tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4412916294688233792024-03-13T04:20:07.156-06:00If Necessary Blogging But Not Necessarily BloggingEveryone has the following fundamental freedoms:
(a) freedom of conscience and religion;
(b) freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication;
(c) freedom of peaceful assembly; and
(d) freedom of association.Constant Vigilancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03839753866104400007noreply@blogger.comBlogger734125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-441291629468823379.post-28838405309940005612021-09-28T07:51:00.002-06:002021-09-28T07:51:57.290-06:00Is there some mad method in the UCP madness?<p> It is hard to tell because, like the rest of the conservative "movement", Jason and the UCP-nauts are pretty nuts. But are they looking at the pandemic as a dog given opportunity to destroy the public health care system and then announce the only way to save the day is to privatize the health care of Albertans?</p><p>It wouldn't be the first time Disaster Capitalism raised its head. If this is the broad strokes of a plan, it proves them even more loathsome than I could have previously imagined.</p>Constant Vigilancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03839753866104400007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-441291629468823379.post-91277263927191409982020-04-15T08:18:00.001-06:002020-04-15T12:46:34.904-06:00Kenney's Campaign Rollout ContinuesThe plan has to be followed no matter what when an army launches a Blitzkrieg campaign . Each day brings about another checkers move in Kenney's run for Rideau Cottage. But I am with David Climenhaga on the subject of the <a href="https://albertapolitics.ca/2020/04/that-goofy-letter-from-kingston-to-jason-kenney-promise-made-promise-kept/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=that-goofy-letter-from-kingston-to-jason-kenney-promise-made-promise-kept">suspicious cheque</a>.<br />
<br />
Are you surprised by this being a repeat of Klein's cheesy stunt? Not me. These jokers have a very small bag of tricks.<br />
<br />
An edit: I forgot to add that if this was such a great letter, why did he receive it on March 20 and not tweet about it till April 14?Constant Vigilancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03839753866104400007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-441291629468823379.post-91017371977844440522020-04-14T08:23:00.003-06:002020-04-14T08:23:43.118-06:00Any Doubt That Kenney Follows A "Jason First" Policy?<span style="font-family: inherit;">Events sure do overwhelm the best made plans. Less than 48 hours ago Alberta's Uber-Premier made a play to reset his image on the national stage by offering up Alberta's "surplus" PPE. For which he received generally positive reviews and expressions of gratitude from other premiers. I expect he was fairly chuffed. Then today, it turns out the <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/alberta/article-alberta-physicians-order-ppe-on-open-market-as-province-donates-to-bc/">Emperor has no surplus</a>.</span><div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.5;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #191919;">Some Alberta physicians are paying premium prices for medical gear on the open market despite the province sending hundreds of thousands of masks and other safety equipment to other provinces, leaving some doctors on the front lines feeling abandoned.</span><span style="color: #191919;"><br /></span><span style="color: #191919;">Anmol Kapoor, for example, is a cardiologist in Calgary who recently secured 1,000 masks from a dental supplier in Toronto for $2 each, compared to the 20 cents he usually pays. He has been sharing supplies with other physicians who are running low on protective equipment.</span></span></blockquote>
<div class="c-article-body__text" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.5;">
<span style="color: #191919; font-family: inherit;">And even if his surplus wasn't shown to be illusory, how does he expect <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/jason-kenney-health-canada-catch-up-1.5531191">this</a> to play?</span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.5;">
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Alberta Premier Jason Kenney is calling out Canada's top doctor for advice she gave Canadians at the start of the pandemic and said he will not wait for Health Canada to approve medications, vaccines or tests before rolling them out if other "peer" countries have already approved them. </span></span></blockquote>
