Liberals Surprisngly Blame Tories for the Actions of the Dubai Governm

[grainfedprairieboy]

My link

The SOBs were blackmailing us in order that UAE airlines could ooze through the back door and bump a share of Air Canada flights to Europe. What a bunch of ingrates after the blood we spilled in keeping the Talibannies from rocketing their towers and indoor ski hills.

The Liberals should be ashamed to rush to the side of the government of Dubai in support of it's anti Canada position. Sometimes I wonder if the Liberals see Canada as the little Satan too?

[scribblet]

No surprise there, it's just a continuation of the the Liberals vilification of the CPC. They have nothing of substance to offer so have to rely on demonizing the Tories.

[Sir Bandelot]

What a bunch of ingrates after the blood we spilled in keeping the Talibannies from rocketing their towers and indoor ski hills.

Why do we keep on doing it then? Certainly not to win their gratitude. The real fools are the ones who line up to volunteer for these inglorious missions, believeing it's all for the greater good of liberating the brown man.

[DrGreenthumb]

Why is there no poll option for "Harper is a fascist asshole, and the whole world hates his fat fundamentalist ass and didn't want him or any of his social conservative shits on the UN security council."?

[PIK]

We all now the liberals would have given in and gave them what ever they wanted. It seems lately the libs support anyone against this country.

[Argus]

Why is there no poll option for "Harper is a fascist asshole, and the whole world hates his fat fundamentalist ass and didn't want him or any of his social conservative shits on the UN security council."?

Almost all of those who believe that are illitrate cretins who wouldn't know how to click a button anyway, so why bother?

[Topaz]

Well now, seems today, the media is reporting there's trouble within the Tories and Harper has kick out McKay and two others over finding a way to find a solution. Who is Harper going to blame for this one? http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/uae-rift-exposes-division-in-harper-caucus/article1754387/

[Saipan]

Why is there no poll option for "Harper is a fascist asshole, and the whole world hates his fat fundamentalist ass and didn't want him or any of his social conservative shits on the UN security council."?

Most people are able to think.

UN include a large bunch of dictators that do NOT represent their country.

[waldo]

Well now, seems today, the media is reporting there's trouble within the Tories and Harper has kick out McKay and two others over finding a way to find a solution. Who is Harper going to blame for this one? http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/uae-rift-exposes-division-in-harper-caucus/article1754387/

whaaa! Results = Fearless Leader Harper pushing Rusty Baird's bully-boy routine! Kinda, sorta like the UN seat rejection thingee - hey? Is there a pattern here?

The UAE has been seeking additional lucrative landing rights for two state-backed air carriers at Canadian airports, and Mr. MacKay was one of several ministers, including Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz and International Trade Minister Peter Van Loan, who had favoured doing more to help the Arab ally, a senior Conservative MP said.

The Prime Minister ultimately cut these ministers out of negotiations, the official said, favouring the forceful arguments against big concessions advanced earlier this year by former transport minister John Baird.

The loss of the base has left some cabinet members frustrated and angry at how Mr. Harper handled it.

“[it’s] all gone because of a fit of pique and a hard [core] position that is truculent and unreasonable against Canada’s short- and long-term interests,” the MP said.

[Jerry J. Fortin]

The government of Canada, did not bow to the winds of political pressure from the UAE. A point for them, and ten for the rest of us citizens. Absolute nonsense is what this is all about. The government should recall our ambassador, and toss theirs out of the country. Next step is to prevent UAE citizens from entering Canada.

[wyly]

The government of Canada, did not bow to the winds of political pressure from the UAE. A point for them, and ten for the rest of us citizens. Absolute nonsense is what this is all about. The government should recall our ambassador, and toss theirs out of the country. Next step is to prevent UAE citizens from entering Canada.

ahh brilliant... and what do you think will happen to the 27,000 Canadians and their jobs now in the UAE? and something like a billion dollars in trade...all because we couldn't compensate them for using an airbase for 9 years for free...the government of free trade doesn't want free trade? Canadians flying to UAE are forced to fly with Air Canada rather than a shorter direct flight to the UAE...Air canada is a crap airline so why are we protecting it from competition?

