So much for the new governing morality

[hiti]

There is no more important job to do than cleaning up government and bringing accountability back to Ottawa. - Stephen Harper, Nov. 4, 2005

LAWRENCE MARTIN

May 21, 2007

At the outset, this was a government intent on bold contrast to Liberal rule by bringing a new morality to governance. Transparency, cleanliness, accountability were the watchwords. The Conservatives of Stephen Harper were Canada's moral minority.

Take a look now, however, and try to find anyone who is describing this government as ethically high-minded. Hopes that our hockey-fan Prime Minister might have captained a classy team have been dashed. What we have instead is something more akin to the Philadelphia Flyers of the 1970s -- the "Broad Street Bullies."

It's rare that a week has gone by without evidence of blatant obstructionism, or ministerial misconduct, or political thuggery of some kind. The Conservatives haven't yet stooped to the levels of contamination that the Grits reached in their bad seasons. But give them time.

In the Commons, they typically ran away from pointed questions, choosing instead to "hide behind political rants," as Liberal Ken Dryden put it.

On the cleanliness front, they've been caught up in several conflict-of-interest allegations and, now, just like the Grits, are getting dinged for living the high life at taxpayers' expense.

The Conservatives, to their credit, brought in accountability legislation that had many good features. But their comportment has served to undermine what the act represents. They repeatedly seek to justify their own failings by pointing to the failings of previous governments. What kind of defence is that when the whole point of the exercise was to move away from the sullied Liberal ethic?

The new morality was to be one of this government's cornerstones. In less than a year and a half, the cornerstone has crumbled.

http://tinyurl.com/38bmmx

The wheels have fallen off little Steve's red wagon and his lies are exposed.

[B. Max]

Well that's what happens when you take a sharp left turn. Like the republicans in the US they went there to clean up government and ended up becoming government. Now we have the liberal party A and the liberal party B.

[Topaz]

I think just like the US should create a third party, here in Canada, we do have another choice. I know alot of people are down on the NDP and what they fear from them running the country. How are WE really to know how they would govern if we don't give them at least one chance at it. Other provincial govt survive these govt, so why not give them a chance over the Libs and Cons??? After all. we didn't Harper have his chance??

[Figleaf]

Steve has boiled away the goodwill that moderate Canadians might have extended to him by acting so nasty all the time. He also doesn't seem to get that while politics is important to him, it is governance that is important to Canadians.

It's funny, for all Harper is supposed to be the 'new broom' from 'outside the beltway', he ACTS like the most spin-driven, Ottawa-centric political animal we have seen as a PM ever.

[Argus]

There is no more important job to do than cleaning up government and bringing accountability back to Ottawa. - Stephen Harper, Nov. 4, 2005

LAWRENCE MARTIN

May 21, 2007

At the outset, this was a government intent on bold contrast to Liberal rule by bringing a new morality to governance. Transparency, cleanliness, accountability were the watchwords. The Conservatives of Stephen Harper were Canada's moral minority.

Take a look now, however, and try to find anyone who is describing this government as ethically high-minded. Hopes that our hockey-fan Prime Minister might have captained a classy team have been dashed. What we have instead is something more akin to the Philadelphia Flyers of the 1970s -- the "Broad Street Bullies."

It's rare that a week has gone by without evidence of blatant obstructionism, or ministerial misconduct, or political thuggery of some kind. The Conservatives haven't yet stooped to the levels of contamination that the Grits reached in their bad seasons. But give them time.

In the Commons, they typically ran away from pointed questions, choosing instead to "hide behind political rants," as Liberal Ken Dryden put it.

On the cleanliness front, they've been caught up in several conflict-of-interest allegations and, now, just like the Grits, are getting dinged for living the high life at taxpayers' expense.

The Conservatives, to their credit, brought in accountability legislation that had many good features. But their comportment has served to undermine what the act represents. They repeatedly seek to justify their own failings by pointing to the failings of previous governments. What kind of defence is that when the whole point of the exercise was to move away from the sullied Liberal ethic?