<div class="c-article-body__text" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.5;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">and personally attacking the Chief public health officer</span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 28px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Kenney said Tam's suggestion that there are problems with testing kits or medicines being approved in the EU or the U.S. was tantamount to saying Canada's allies are approving things that "are dangerous for public use."</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">"This is the same Dr. Tam who is telling us that we shouldn't close our borders to countries with high levels of infection and who in January was repeating talking points out of the [People's Republic of China] about the no evidence of human-to-human transmission," Kenney said. </span><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"We are not going to feel constrained under our public health act." </span></span></blockquote>
This morning radio report on this pomposity included a comment that some of the medicines he is referring to are hydroxycloroquine. Really? He is trumpeting a cure promoted by Donald Trump over medical professionals. This episode will wear as well as his surplus.<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #191919; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #191919; font-family: inherit;">Just when Kenney tries his Prime Minister shoes on for size he can't help but tie the laces together.</span></div>
Constant Vigilancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03839753866104400007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-441291629468823379.post-36807444791263482252020-04-12T15:41:00.002-06:002020-04-12T15:41:26.469-06:00Methinks Someone Still Has Prime Ministerial AmbitionsI'm not saying it is a bad idea to <a href="https://www.nationalnewswatch.com/2020/04/12/alberta-to-share-surplus-ventilators-masks-and-gloves-with-ontario-quebec-and-b-c/#.XpOFfMhKiM9">share PPE and other medical equipment if Alberta actually does have a surplus</a> but consider the source. As David Climenhaga <a href="https://albertapolitics.ca/2020/04/jason-kenney-offers-medical-equipment-to-ontario-quebec-and-b-c-pitches-national-solidarity-on-resource-development/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=jason-kenney-offers-medical-equipment-to-ontario-quebec-and-b-c-pitches-national-solidarity-on-resource-development">points out</a> this "surplus" doesn't jibe with the governments own recent estimates.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
To wit, if less than a week ago we barely had enough N95 medical masks for Alberta’s hard-pressed nurses, doctors and other front-line health care workers to work for the next 30 days, was the premier wise to give away three-quarters of a million of them to other provinces on the strength of contracts with manufacturers abroad for more? As we have recently seen, some foreign manufacturers will break their contracts if ordered by their national government.</blockquote>
So why would Kenney take this risk with the health of Albertans. Perhaps leverage for future pipelines is the entirety of his strategy. Or maybe he wants to burnish his image on the national stage. After all, his image has been tarnished a lot given his recent behaviour.<br />
<br />
But just as he did a passable job of pretending to enjoy ethnic food during his role as the designated Minister Curry in a Hurry for the Harper government to court a vote previously inimical to Conservatives, is he following the same playbook with this benevolence?<br />
<br />
I don't care if it helps out fellow Canadians without endangering Albertan but I don't expect this particular leopard will have changed his spots.Constant Vigilancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03839753866104400007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-441291629468823379.post-62240164488874380152020-03-28T10:16:00.002-06:002020-03-28T10:29:26.704-06:00Tyler Shandro Should Win The Award As Kenny's Best MinisterThe underlings always follow the example of the Alpha Wolf. As a case in point, Jason Kenny has had to deal with evidence of several illegalities. As you would expect from a crummy premier, it is a long trail of crumbs. Defrauding the federal government of rent expenses, kamikaze leadership candidates, a $30 million dollar War Roo / Slush Fund. While it isn't surprising that Kenny is the head of a theft machine, it is amazing how quickly the corruption has taken hold.<br />
<br />
In the context of the UCP, Tyler Shandro's obvious and blatant conflict of interest is not something to be punished. It is a trait to be rewarded and emulated by others.<br />
<br />
The COVID-19 and price war crises are providing a lot of cover for the Kenny government. Not a lot of light is being shone on the corruption of the UCP at the moment. But when these events pass and the truth comes out, the grift will be shocking.Constant Vigilancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03839753866104400007noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-441291629468823379.post-70137346236034054492020-01-19T17:57:00.001-07:002020-01-19T17:57:18.239-07:00There but for the Grace of the FSM goes CanadaI don't often comment on Alberta Politics because the <a href="http://albertapolitics.ca/">albertapolitics.ca</a> blog already does such a great job. But I do reflect on Alberta and the national body politic. And given that the K-Man is just a surrogate for Stephen Harper, I am very thankful that Harper never got a second majority. It will take decades to fix Kenny mistakes. It would have taken Canada even longer to fix the effect these cretins would have had on Canada.Constant Vigilancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03839753866104400007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-441291629468823379.post-68139344121015645552020-01-14T09:28:00.003-07:002020-01-14T09:28:41.632-07:00Is there a path forward for the current Conservative Party?The historic arc of Canada's conservative parties (Progressive Conservatives, Reform, CRAP, Conservatives and others in between) in the late 20th through early 21 centuries has been fascinating.<br />
