Posted on 12/17/2005 8:22:05 PM PST by NZerFromHK
For those of us who aren't completely on side with "Canadian values" ala Paul Martin and the Liberal party, yesterday's Sun Media election poll by Leger Marketing was welcome.
In just the last few days, the Liberal lead in "vote-rich Ontario" (my how tired I am of that cliche) has been cut from 19% to 11%.
Nationwide, the Conservatives were still behind 35% to 29%, but within striking distance for the Jan. 23 vote.
But as everyone knows, "vote-rich Ontario" (is there no better term?) holds the key to national victory. If the Liberals lose that, they lose everything.
Of course, we all know that what the Liberals lack in ethics they make up for in cynicism -- and I expect they have contingency plans in (how's this?) "heavily-populated" Ontario.
So expect an all-out Blitzkrieg of anti-Harper, anti-Conservative, anti-American, fear-and-loathing ads by the Grits after New Year -- and perhaps even over Christmas.
Selling hate is like porn and narcotics. It has to get worse and worse, or it loses effect.
Anything we've seen in past elections will look like pistol practice compared to the artillery barrage that's coming.
The Liberals are masters of mainlining prejudice into national politics, as we saw in Martin's response two days ago to the American ambassador's objections to Martin's shameless Yankee-bashing.
In one speech, Martin declared five times: "I'll call it as I see it."
Bully for him.
This was to hide the fact the Americans, though they won't sign the ridiculous Kyoto greenhouse treaty, have actually restrained CO2 emissions more than Canada, where the government has spent billions achieving nothing beyond creating an impression.
Now the Liberals have got hold of a 1997 speech Harper delivered to the right-wing U.S. Council for National Policy, describing Canada as a haven for EI loafers, radicalgay rights and failed bilingualism.
All true, but so what? It's a Grit gold mine.
There's no point trying to predict this election, but it's useful to remember previous patterns.
In the last few national elections, the conservative alternative (Conservative, Alliance, Reform) rose during the first half of the campaign, and then got pulverized by Liberal hate propaganda.
Hate messages work not by what they say openly, but by subconscious suggestion.
Maybe the terrible right-wingers will start a war, leave your sick mother to die in a homeless shelter, make you go to church, and let loose armed, date-raping neo-Nazis on gay pride parades.
Pick your worst nightmare, because that's what you'll get.
The fact these hate messages succeed, especially in "vote-rich Ontario" (I give up), explains our lack of national unity. You cannot unite a nation with fear and loathing.
All you get is a nation filled with malice and suspicion.
There's a second pattern of "deja vu" we should be aware of.
Twenty-five years ago, three things were the same as today.
Alberta's resource revenues were surging. Ontario was being economically battered by world market forces. And Quebec was heading for a sovereignty referendum.
The only difference now is all three factors are much more acute than they were then.
The Liberal solution in 1980 was to unite Quebec and Ontario against Alberta, economically, politically and constitutionally. Trudeau brought in the National Energy Program and patriated the Constitution.
He appealed for all Canadians to save Canada from OPEC and the oil industry. But it was a direct attack on Alberta, and everyone knew it.
This time, the appeal will be to save "Canadian values" from American imperialism and greenhouse gas. But again it will really be to raise a national mob to loot Alberta.
Like the First World War, I think this attack is now inevitable -- if not in this election, in the one that will soon follow, after Martin has been replaced as Liberal leader by a Quebec francophone.
The Liberal rallying cry will be "national unity," as always.
But the real Liberal aim will be to stay in power, regardless of cost.
As always.
Since they seem to resent the US so much perhaps we can announce that we will keep out of their internal affairs. Instead of supporting Quebec as part of Canada we take no position on the matter.
Fair enough, this has been the US policy for so long. But Canada keeps on nosing into the US's internal affairs just like the New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark.
a large number of Canadians (40%+) would rather vote for a registered sex offender than a Conservative.
Martin is running against GW Bush, and he will make sure Bush is "on" the ballot. Harper and the Conservatives don't have a prayer.
Then Alberta needs to make a pre-emptive strike. They need to immediatly start talking about seperating if the Libs take it again. They need to start talking about how the country no longer respects them and all they do is steal money from Alberta. They need to emphasise how prosperous the west is compared to the east and talk about the conservative values that has brought that about.
IMHO, the rest of Canada would fall into immediate panic.
If the Conservatives were smart, they'd line the highways into the US with billboards advertising the GST cut. Its always amazing here on weekends in Grand Forks to see the Manitoba license plates. I mean, half the cars in the mall parking lot have Manitoba plates, and I'm sure the case is the same throughout US towns near the border.
Hopefully, the Conservatives can pick up some ridings in Ontario, or else they'll be S.O.L. I want to see Stronach defeated almost as bad as I want to see Hilary defeated.
When Alberta gives this declaration in five years' time:
"When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation."
the US should in that situation recognize the Republic of Alberta and establish diplomatic relations. This will probably push the rage of Canadians to 1000 degrees F, but then they will be in no psoition to bargain with Uncle Sam.
I sure hope the Liberals don't win as judging by some of the jingoism, they would like to become the dominant force in the UN, carry out their US bashing on the world stage, and try and impose their values on all of us.
Most Canadians love Americans.
A red herring political trick when you're dealing with stupid people. Blame others to divert attention from your own considerable failings.
I believe Alberta will go it alone before it becomes an additional state.
If I may ... just keep in mind, and spread the word, that not all Canadians are liberal and a growing number here are fighting the good fight. About all American Conservatives can do is offer moral support. Believe me, it is appreciated.
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