Revenge is more satisfying as a considered response enacted when unexpected
I have been somewhat silent for a while due to a busy work and personal life. I also had trouble rousing myself for an ongoing spate of blogging when the impact seemed so futile. The die was cast. If the G20, Census, F-35s and the litany of tawdry scandals couldn't get Canadians to put down the Timmies, get beyond the corporate media and think about the implications of a Harper Government then I might as well take a break and let it happen. This includes politically active progressive Canadians who would rather
fight amongst themselves than focus on thereal opponent. Beyond the odd outrage that presages our medium term future I could only get roused to sign in to the blog by
sad news regarding an online friend. (That and I got an iPad. I love it but they suck for blogging).
The lassitude and ennui evaporated on Monday night. I remain a passionate progressive centrist. Now that the deed is done, the time has come to resume the fight for the Canada I know and love. There is little point in enumerating the reasons I will fight against Harper's incipient misdeeds. The threat on her right flank bears harsher scrutiny now that the mask of purity has dropped from Layton's Lefties.
In the spirit of being a good loser I resolved to wait a week to let the NDP supporters revel in their success regardless of the means by which it was achieved. Something akin to allowing your child go on a bit of a bender on their 18th birthday and then waking them up when their hangover is at it''s worst and tell them that they are adults now. (This is not an indictment of Ruth Ellen Brosseau. Regardless of her shortcomings and nomination foibles, she was elected fair and square and the verdict of the people is always correct. Her legacy is up to her. I wish her well.)
Just as Harper has ridden the coat-tails of better men such as MacDonald, Stanfield and others to disguise his pettiness, Layton stands on the shoulders of Douglas, Broadbent and Lewis. Unlike Newton he didn't use this advantage to see further. He leveraged this heritage to be nothing more than a weak reflection of Harper. Dippers unwilling to accept this are more partisan than progressive. "Liberal Derangement Syndrome" is a sickness afflicting both sides of the spectrum.
As for the Liberals. Everyone recognizes that this is a historic defeat. But that is the point. For the first time, they are the third place party. The flip side is that they have either been in office or second for 144 years. That is akin to either hoisting the Cup or making the Finals every year. It is amazing that the collapse hasn't happened at least a couple of times before. It has to everyone else. The reason it hasn't is because, regardless of our faults and mistakes, we did the best job of representing the people.
Just after Dunkirk, when Hitler* seemed ascendant, the chinks in Germany's armour were becoming apparent. These too can be identified with the Harper Party. There are similar and more glaring weaknesses to exploit in Harper-Left. Both sides of the coin can lay claim to ~20% of true believers in the electorate. That leaves six tenths for the Liberals as their natural constituency.
A long period of rebuilding is ahead of us. It must be undertaken. The world has changed and the Liberal Party must too. Canada needs us whether they realize it or not. Our revenge will be to emerge from this chrysalis stage to get back to the job of building the Canada the people want.
*N. B.: For the hard of thinking, this is a reference to perceived strategic superiority. Not a comparison of anyone to Hitler so Godwin's Law does not apply.
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