<br />
The PC party essentially ended with the Campbell implosion at the polls. Mulroney has stitched together a coalition of Quebec sovereigntists and western conservatives and achieved 2 majority governments. That iteration fell apart when the stresses of the Meech Lake Accord led to the formation of the Bloc Quebecois and the en mass decamping of the ROC conservative vote to the Reform Party.<br />
<br />
That created an opening for Stephen Harper to kludge a new Conservative party from a blend of western Conservatives, social conservatives, somewhat crypto-separatists and an assortment of other smaller conservative factions. With the help of an unethical RCMP Commissioner, a television journalist desperate to get into the Senate and a weakened opposition, this jalopy was able to cobble together two minority governments and one majority governments The Harper governments were extremely unpopular and Canadians tossed them out as soon as a plausible alternative became available.<br />
<br />
Harper stepped down as leader to manage his puppet, Andrew Scheer, from behind the curtain. Scheer was unable to leverage faux scandals into a winning campaign. As a result, Scheer was forced to step down so that Harper can push forward one of his other "Sure Fire Winner" acolytes.<br />
<br />
But have the Conservatives slipped back into a repeat of the Stockwell Day era? They have a lock on a small subset of voters and can marginally add to that support by ginning up anger at non-scandals but will they ever be able to build a truly national coalition?<br />
<br />
Their problem might not be that Harper is still pulling the strings. It might be that they are trapped in a structure that is fatally flawed.Constant Vigilancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03839753866104400007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-441291629468823379.post-85282027199202428672019-12-22T12:20:00.002-07:002019-12-22T12:20:54.209-07:00Harper launches the last of his flying monkeys?Harper's Master Plan had so much promise. After his well deserved defeat, Harper would retire as leader so he could work his magic as Chair of the International Democratic Union. He needed a caretaker leader for his Franken-Party Hopefully , someone so anodyne, the Conservatives could wait out an election cycle. Then Harper's right hand man could assume the mantle after earning his spurs as Premier of Alberta.<br />
<br />
So, we ended up with "Harper With A Smile" (TM). Scheer was pushed out essentially for being the loser we all knew he is. K-Man has been exposed as so toxic that <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/ucp-thinkhq-poll-kenney-approval-alberta-honeymoon-end-1.5397567">even Albertans are wising up to him</a>. So much for Plan A.<br />
<br />
Kenny a non-starter. Same with Ford. Other acolytes are immediately seen as too toxic. Red Tory gophers keep popping their heads out of their burrows and need to be whacked down. What is a master strategist to do.<br />
<br />
K-Man was his master warrior. Harper's farm system is pretty thin. Not much scoring talent in the minors. What is he to do?<br />
<br />
Desperate times call for desperate measures. As a result, we see <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/poilievre-the-most-likely-contender-to-succeed-scheer-conservative-insider-1.4739286">Pierre Polievre floated as a candidate</a>. Really? If Scheer wilted under scrutiny what will happen to this weasel. If this is the Conservative's best and brightest, Trudeau will be PM until he can collect CPP.Constant Vigilancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03839753866104400007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-441291629468823379.post-13688177356144098312019-12-18T22:36:00.000-07:002019-12-18T22:36:32.870-07:00Scheer's expenses fiasco is a many faceted embarrassment for the ConservativesThe lifeblood of the Conservative is fleecing all of the senior citizens across the country $20 at a time. They extort this money by ginning up fake stories to rile up those with a predilection to outrage. For this to continue, they must have faith that the money is being wisely spent to attack the evil Liberals and bring about the nirvana of a hard right government. Everything must be and seen to be above board.<br />
<br />