The new morality was to be one of this government's cornerstones. In less than a year and a half, the cornerstone has crumbled.

http://tinyurl.com/38bmmx

The wheels have fallen off little Steve's red wagon and his lies are exposed.

Because Jean Chretien's biographer says that while they haven't gotten as bad as the Liberals he think they might in time?

So your answer is to vote Liberal?

Suuuuuure.

[hiti]

There is no more important job to do than cleaning up government and bringing accountability back to Ottawa. - Stephen Harper, Nov. 4, 2005

LAWRENCE MARTIN

May 21, 2007

At the outset, this was a government intent on bold contrast to Liberal rule by bringing a new morality to governance. Transparency, cleanliness, accountability were the watchwords. The Conservatives of Stephen Harper were Canada's moral minority.

Take a look now, however, and try to find anyone who is describing this government as ethically high-minded. Hopes that our hockey-fan Prime Minister might have captained a classy team have been dashed. What we have instead is something more akin to the Philadelphia Flyers of the 1970s -- the "Broad Street Bullies."

It's rare that a week has gone by without evidence of blatant obstructionism, or ministerial misconduct, or political thuggery of some kind. The Conservatives haven't yet stooped to the levels of contamination that the Grits reached in their bad seasons. But give them time.

In the Commons, they typically ran away from pointed questions, choosing instead to "hide behind political rants," as Liberal Ken Dryden put it.

On the cleanliness front, they've been caught up in several conflict-of-interest allegations and, now, just like the Grits, are getting dinged for living the high life at taxpayers' expense.

The Conservatives, to their credit, brought in accountability legislation that had many good features. But their comportment has served to undermine what the act represents. They repeatedly seek to justify their own failings by pointing to the failings of previous governments. What kind of defence is that when the whole point of the exercise was to move away from the sullied Liberal ethic?

The new morality was to be one of this government's cornerstones. In less than a year and a half, the cornerstone has crumbled.

http://tinyurl.com/38bmmx

The wheels have fallen off little Steve's red wagon and his lies are exposed.

Because Jean Chretien's biographer says that while they haven't gotten as bad as the Liberals he think they might in time?

So your answer is to vote Liberal?

Suuuuuure.

How do you come up with stuff like that? Nowhere does Lawrence say what you would like him to.... which is just an excuse to cover up the fact that Steve is a liar.

[Argus]

There is no more important job to do than cleaning up government and bringing accountability back to Ottawa. - Stephen Harper, Nov. 4, 2005

LAWRENCE MARTIN

May 21, 2007

At the outset, this was a government intent on bold contrast to Liberal rule by bringing a new morality to governance. Transparency, cleanliness, accountability were the watchwords. The Conservatives of Stephen Harper were Canada's moral minority.

Take a look now, however, and try to find anyone who is describing this government as ethically high-minded. Hopes that our hockey-fan Prime Minister might have captained a classy team have been dashed. What we have instead is something more akin to the Philadelphia Flyers of the 1970s -- the "Broad Street Bullies."

It's rare that a week has gone by without evidence of blatant obstructionism, or ministerial misconduct, or political thuggery of some kind. The Conservatives haven't yet stooped to the levels of contamination that the Grits reached in their bad seasons. But give them time.

In the Commons, they typically ran away from pointed questions, choosing instead to "hide behind political rants," as Liberal Ken Dryden put it.

On the cleanliness front, they've been caught up in several conflict-of-interest allegations and, now, just like the Grits, are getting dinged for living the high life at taxpayers' expense.

The Conservatives, to their credit, brought in accountability legislation that had many good features. But their comportment has served to undermine what the act represents. They repeatedly seek to justify their own failings by pointing to the failings of previous governments. What kind of defence is that when the whole point of the exercise was to move away from the sullied Liberal ethic?

The new morality was to be one of this government's cornerstones. In less than a year and a half, the cornerstone has crumbled.

http://tinyurl.com/38bmmx

The wheels have fallen off little Steve's red wagon and his lies are exposed.

