Insipid post. Why do the kooks on the right always try to fall back on the you don't support the troops gambit?

It's their last line of defense of a very specious arguement.....

Oleg Bach · December 31, 2009

Put it this way it's like re-booting the computer. The passage of time is neccesary at this point because there is so much confusion out there that they must wait for the spinning vortex to slow down and be re-harnessed..it's a loss of control. It's happening everywhere..so lets take a breather and let the storm pass is the idea. Things will re-adjust - we have to be patient.

Oleg Bach · December 31, 2009

It's their last line of defense of a very specious arguement.....

Emotionalism is a great tool. Of course we all support our marshall class - we just don't like to see them wasted to amuse a few bored old men in glass towers.

Jack Weber · December 31, 2009

That's gross.

So is Mr.Harper's abuse of power and his now empty promises of accountability.

g_bambino · December 31, 2009

You know my point. Big buisness still has very powerful ties with big buisness in Britain.

Hmm... I rather thought that if you were going to hit for conspiracy theories here, you'd have looked to big business in the US. I don't think Marks & Spencer has much sway here anymore.

Jack Weber · December 31, 2009

Emotionalism is a great tool. Of course we all support our marshall class - we just don't like to see them wasted to amuse a few bored old men in glass towers.

Correct!!!

The "If you don't support the troops,you're unpatriotic" drivel is about as two dimensional as it gets...And that's saying something when it comes to the right wing kooks.The simple minded factor should'nt be that surprising,though.I'll give the Con's some credit because they're really good at simple,bumper sticker sloganeering that gets their core constituency all in a lather.This time,it's extemely insulting.These "honourable gentlemen(and women)" are hiding behind the phony nationalism and patriotism to deflect attention from there own embarassing actions...And now they shut down parliament because they cannot stand the heat in the kitchen they put themselves in.

Edited December 31, 2009 by Jack Weber

Oleg Bach · December 31, 2009

Hmm... I rather thought that if you were going to hit for conspiracy theories here, you'd have looked to big business in the US. I don't think Marks & Spencer has much sway here anymore.

No that firm does not have any sway..the sway has swaggered to off to the international level. Okay lets take the heat off the boys and put in on the Americans. We have a misconception of what big buisness is all about...it's not about money...it's about control. You are not dealing with with average normal people who are stimulated by a few bucks...as for Parliment..after proding though the court system for five years and seeing an institution based on conspiracy and a tight lipped high archy that has no mercy or grace - then I would assume that government is very controlled also. What I do notice is that those in so-called upper and middle management levels are not aware of the big picture...most politicals are not privy to the inner workings of our system. As for conspiracy...take two men in agreement and you have a beast that breathes as one...it's natural - It's called buisness and it is none of our buisness.

nicky10013 · December 31, 2009

Put it this way it's like re-booting the computer. The passage of time is neccesary at this point because there is so much confusion out there that they must wait for the spinning vortex to slow down and be re-harnessed..it's a loss of control. It's happening everywhere..so lets take a breather and let the storm pass is the idea. Things will re-adjust - we have to be patient.

Dmitry Soudas, is that you?

nicky10013 · December 31, 2009

I haven't read through this thread but the poll is biased. I didnèt respond.

IMV, Harper has teh legal authority to prorogue. In political terms, he did the right thing.

When Paul Martin defied a vote in Parliament, this was a graver threat to democracy.

-----

Like Copenhagen, the Left has called wolf a few too many times. People are tuning out.

Let's completely ignore the vote Harper just ignored which would require him to provide unredacted documents to Parliament. Oh yeah, that's right, no one cares about THAT issue.

Edited December 31, 2009 by nicky10013

ToadBrother · December 31, 2009

So is Mr.Harper's abuse of power and his now empty promises of accountability.

Indeed. Someone was demanding some evidence that Harper was corrupt as his predecessors. I think this pretty much confirms it. There's no procedural reason for this stunt. He has learned well from Mulroney, however, how to use odd bits of the Sovereign's Reserve Powers; different tactics with the same fundamental purpose, to stack the Senate.

I hope all you Reform Rumpers are leaving flowers at the grave of the Triple-E Senate. Poor creature, never even had a chance to born before the demands of power saw its embryonic corpse shoved six feet under.

Bryan · December 31, 2009

Let's completely ignore the vote Harper just ignored which would require him to provide unredacted documents to Parliament. Oh yeah, that's right, no one cares about THAT issue.

Parliament can vote all they want, they're not getting unredacted documents, full stop.

August1991 · December 31, 2009

Perhaps I'm forgetting something....

Paul Martin did. You can check wikipedia.

Let's completely ignore the vote Harper just ignored which would require him to provide unredacted documents to Parliament. Oh yeah, that's right, no one cares about THAT issue.

You don't understand politics.

----

Harper has done nothing wrong. Compared to previous Prime Ministers (Trudeau, Pearson, Mulroney, King, Macdonald, Chretien), Harper is an American democrat.

[With that said, I tend to agree with Mulroney. The modern Canadian MSM (CBC et al) hates Conservatives.] Harper is a product of the Internet. It is amazing that people like Mulroney or Reagan or Mike Harris survived without the Internet.

This is an ongoing revolution.

Edited December 31, 2009 by August1991

Smallc · December 31, 2009

Paul Martin did. You can check wikipedia.

Under what?

ToadBrother · December 31, 2009

Parliament can vote all they want, they're not getting unredacted documents, full stop.

Yes, I agree. The Conservatives hold Parliament in contempt. But Parliament does have the right to see those documents. If Parliament does not have the right, then we cease to have a meaningfully parliamentary system of government, and are effectively run by a small cabal of ministers who do as they please. Not exactly the kind of government I like, however. It more resembles how countries like China function.

g_bambino · December 31, 2009

I hope all you Reform Rumpers are leaving flowers at the grave of the Triple-E Senate. Poor creature, never even had a chance to born before the demands of power saw its embryonic corpse shoved six feet under.

And thank god for that. May it rest in peace. Forever.

g_bambino · December 31, 2009

If Parliament does not have the right, then we cease to have a meaningfully parliamentary system of government, and are effectively run by a small cabal of ministers who do as they please. Not exactly the kind of government I like, however.

You must be pleased, then, that this is not the case in Canada.

ToadBrother · December 31, 2009

You must be pleased, then, that this is not the case in Canada.

But apparently it is. Parliament wants to see unredacted documents. Apparently they're not allowed to, and to drive the point home, they're being sent home until March.

eyeball · December 31, 2009

Yes, I agree. The Conservatives hold Parliament in contempt.

But Parliament does have the right to see those documents. If Parliament does not have the right, then we cease to have a meaningfully parliamentary system of government, and are effectively run by a small cabal of ministers who do as they please. Not exactly the kind of government I like, however. It more resembles how countries like China function.

Perhaps a few Citizen's Assemblies now and then wouldn't be such a bad idea after all?

ToadBrother · December 31, 2009

Perhaps a few Citizen's Assemblies now and then wouldn't be such a bad idea after all?

And again, the solution here is not some other form of legislature, but reform of the existing legislative branch. I see no reason that we couldn't weaken the office of Prime Minister. The office itself is extra-constitutional anyways, so it is whatever Parliament decides it is. What concerns the Regal or Vice-regal is Her Ministers, however that is constituted by Parliament.