Harper, for the most part, deftly handled this requirement. Scheer on the other hand...Yikes. This might have been the final straw. Perhaps it only accelerated an eventual reckoning at the convention. Concern that he <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/6309296/andrew-scheer-office-expenses/">may have inappropriately accessed $900,000 in funds</a> donated by granny? Scheer lays bare the myth of the ethical Conservative.<br />
<br />
But what does this say about the managerial competence of the senior Conservative leadership. That is supposed to be their calling card with both the donator class and the corporate world. That Scheer might have misappropriated $900k of party funds shows a shocking ly poor level of governance. And who is on the board of the Conservative Fund? Stephen Harper. The managerial genius some Conservatives desperately pine for.allowed this to happen. Not a good look on Harper.<br />
<br />
All in all, this is the Conservatives in a nutshell.Constant Vigilancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03839753866104400007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-441291629468823379.post-11287034218031433082019-12-14T13:41:00.003-07:002019-12-14T13:41:29.498-07:00Sisyphus had nothing on the ConservativesRather than learn from the heavy hints from the people, the Harper Party is doomed to repeat the mistakes of history.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Preston Manning: Led a small claque of western based socially conservative splinter group that was going nowhere until the Mulroney Progressive Conservatives collapsed. Even with the prostrate PCs, the Reformers could only form an opposition. Never a government.</li>
<li>Stockwell Day: Rename the party to Canadian Alliance. New leader. Same old homophobic, misogynistic anti-social program policies. Same old electoral failure</li>
<li>Stephen Harper: Merge the party and rename it. New leader. Same old discredited policies with less traction than bald All Season tires on black ice. Added a few even worse ones. Managed to scrape out two minorities governments with the help of RCMP intervention and In and Out money laundering. Turfed after one thin majority government.</li>
<li>Andrew Scheer: "Harper with a smile". Remember that one. Notwithstanding constant attacks from a biased media based on manufactured scandals, all this poltroon could offer was the same old ideas as out of touch with Canadians as Preston Manning was. Homophobia, misogyny, bad fiscal platform. Harper's tax cuts. Electoral result ? Failure.</li>
</ul>
<div>
And who is being floated a leader? Erin O' Toole. Jason Kenney, Rona Ambrose. The pundits will try to talk some life into these retreads in an attempt to sell some papers but a party led by any of these chips off the Conservative Block will soon be sussed out for what they are. Here is an example of how bad these candidates would be: They make Peter McKay seem plausible</div>
Constant Vigilancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03839753866104400007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-441291629468823379.post-64152920638650413322019-12-05T07:45:00.000-07:002019-12-05T07:45:51.898-07:00My Hot Takes on the NATO Hot MikeA few thoughts I haven't seen raised elsewhere.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Trump had it coming.</li>
<li>It was immature and unprofessional for Macron, Johnston, Princess Anne and Trudeau to joke about Trump, no matter how horrific his press conferences that day were.</li>
<li>Could anyone imagine Andrew Scheer being as welcome as Trudeau was in that group? For all his failings, Trudeau is seen in the international arena as a good representative for Canada.</li>
<li>Heads of State are human after all and do tend to make jest at buffoons in their midst. Stephen Harper was often mocked at international events. Who could forget the comments when he missed a group photo because he was in the bathroom? Or the snickers when he wagged his fingers at Putin.</li>
<li>In some ways this sort of behaviour could be categorized as bullying and perhaps that is the most egregious part of this example.</li>
</ul>
Constant Vigilancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03839753866104400007noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-441291629468823379.post-36550272332492077692019-11-14T07:47:00.001-07:002019-11-14T07:47:56.532-07:00The UCP Government at the 1/8 PoleSo we have just passed the 6 month mark of far-right government here in Wild Rose Country. A majority number of Albertans elected a self-proclaimed superhero as premier. (Should his costume, incorporating a blue sweater of course, read K-Man or J-Boy? We shall use both to cover our bases).<br />
<br />
How are things working out so far? Well, in no particular order, a small sampling:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>the UCP government wants to resurrect the unworkable Firewall Letter. Including an Alberta Provincial Police. The only part to look forward from this part of the boondoggle is the opportunity to refer to the new police force as Kenney's Keystone Kops. (The Ontario Provincial Police shoulder patches read O. P. P. Alberta's could read K. K. K.). I expect J-Boy wouldn't mind that so long as his KKK proves inept at investigating illegal campaign tactics and financing.</li>