Because Jean Chretien's biographer says that while they haven't gotten as bad as the Liberals he think they might in time?

So your answer is to vote Liberal?

Suuuuuure.

How do you come up with stuff like that? Nowhere does Lawrence say what you would like him to.... which is just an excuse to cover up the fact that Steve is a liar.

The Conservatives haven't yet stooped to the levels of contamination that the Grits reached in their bad seasons. But give them time.

[Canadian Blue]

What a pointless thread.

Stephen Harper's a liar, so vote Liberal.

The Liberal's are liars, so vote for Harper.

[Leafless]

What a pointless thread.

Stephen Harper's a liar, so vote Liberal.

The Liberal's are liars, so vote for Harper.

Some might say Liberal Jean Chretien was not only a liar, but a thief and a thug.

http://www.rfcsask.ca/HalSchnareLetter.htm

[southerncomfort]

There is no more important job to do than cleaning up government and bringing accountability back to Ottawa. - Stephen Harper, Nov. 4, 2005

LAWRENCE MARTIN

May 21, 2007

At the outset, this was a government intent on bold contrast to Liberal rule by bringing a new morality to governance. Transparency, cleanliness, accountability were the watchwords. The Conservatives of Stephen Harper were Canada's moral minority.

The wheels have fallen off little Steve's red wagon and his lies are exposed.

Now now Hiti, the wheels fell off your wagon when Stevie beat out your hero, Stockie - get over it will yah if that hadn't happened you'd be rooting for the CPC like you did the Alliance.

[hiti]

There is no more important job to do than cleaning up government and bringing accountability back to Ottawa. - Stephen Harper, Nov. 4, 2005

LAWRENCE MARTIN

May 21, 2007

At the outset, this was a government intent on bold contrast to Liberal rule by bringing a new morality to governance. Transparency, cleanliness, accountability were the watchwords. The Conservatives of Stephen Harper were Canada's moral minority.

The wheels have fallen off little Steve's red wagon and his lies are exposed.

Now now Hiti, the wheels fell off your wagon when Stevie beat out your hero, Stockie - get over it will yah if that hadn't happened you'd be rooting for the CPC like you did the Alliance.

Day losing to Steve is history. Get over it.

What is today is a conservative party that is no longer conservative with a dictator as it's head who intends to remake Canada in his own image regardless of the damage he does to it's populace.

[Mad_Michael]

There is no more important job to do than cleaning up government and bringing accountability back to Ottawa. - Stephen Harper, Nov. 4, 2005

This is standard boiler-plate political rhetoric of every opposition leader in every election for the last century or so. I'm sure Mulroney and Chretien both gave the same speech on the campaign trail.

Heck, G.W. Bush ran for election in 2000 calling himself a 'uniter, not a divider' - and talked about bringing clean government to Washington - his administration is now setting records for partisan enmity and new heights in corruption.

In other words, NOTHING any politician says while running for election has any substantive bearing upon how they actually will function once in office.

[Guest chilipeppers]

Day losing to Steve is history. Get over it.

What is today is a conservative party that is no longer conservative with a dictator as it's head who intends to remake Canada in his own image regardless of the damage he does to it's populace.

Maybe you need to get over it, cos if what Harper is doing is damage I can't think of an appropriate word for what the Liberals did. Go Steve

[Topaz]

Day losing to Steve is history. Get over it.

What is today is a conservative party that is no longer conservative with a dictator as it's head who intends to remake Canada in his own image regardless of the damage he does to it's populace.

Maybe you need to get over it, cos if what Harper is doing is damage I can't think of an appropriate word for what the Liberals did. Go Steve

The key word is "DID" and the people that "DID" were Quebecer's and it seem Quebec has alot of illegal problems. TODAY, its new members of the Lib. party and I'm sure more will come on board once there is an election, which will probably put Harper out of his misery. Then he can stand on the other side and open his mouth and let all the disrespect out of his mouth!!