[Molly]

The government of Canada, did not bow to the winds of political pressure from the UAE. A point for them, and ten for the rest of us citizens. Absolute nonsense is what this is all about. The government should recall our ambassador, and toss theirs out of the country. Next step is to prevent UAE citizens from entering Canada.

Excuse me? The great crime of the UAE is to dare expect something (fairly paltry) in return for their (fairly important) service to us.

Edited October 13, 2010 by Molly

[wyly]

whaaa! Results = Fearless Leader Harper pushing Rusty Baird's bully-boy routine! Kinda, sorta like the UN seat rejection thingee - hey? Is there a pattern here?

must of come as a shock to them bullies are always stunned when someone calls them out...Harper and Baird are so used to the bully routine here they didn't expect it when someone told them Fuck U! and there was nothing they could do about it...I would've loved to been on that plane when MacKay was refused permission to land ...

[nicky10013]

Excuse me? The great crime of the UAE is to dare expect something (fairly paltry) in return for their (fairly important) service to us.

It's not just the service of Camp Mirage. Apparently this government refused to even give the UAE the time of day. There are serious issues around things like visas and students (there are alot, I knew quite a few from Dubai that would go back during the summer) yet the ambassador couldn't get in touch with anyone from the government and this has been happening over the course of a couple years. Countries get fed up and this is what happens.

The problem is that for the most part no one really knows what's going on in the negotiations except for the parties and the people who talk to the parties. I still haven't heard a denial from the CPC that this didn't happen. The fact that Harper has cut Mackay out of negotiations probably shows this is more true than false.

[capricorn]

The Liberals should be ashamed to rush to the side of the government of Dubai in support of it's anti Canada position. Sometimes I wonder if the Liberals see Canada as the little Satan too?

Speaking of the UAE, I wonder what the international human rights champion Ignatieff thinks about this.

A sponsorship system known as Kafala exists in the UAE, which makes it easy for companies to carry out illegal practices, such as confiscating workers' passports and withholding wages.

The scheme has been heavily criticized by a number of human-rights officials, including Dubai researcher Samer Muscati at Human Rights Watch. To make matters worse, he said many laborers turn to loan sharks to pay illegal recruitment fees and arrive in the UAE heavily in debt.

"Because of the layoffs and the fact that some of these workers are stranded, we are seeing an increase in suicides, where some workers feel the only way out is to kill themselves, hoping that the people who have lent them money will avoid going after their families or their houses back in India and other locations in South Asia," said Muscati. "Unfortunately, that is not the case; the creditors still go after the families even after the death of migrant workers."

Muscati blames UAE authorities for not doing enough to improve the situation in the country.

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/middle-east/Suffering-Lingers-at-UAE-Labor-Camps-104714334.html

Looks like the UAE will go to any lengths to enhance their country's economy. And now we have the UAE stranding Canadian top officials and hindering our military for economic gain. To put it mildly, the UAE needs lessons in diplomacy and in improving their human rights record.

[capricorn]

I would've loved to been on that plane when MacKay was refused permission to land ...

Spoken like a true self-loather.

[bloodyminded]

Spoken like a true self-loather.

You think Wyly is really MacKay in disguise?

Huh.

Strange, isn't it, that the alternate "Wyly" personality is smarter than the public "MacKay" personality.

[Rick]

Why is there no poll option for "Harper is a fascist asshole, and the whole world hates his fat fundamentalist ass and didn't want him or any of his social conservative shits on the UN security council."?

Because the illiterate fascist cretins who support him on these message boards would never allow for the truth to be an option.

[M.Dancer]

Because the illiterate fascist cretins who support him on these message boards would never allow for the truth to be an option.

Right...now there's two examples of the epitomy of intellectual discourse common on the left, found above.

[capricorn]

Strange, isn't it, that the alternate "Wyly" personality is smarter than the public "MacKay" personality.