<li>An increased deficit with reduced services. The New Conservatism economic expertise strikes again. Then again, K-Man's economics mentor was Super Steve.</li>
<li>For the former head of the Canadian Taxpayer's Federation, J-Boy is pretty adept at wanton spending of public money. A total of $51,000 spent on travel in private jets and first class airfares and posh accommodations for Kenney's buddy. And that is just what has been uncovered so far. Who among us could ever have suspected hypocrisy was one of K-Man's superpowers?</li>
<li>Further to good governance issues, they created a the Alberta Inquisition under a private, rather than a Crown corporation, to avoid FOIA inquiries. $30 Million with no effective oversight. What could possibly go wrong?</li>
<li>People are just beginning to realize the impacts of the politically delayed budget. Should Calgary cancel the Green Line, the new arena or both?</li>
</ul>
To be fair they have proven their competence in a number of areas:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>The unconstitutionality of a number of proposed laws and edicts will create a lot of lawyerly employment</li>
<li>The introduction of back-door anti-abortion legislation ("Conscience Rights") was particularly well handled, if transparent.</li>
</ul>
<div>
From afar, it might seem pretty bleak for Progressives in Alberta and, by extension, Canada. But take heart. Doug Ford's popularity fell hard once Ontarians realized how bad the current Progressive Conservative policies are. J-Boy has further to fall. Honeymoons end. K-Man is a great campaigner but a poor manager. And the train wrecks will continue to pile up.</div>
Constant Vigilancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03839753866104400007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-441291629468823379.post-60094741178736994132019-10-25T07:43:00.004-06:002019-10-25T07:43:57.401-06:00A Couple Of Suggestions To Help Kickstart The New Minority GovernmentMaking this Parliament work will require the Liberals will need to find common ground with the Bloc, NDP and Greens. This will require the development of trust among all of the parties as they look to find common ground.<br />
<br />
Baby steps. Baby steps. What can they all agree on.<br />
<br />
I propose they announce their intention to reinstate the per vote subsidy to political parties and eliminate the fixed election date law. Both of these anti-democratic measures were instituted by the greatest anti-democrat Canada has ever suffered through. Reverse these measures because they are bad and do it right away so the anger raised by the Conservative Perpetual Outrage Machine will dissipate before the next election.Constant Vigilancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03839753866104400007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-441291629468823379.post-85173847383383158472019-10-22T12:39:00.002-06:002019-10-22T12:39:39.036-06:00Winners and Losers From The ElectionGreens? NDP? Liberals? Pshaw. That low hanging fruit I will leave for the paid pundits to harvest. Here is the Constant Vigilance list of Winners and Losers.<br />
<br />
Winners:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Canada: We did not elect a bigoted homophobic anti-LGBTQ2 government with a ridiculous and unworkable platform</li>
<li>Jason Kenney: His plan to replace Scheer and run for PM is unfolding as he hoped. I expect Canada will reject him and the last of the Harperites will be gone.</li>
<li>Alberta: Although the UCP has plenty of tools in its box to take over, seeing Kenney take his act to Ottawa will be a win.</li>
<li>Andrew Scheer: He doesn't have to pretend to be a leader anymore. He can step down and collect his pension. Perhaps he can ask Trudeau to appoint him as ambassador to the Vatican.</li>
</ul>
<div>
Losers:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Misinformation and fake news: This page from the Republican playbook didn't deliver. A couple more failures and they will have to consider policies that people like.</li>
<li>Jody Wilson-Raybould: As someone who craves to be at the centre of attention, the life of an independent MP will be lonely. She will probably be inclined to vote with the Liberals most of the time. As a final indignity, she might very well ask to rejoin the Liberals in exchange for a Cabinet seat. That is, of course, if details about the fake SNC-Lavalin scandals leak out that put her in a bad light.</li>
<li>Alberta: The Cons take Alberta for granted. The other parties give it a low priority because of the slim odds of making gains. Alberta could have tried something different by electing Liberals and being a power broker in the new government. But the victimization syndrome is strong in Alberta so we prefer to whine about separating.</li>
