Like him or not,
neither of his scumball
Liberal predecessors
would fit in here!
Posted on 11/23/2005 1:24:20 PM PST by Clive
After watching the CBC documentary about the Mulroney years, The Secret Mulroney Tapes, at least one message was jackhammered into this Canadian brain. Mulroney's opponents had to be some of the most overrated shallowest elves in history.
Mulroney was shown accurately as championing free trade and national unity, the quest to get Quebec's signature on the Constitution. The GST battle was just a side dish on the TV menu.
None of these battles was easy. How do we judge what's easy? Through the Chretien/Martin 20-20 safety lens.
One can argue that Jean Chretien with his finance minister Paul Martin made a very tough decision to take on the deficits passed on to them from the Trudeau/Mulroney era. The problem with that argument is that so much of those so-called tough decisions did not involve cutting programs but rather cutting the growth of some programs. There are more people working in government today than ever before.
The truth that has evaded most punditry is that the taming of the deficit had a great deal to do with the powerful revenue stream flowing into the federal coffers from the GST.
Does Mulroney get credit for that? Don't ask the reliable allies of Liberalism, the Toronto Star and the CBC. And don't ask them whether the Tory administration of Mike Harris should get credit for slashing Ontario income taxes. While that policy was being trashed by then federal finance minister Paul Martin, it was generating a Niagara of wealth for the federal treasury.
In the matter of free trade, the CBC documentary, which might have wanted to tarnish the Conservative brand, did collateral damage to the Liberals.
It was clear as a bell in those cameo performances of John Turner that he was on the wrong side of history. He looked about as comfortable attacking free trade as Paul Martin does in promoting same-sex marriage. Neither man dances well in the political cause du jour. Sometimes those lying loafers pinch a bit.
The death blow to Turner in this documentary was the conversation that Newman had with Mulroney about Turner spending his last few days in his opposition residence courting at public expense Canada's corporate elite. He dumped on them during the free trade debate in order to curry favour with Canada's labour bosses and early public opinion. But once Turner had become political roadkill, he stopped biting the corporate hand that fed him so generously over the years.
The CBC would love to contribute to the myth that Mulroney was never a real Canadian because he was willing to prostitute for the Americans. But it was Liberal John Turner who looked very much like the character only too willing to wear the red "come do me pumps" in order to cling to power and then another pair of heels to get back into bed with the single malt crowd on Bay Street.
And how about that national unity file? The documentary did not conceal the fact that Trudeau was desperate to derail Meech. He said that Mulroney had given away too much. The assertion from the "philosopher king" was never backed up by a serious argument. His Jesuit instructors, somewhere up there, must surely be disappointed.
While Trudeau accused Mulroney of giving away the store, didn't Trudeau give separatism the juiciest candy store in creation, when he made Jean Chretien the wheel man in a constitutional farce that sideswiped Rene Levesque?
If Canada is the loser in the next referendum, historians may correctly conclude that Mulroney tried to irrigate national unity, while Trudeau was poisoning the well.
Or should we say Wells?
Although, in fairness, Maggie once observed that Brian placed too much emphasis on the adjective (the federal Tories were at that time called the Progressive Conservative Party).
-
I did not attribute the source:
It is the Winnipeg Sun
I remember his loving eulogy at President Reagan's funeral. He earned my respect for that alone.
Brian Mulroney was not a likeable politician, but history will show he was in the right. The GST replaced various hidden taxes. Free trade has benefitted both countries. Meech lake might have saved a lot of trouble down the road. Doing something about the budget deficit and national debt was necessary, although the PCs were unable to do much about it. And making the CPP system solvent was necessary. In fact the Liberals have done, or kept in place, most of the things that the PCs were excoriated for. I guess they have a better understanding of how to spin things.
Like him or not,
neither of his scumball
Liberal predecessors
would fit in here!
Newman's book, which I have read thoroughly, certainly raised my estimation of Mulroney.
The Liberal Party is beyond despicable.
Brian. The babe they call Brian
He grew. Grew grew and grew,
Grew up to be, grew up to be
A boy called Brian
A boy called Brian
He had arms and legs and hands and feet
This boy whose name was Brian
And he grew, grew, grew and grew
Grew up to be
Yes he grew up to be
A teenager called Brian
A teenager called Brian
And his face became spotty
Yes, his face became spotty
And his voice dropped down low
And things started to grow
On young Brian and so
He was certainly no
No girl named Brian
Not a girl named Brian
And he started to shave
And have one off the wrist
And want to see girls
And go out and get pissed
A man called Brian
This man called Brian
The man they call Brian
This man called Brian
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.