Personalities aside, the thing is bloodyminded, if our Defence Minister was a Liberal in a Liberal government, I would be just as outraged at the UAE's actions. The UAE is supposed to be our friend and ally but friends and allies don't resolve problems by tossing diplomacy out the window and being insulting.

[bloodyminded]

Personalities aside, the thing is bloodyminded, if our Defence Minister was a Liberal in a Liberal government, I would be just as outraged at the UAE's actions. The UAE is supposed to be our friend and ally but friends and allies don't resolve problems by tossing diplomacy out the window and being insulting.

Allies are not friends--that's not the way the geopolitical centres of power termed "countries" operate.

However, I agree that the UAE's actions are by definiton anti-diplomatic, and not helpful to anyone. In the long run, probbaly a mistake on their part.

I was only responding to the idea that Wyly must be "self-loathing," based apparently on insufficently patriotic credentials.

[nicky10013]

Personalities aside, the thing is bloodyminded, if our Defence Minister was a Liberal in a Liberal government, I would be just as outraged at the UAE's actions. The UAE is supposed to be our friend and ally but friends and allies don't resolve problems by tossing diplomacy out the window and being insulting.

Nations just don't do this without cause and landing spots is just the straw that broke the camels back.

[waldo]

Personalities aside, the thing is bloodyminded, if our Defence Minister was a Liberal in a Liberal government, I would be just as outraged at the UAE's actions. The UAE is supposed to be our friend and ally but friends and allies don't resolve problems by tossing diplomacy out the window and being insulting.

yabut, when lengthy 4+ years on-end negotiations have gone nowhere, when the UAE has suggested a lack of good faith negotiation by Harper Conservatives, when bully-boy Baird is the go-to guy, when the UAE has allowed Canada to have established the base in the first place... and allowed it to be used as a forward staging area for 9+ years, when Canadian export to the UAE is said to be over $1 Billion annually (and said to now be in jeopardy)... does it make sense for Harper Conservatives to piss on the Canadian military at the expense of a few additional UAE commercial flight routes - because Air Canada has a problem with it and lobbies pit-bull Rusty Baird to squash the UAE request?

[Shakeyhands]

Right...now there's two examples of the epitomy of intellectual discourse common on the left, found above.

Yet no comment on the assinine poll options?

[capricorn]

However, I agree that the UAE's actions are by definiton anti-diplomatic, and not helpful to anyone. In the long run, probbaly a mistake on their part.

It's interesting that the UAE has now let military flights land, at least until the agreement lapses in November.

The United Arab Emirates is once again permitting Canadian Forces flights to and from Afghanistan to use an airbase in Dubai, military sources in Kandahar and Ottawa confirmed yesterday.

"It looks like it was just a 'one off,' " a senior military officer in Ottawa said, referring to the forced diversion Monday to Europe of a C-17 flight transporting Defence Minister Peter MacKay, Veterans Affairs Minister Jean-Pierre Blackburn and Gen. Walter Natynczyk, the chief of defence staff.

---

Emirates Airlines and Etihad Airways have already flooded civilian air markets in Australia and New Zealand, where some critics regard the well-heeled Gulf carriers as potential Death Stars.

The rapid expansion of Emirates and Etihad has caused increasing anxiety in Europe, too. Executives from Lufthansa, Air France and British Airways have warned as recently as this week that the Gulf carriers could destroy their businesses if the European Union does not put in place strong checks on their expansion there.

Emirates and Etihad have between them more than 300 wide-body aircraft on order from Boeing and Airbus, including large numbers of mammoth double-decker A-380s, the biggest commercial airplanes flying today. All those aircraft need to secure landing slots.

http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/Military+flights+Dubai+resume/3662418/story.html

The UAE is bullying Canada so that they can grow their airline industry, an industry that faces having restrictions applied by the EU, Australia and New Zealand. Transport Canada is doing what other countries are contemplating, that is protect their domestic industry.

I was only responding to the idea that Wyly must be "self-loathing," based apparently on insufficently patriotic credentials.

I'm bothered that so many people fail to stand up for their country on international issues for no better reason than they don't like the political party in government.