<li>The Underminer: His client lost. The Liberals have already shown him the back door. The Greens found him toxic. Details about the failed SNC-Lavalin play might tarnish him as much or more as St J.</li>
</ul>
</div>
Constant Vigilancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03839753866104400007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-441291629468823379.post-57416431102760393922019-10-22T07:11:00.004-06:002019-10-22T07:11:35.713-06:00Anyone Else Want To Start An Aggregator Of Progressive Minded Bloggers?I know that there is an eponymous version of this but it happily includes an know Conservative operative on its blog roll so perhaps it has lost its way.Constant Vigilancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03839753866104400007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-441291629468823379.post-76361048663004637672019-10-20T09:46:00.002-06:002019-10-20T09:46:58.980-06:00It Is Easy To Diagnose The Provenance Of The PoisonI am listening to the Sunday Edition whereon Michael Enright was wondering how it came to be that Trudeau needed to wear a bullet proof vest at a rally. Once again, people who cover current events as a profession have a hard time understanding things.<br />
<br />
The decay in our politics can be laid directly at the feet of one party. The Harper Party is the only party to have been convicted of election fraud. And beyond the In and Out Scandal they avoided prosecution for Poutinegate by throwing Michael Sona under the big blue bus. Only the Harper Party hired a consultant to perform a hit job on a rival party.<br />
<br />
Only the Harper Party had an ad where a Puffin pooped on Dion. Only the Harper Party had bullet holes surrounding the Opposition Leaders.<br />
<br />
All parties spin the facts. Only the Harper Party has been shown to be promulgating false stories about Justin Trudeau. Only the Harper Party leader has been shown to be a serial liar.<br />
<br />
This morning's news included a story about Harper Party supporters chanting "<a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/6056190/conservative-rally-trudeau-scheer-lock-him-up-chant/">Lock Him Up</a>".<br />
<br />
The tactics used by these creeps will continue to expand and get worse until they lose elections as a result and they realize a new approach is needed.<br />
<br />
But in the meantime, please don't pretend that you can't see what the Harper Party is doing. Or that both sides do it.Constant Vigilancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03839753866104400007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-441291629468823379.post-91557485432483271702019-10-19T09:43:00.001-06:002019-10-19T09:44:14.310-06:00"The Operative"The operative was terminated for being a lousy tactician, and for self-promotion. That’s who the Greens and the Cons relied on: a self-promoting lousy operative. What an election.<br />
<br />Constant Vigilancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03839753866104400007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-441291629468823379.post-27092102792789329482019-10-19T09:22:00.001-06:002019-10-19T09:22:19.797-06:00The Point about Pointing Out Scheer's LiesIt has been shown ad nauseum that Scheer is a serial liar. His party has been exposed as operating dirty tricks against another party. And will it be any surprise if the Buffalo Chronicles hit pieces were paid for by the Cons?<br />
<br />
This odious behaviour can be explained in the context of whipping up their base. Perhaps their private polling shows a less close race than do the public ones. I don't know and that isn't the point.<br />
<br />
The point is: If he will be so blithe with the truth in an effort to get elected, what will he do to stay in power? What lies will he tell to move forward with anti-abortion and anti-abortion legislation and policies.<br />
<br />
The public polls are close. Backers of the purity parties, who have never had to leaven their policies with reality are reveling in the chance for their preferred party to hold the balance of power in Parliament.<br />
<br />
Trudeau and the Liberals are far from perfect but have overall done a good job. From<a href="https://constvigil.blogspot.com/2019/10/the-woke-will-always-break-your-heart.html"> an article I highlighted yesterday</a>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
But the cross-party consensus that Trudeau is slight and phony doesn’t survive even a cursory examination of his record. An independent assessment by two dozen Canadian academics found that Trudeau has kept 92 percent of his campaign promises, fully or partially, the most by any Canadian government in 35 years. He is measurably, demonstrably the most sincere and effective prime minister in living memory. He is the rare case of a man whose virtue-signaling has distracted from his real virtues.</blockquote>
