The World According to Paul (Martin)

Toronto Sun ^ | Tues.,May 3, 2005 | Editorial Board

[fanfan]

A few years back, New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd wrote about what it was like, from a liberal perspective, to live in George Bush's world.

For her, at least, it wasn't a pretty picture.

With apologies to Dowd, then, here's what it's like, from a conservative perspective, to live in Paul Martin's world.

In Paul Martin's world, the Liberals reignite the long-dormant fires of Quebec separatism through their blatantly corrupt sponsorship program, and Stephen Harper is to blame.

In Paul Martin's world, NDP Leader Jack Layton is a reckless, free-spending socialist who would bankrupt the country, up until the moment Martin needs him to save his own hide.

In Paul Martin's world, it's wrong for Harper to co-operate with the Bloc Quebecois, but it's okay for Martin to have as his Quebec lieutenant a co-founder of the Bloc Quebecois.

In Paul Martin's world, his government has the right to horde ever-increasing surpluses, while taxpayers upon whom those surpluses were built, have no right to complain that they can't get timely medical care or even find a family doctor.

In Paul Martin's world, if anyone does complain about this, as Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty has been doing of late, he is being un-Canadian.

In Paul Martin's world, it's patriotic to bash Alberta for experimenting with private medicare, but unpatriotic to criticize Quebec for perfecting it.

In Paul Martin's world, no one is competent to run the country but him, no matter how many blunders he makes.

In Paul Martin's world, no political party is competent to govern except the Liberals, no matter how corrupt they become.

In Paul Martin's world, the only people capable of ending Liberal corruption are ... Liberals.

In Paul Martin's world, it was right for voters to toss out a corrupt Conservative government in 1993, but it would be wrong to toss out a corrupt Liberal government in 2005.

In Paul Martin's world, it's wrong to have an election this year before Judge John Gomery holds his final public hearing into AdScam, but it was right for him to call an election last year before Judge Gomery held his first public hearing into AdScam.

In Paul Martin's world, Conservatives can't be trusted to keep their promises, even though many of their promises are simply promises to do things the Liberals promised, but didn't do.

All this is what Paul Martin's world is like right now.

Imagine what it will be like if he wins another election.

[fanfan]

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[ken5050]

Serious question...despite all the jokes we conservatives make about the Blue States..especially California and Massachussetts, we really don't understand what it's like to be living in a nation where there is a very strong sentiment among the population of one province to secede. And they keep on coming back to it, referendum after referendum...a cancer on the body politic, if you will...and the most effective treatment for many types of tumors is to remove it surgically..to cut it out, before it grows further..So, what's yout honest assessment of the sentiment among Canada's Conservatives, as a party, and conservatives..philosophically, about letting Quebec go?

[fanfan]

In public, no Conservative would support Quebec separation. In fact before the last referendum, it was many prominent Conservatives who organized a rally of 10,000 in Montreal to support the "No" vote.

Privately, many of us are getting fed up with the tail wagging the dog all the time.

[ken5050]

THat's kind of what I gather from talking to you countrymen on FR on occasion. So, then, is there a tipping point..will it come..will you say to the PC..just go, and take all your bi-lingual signs with you?"

[goldstategop]

The Liberals have a head start on winning yet another election... because they've convinced Canadians they're the only game in town.

(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)

[headsonpikes]

It makes a lot of sense to me - who else is fit to manage the Liberal Party State of Canada?

The Liberal Party created the State - only the Liberal Party can run it well.

So, suck it up, Canuckleheads, and acknowledge your legitimate rulers, led by the omnicompetent Paul Martin.

They really do know what is best for us!

[Stevieboy]

It makes a lot of sense to me - who else is fit to manage the Liberal Party State of Canada? The Liberal Party created the State - only the Liberal Party can run it well.

Unfortunately you're right. The blunt truth is that the bulk of Canadians (and most people on Earth) have a horribly shallow and emotionally-reactive understanding of the world, and of government in particular. There's no such thing as "by the people" and there never will be because people don't read, nor do they think.

Freedom-loving people are doomed.

[Former Proud Canadian]

You didn't ask me, but I will answer your question. The attitude is "let them go" and let's get on with the negotiations. Quebecers are living in a dream world. Many of them are federal civil servants. They actually think they will retain their jobs, use Canadian currency, and keep their Canadian passports. They also think they can leave Canada with their present territory. History and the Indians will have a lot to say about that. In fact a sovereign Quebec will have a lot of problems with their indigenous population. Then there is the question of road, rail, air and sea access to the Maritimes from the rest of Canada. Also the question of international treaties like the one covering the Seaway, NORAD, and NAFTA. Quebec will not automatically be a signatory to any of these.

[GMMAC]

Just to play Devil's Advocate, one could argue that the majority of Quebecers are actually ahead of the political curve in their now long-standing repudiation of the morally bankrupt Liberal Party.

Two mistakes, IMHO, that many outside Quebec make in trying to understand it:
1. they view Montrealers as representative of all Quebecers when this is likely as realistic as forming an opinion of English Canada based solely upon Torontonians.
2. they fail to differentiate between the relatively small number of authentic separatists and the probable majority of Quebecers who are actually nationalists. (sometimes wrongly called "soft separatists")

In the latter case, the error most likely finds its basis in the fact that, as a group, Canadian Anglophones take no pride whatsoever in their own language, history and culture and accordingly have great difficulty in comprehending people who do.

I'd argue that people who do deem these things worth standing up for are more deserving of our respect than those who plainly don't. Sometimes - as with "French Only" sign laws - you have to go too far to go far enough.

Personally, I'd support similar legislation in English Canada and would even go a step further: 50+% of the wording on any public sign should be in EITHER of our Official Languages. (reading French really isn't that tough)
I'm sick of seeing signs totally in foreign languages because they tell me that those who display them want nothing to do with anyone else and simply want to occupy territory while contributing nothing in return!

[Lord Nelson]

Indeed, the Conservatives are the bad guys because they are pulling the strings as far as when to call the election. Yet, no one blamed the Liberals for timing their election when the CPC was in its infancy. The Liberals are so use to controlling the election date and they are not happy about losing that control.

Yes, Mulroney’s government was one-tenth as corrupt as this one, and the more he tried to talk his way out of it the worse it got. The electorate punished his party not just with a minority but with a pathetic number of seats. Yet Martin is able to hoodwink this electorate by calling Harper the bogeyman. This reality TV has micro-waved our brains.

To suggest that only the Liberals can tame the Bloc is ridiculous – the Quebec voter is more than capable of taming the Bloc. The Bloc will not run a referendum on separation if the PQ public is not ready for it. The CPC approach of strengthening provincial autonomy is the right approach.

[ken5050]

Thanks for the comments..Whenever I see the Canadian Parliment on C-span, with the "painful to the ear" switches between French and English..I don't see how the Dominion can survive..and we're o the same road here with Spanish becoming predominant in many parts of the country. If you write a blueprint on how to fracture a nation, step one should be to rend the common language that bings you together..

[CelticLord]

It drives the average anglophone nuts listening to
the French drivel...and even worse do you know how
frustrating it is reading directions. 70 percent of
the time you get the french side first and then you have
to flip to the English. I am sure the Canadian Gov't funded
a multi million dollar study to find out what side Canadians would look at first.....and that side was the
French side.
Quebec won't go......they have it too good and gov't
after gov't up here keeps caving in and giving them
everything they want.
I can't wait for the tide to turn....hopefully it happens
in my lifetime.