I'm not overly stressed by what the purity party people decide to do. I will be away and voted weeks ago. The PPP will do what they do. And the people will have spoken. I just hope they don't sow bad seeds.Constant Vigilancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03839753866104400007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-441291629468823379.post-65722880005574297642019-10-18T22:49:00.002-06:002019-10-18T22:49:48.643-06:00File This Under "Well d'uh"So it turns I was correct that <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-kinsella-firm-hired-to-seek-and-destroy-berniers-peoples-party/">one of The Underminer's clients is the Conservative Party</a> Definitely vindicates my stand that by defending his position on it's blogroll, Progressive Bloggers lost the legitimacy to refer to itself as Progressive. And my decision to leave that site.<br />
<br />
The article is behind a paywall but my trusty old BlackBerry seems to be able to access the article so I can confirm that:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>The Dizzy Group began working for the decidedly non-progressive Cons no later than March of this year</li>
<li>The Underminer was not asked so he did not have to neither confirm or deny that he has worked on other projects for the decidedly non-progressive Cons</li>
<li>The Underminer (a self-styled Canadian version of Karl Rove/Donald Segretti) is lousy at his job. The Twitter account set up to destroy the (just as despicable as the Cons) People's Party has a total of 69 followers. Looks like his campaign caught a virus rather than going viral</li>
</ul>
It will be interesting to see how <strike>Progressive</strike> Bloggers handles this news. Perhaps it is time for a new aggregator for progressive blogs.Constant Vigilancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03839753866104400007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-441291629468823379.post-59800627421051292942019-10-17T16:37:00.001-06:002019-10-17T16:37:48.913-06:00A Further Compendium of Why Scheer Is Unqualified to be PMHere is a listing of recent headlines in which a series of exports slam The Underminer's BFF:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Mayors Hate Him</li>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.thestar.com/amp/news/gta/2019/10/17/john-tory-sees-shortcomings-in-andrew-scheers-policies-for-cities.html">John Tory sees ‘shortcomings’ in Andrew Scheer’s policies for cities</a></li>
<li><a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/6040850/vancouver-mayor-slams-scheer/">Vancouver mayor says Scheer government would be ‘worse than Stephen Harper’</a></li>
</ul>
</ul>
<br />
<ul>
<li>His deficit plan sucks</li>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.nationalnewswatch.com/2019/10/15/eliminating-the-deficit-wont-be-so-easy-mr-sheer/#.XajkcehKiM8">Eliminating the Deficit Won’t be so Easy Mr. Scheer</a></li>
</ul>
<li></li>
<li><a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/6033350/conservatives-liberals-poverty-health-grades/">Conservative platform gets a failing grade, Liberal’s barely passes on poverty and health: report</a></li>
<li></li>
<li><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/scheer-provincial-free-trade-challenges-1.5321887">History suggests Andrew Scheer’s interprovincial free-trade promise is destined to fail</a></li>
</ul>
A Conservative friendly media has hidden just how big a loser this guy is. If he were to squueze out a minority, he will be exposed as a fraud pretty quickly.Constant Vigilancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03839753866104400007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-441291629468823379.post-42428414464570417792019-10-17T07:14:00.003-06:002019-10-17T07:14:17.891-06:00The Woke WIll Always Break Your HeartAn interesting article by <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/10/trudeaus-progressive-style/599203/">Stephen Manche in The Atlantic</a> on Trudeau and his lessened sheen. It ties in somewhat with the <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/obama-trudeau-endorsement-analysis-wherry-1.5322823">Aaron Wherry article on the Obama endorsement.</a><br />
<br />
<br />Constant Vigilancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03839753866104400007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-441291629468823379.post-31370667724042822862019-10-17T07:09:00.000-06:002019-10-17T07:09:14.666-06:00Andrew Scheer: Just as advertizedThis bozo proved himself to be a useless tool when he was unjustifiably made Speaker my Harper. He demonstrated then that he knew and cared little for Parliamentary tradition and rules. He is showing the the stripes on this skunk haven't changed with this statement: <a href="https://election.ctvnews.ca/scheer-says-party-with-most-seats-should-have-right-to-form-government-1.4642331">Scheer says party with most seats should have 'right' to form government</a><div>
<br /></div>
<div>
How can this joker attract the votes of any but the most vehement racists and anti-abortionists?</div>
Constant Vigilancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03839753866104400007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-441291629468823379.post-79457397478489922802019-10-13T16:48:00.001-06:002019-10-13T16:48:14.205-06:00What Cath From Can said<a href="http://cathiefromcanada.blogspot.com/2019/10/why-i-am-voting-for-trudeau.html">Why I <strike>am voting</strike> voted for Trudeau </a>Constant Vigilancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03839753866104400007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-441291629468823379.post-9415280081701152532019-10-13T16:17:00.002-06:002019-10-13T16:17:47.153-06:00An Optimistic Explanation For All of the Conservative HateTo be clear, this only refers to the recent spate of hate that I enumerated in <a href="https://constvigil.blogspot.com/2019/10/a-sampling-of-todays-national-newswatch.html">yesterday's post</a>.<br />
<br />
It all ties into the <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/6027885/andrew-scheer-conservative-tone/">Conservative Get Out The Vote strategy</a>. And perhaps they are concerned about the final week.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The polls might suggest the Conservatives are running neck-and-neck with the Liberals, but it’s hard to know for sure without the numbers, said a longtime Conservative organizer in Ontario, also given anonymity to speak about internal matters.<br />“My gut feeling is that the polls are giving us a false sense that we are more competitive than we are,” the organizer said.</blockquote>
There is more in the article and the subtext is clear. The Conservatives be worried that they won't get the turn out they need and are looking to motivate their base.<br />
<br />
And how do you motivate the Conservative base? Turn up the hate. It might turn off the humans among us but it sure gets their base motivated.<br />
<br />
The 7 day forecast is calling for elevated hate storms. With the frequent risk of Underminer screeds showers.<br />
<br />
Best to run to the cover of the only progressive party capable of forming government.Constant Vigilancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03839753866104400007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-441291629468823379.post-19929903707481219922019-10-12T19:35:00.002-06:002019-10-13T16:02:15.646-06:00A Sampling of Today's National Newswatch HeadlinesThese are currently on <a href="https://www.nationalnewswatch.com/">National Newswatch</a>:<br />
<br />
<li><br /></li>
<br />
<ul>
<li></li>
<li><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-wears-bulletproof-vest-after-security-threat-delays-campaign-rally-1.5319730">Trudeau wears bulletproof vest after security threat delays campaign rally</a></li>
<li><a href="https://election.ctvnews.ca/truth-tracker-conservative-ads-falsely-say-liberals-will-legalize-all-drugs-1.4636194">Truth Tracker: Conservative ads falsely say Liberals will legalize all drugs</a></li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #4a4a4a; font-family: , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 18px;">Scheer defended the ads on Saturday</span></blockquote>
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/jeff-callaway-energize-alberta-ucp-cam-davies-1.5319521"> Corporation fined $18K for funnelling money into ‘kamikaze’ UCP leadership campaign</a></li>
<li><a href="https://o.canada.com/news/politics/election-2019/cbc-sues-the-conservative-party-over-copyright-journalists-moral-rights/wcm/cd11f3b7-0cad-4af9-9e52-fa9ddd6b8916">CBC sues the Conservative party over copyright, ‘moral rights’ of journalists</a></li>
<li></li>
<li><a href="https://www.thestar.com/politics/federal/2019/10/11/conservative-plan-would-cut-354b-to-balance-books.html">Conservative plan would cut $35.4B to balance books</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.macleans.ca/politics/ottawa/the-excessively-violent-election-ad-paid-for-by-the-manning-centre/">The ‘excessively violent’ election ad, paid for by the Manning Centre</a></li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
But he acknowledged the ads do not reflect the personal style of founder Preston Manning, the former Reform Party leader.<br />
“Preston Manning’s more deliberative approach to politics, I think that died 20, 30 years ago in this country,” Lanigan said. “The nature of where we’re headed now is far removed from the more deliberative discussions we were having in the 1990s. How we move policy in this country and other western countries has changed dramatically over the last 20 years. I’m not saying I like it.”</blockquote>
In other words, winning is more important than any kind of ethics. Preston Manning is someone who I once respected for his apparent integrity although I disagreed with him on policy. His silence on the recent stories is very telling.<br />
<br />
And so it goes. The people in aggregate have a certain wisdom when elections come around. I ma concerned that the collective wisdom is being oveerun this time by a party willing people with no integrity and are willing to tell any lie to serve their masters.Constant Vigilancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03839753866104400007noreply@blogger.com0