PM seeks Parliament shutdown till March 2010

[Edward Campbell]

This, reproduced under the Fair Dealing provisions (§29) of the Copyright Act from today’s Globe and Mail appears, to me, to represent the triumph of hope over experience:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/harpers-given-them-two-months-of-free-target-practice/article1421513/

Harper's given them two months of free target practice
How many times can the Prime Minister tempt fate?

Lawrence Martin

Thursday, Jan. 07, 2010 2:28AM EST

Nature, the old adage goes, abhors a vacuum.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper is currently being welcomed to the adage. He may well come to loathe it because he's the one who's filling the vacuum – with a big bull's-eye on his chest. With his prorogation move, he's given the opposition two months of free target practice.

There's ammunition for them aplenty. Here's a Prime Minister who has accused Michael Ignatieff of “just visiting.” Pretty rich, they chuckle, coming from a leader who's going AWOL.

A cardinal rule of politics is that you don't give a negative story legs. Two months is quite leggy. Octopusian, you might say.

For a leader like Mr. Harper, who is so schooled in the game, it's curious. Here is a politician who exists in the realm of tactics. Policy is secondary. He has just offered proof of this again, his prorogation sending long-simmering legislation on his order paper to the dustbin. The degree of cynicism is striking. Governance reduced to a boxing match. But by and large, he has gotten away with it – at least until now.

In part, he's gotten away with it owing to low standards in the media. Many of us in Ottawa share in his unsophisticated approach. We treat politics like sports. What matters is the scoreboard. It dominates the discussion. It doesn't matter if you tear up the rule book, as long as your polling numbers are good.

Our year-end evaluations of Mr. Harper's performance concluded that he had a very good year. We based our judgment not on policy but on political numbers, as if your average Joe trying to make a buck cared about that. The supreme leader, we said, had maintained his lead over his rivals. Ergo, top marks. As for his record on the environment, the war, the economy, the deficit – barely a mention.

Our priorities, like the PM's, are somewhat upside-down and it has suited him just fine. But with his second prorogation in the space of a year, things may be changing. Although the move could easily be seen as an unprincipled manipulation of the democratic process, Mr. Harper likely figured that having gotten away with it before, he could get away with it again.

And some commentators did, indeed, award him points. As in, hey, never mind that he's seized the moral low ground again – how about those crafty politics! However, there are indications that anger over his act is spreading. A Facebook campaign against it is pulling in a large response. Newspapers that are normally in the Prime Minister's corner have protested. This paper ran a front-page editorial. An Ekos Research opinion poll appearing today will show a sag in support for the governing party.

Some, including a couple of pollsters, say the PM will breeze through it. But others, such as Ekos president Frank Graves, aren't so sure. He says Mr. Harper appears to have overstepped the bounds this time. “This one may be a game changer.”

The question is how many times he can tempt fate and get away with it. What he's doing in avoiding a scheduled return to Parliament is putting his fundamental flaw, his autocratic arrogance, on parade.

His defenders look at the prorogation in isolation and say it's not so bad. Viewed in isolation, they're right. It is not entirely odious. It's only when you look at in combination with all the other examples of low-road behaviour (smearing opponents, shutting down committees, cutting off information channels etc ) that the true picture emerges. There's a cumulative effect that episodic media coverage hasn't brought across – and the cumulative effect isn't pretty.


Another line of defence is that Mr. Harper isn't the only proroguer. Liberal PM Jean Chrétien did it too, although none of his closings could match the desperation of Mr. Harper's prorogation of December, 2008. So what's the big deal? This is a common Conservative defence refrain. As in, the Liberal record on global warming was terrible too. So what's the big deal? As in, the Liberals sent disproportionate amounts of stimulus monies to their own ridings too. So what's the big deal?

One big deal is that we're supposed to be making progress, moving down the field, not staying on the 30-yard line.

Another is that we have a Prime Minister who thinks he can get away with anything, but who may well find out otherwise.

Martin, like a few other Good Grey Globe columnists is a Harper Hater but others – like Ivision in the National Post – are friendlier and they are giving Harper every opportunity to explain that prorogations are normal things in the lives of parliaments.

My guess is that, despite a very recent Ekos poll,  Canadians neither know nor, really, care about either prorogation or the detainee issue and, further, that they are sick and tired of the partisan sniping – from all sides.

A further guess is that the Winter Olympics will dominate the news throughout most of February – leaving little media “air” for opposition politicians to exploit.

I expect the media to follow the PM and ministers – covering every announcement – out across the country, and I expect the PM and ministers to keep feeding them stories. That will deprive the opposition of opportunities to make their case.

Gable: the Globe and Mail

 

[Brad Sallows]

Heck, if the opposition wants to indulge in two months of "target practice" - which is to say, to babble about whatever they think it is that will resonate with Canadians - by all means let them.

 

[ModlrMike]

Here's a Prime Minister who has accused Michael Ignatieff of “just visiting.” Pretty rich, they chuckle, coming from a leader who's going AWOL.

Pretty rich, considering Ignatieff HAS LEFT THE COUNTRY!

 

[Rifleman62]

I think that we are going to get lots of pieces from the likes of Lawrence Martin until March. With the doors of Parliament closed, the media in Canada will have nothing to repeat. The media will now have to work to get printed and earn a wage. No wait, just dream at night. Kill two birds with one stone: a nights rest and a fairy tale to be printed.

 

[Edward Campbell]

That's why they are flogging the anti-prorogation movement; a recessed parliament does not, automatically, generate anti-government clips and bites.

The Bloc, Liberal and NDP spin machines will be going full blast, but even the most Harper Hating editors will not publish (much) unsubstantiated rumour and innuendo when Conservative ministers and the PM will be making appearances and announcements that actually qualify as 'news.'

 

[Rifleman62]

And thats why I earlier posted: What is required is a timed series (every two weeks or so) of announcements showing Canadians that The Government is at work to counter the opposition and their media mouth pieces.

 

[Edward Campbell]

My guess is that we can expect minsters and the PM to pop up an almost daily basis - somewhere in Canada - making real 'news' of some sort, thus depriving the opposition of the media time and space they need.

 

[TCBF]

- Out here in Alberta, everyone thinks this "Perogy Parliament" is a darn good idea.  Shucks, with the winter the way it is this year, we could all use some good hot Ukrainian food to get us through each day.

8)

 

[The Bread Guy]

...from CBC (via Twitter):

Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff says party's MPs and Senators will be back at work in Ottawa on Jan. 25, despite Parliament prorogation.

Hello?  Even when Parliament is not in session (as opposed to prorogued), I would expect MP's to be working, either in Ottawa or their constituency offices. 

Am I the only one thinking this?

 

[Rheostatic]

...from CBC (via Twitter):Hello?  Even when Parliament is not in session (as opposed to prorogued), I would expect MP's to be working, either in Ottawa or their constituency offices. 

Am I the only one thinking this?

Of course not, but with so many grumbling that prorogation=vacation, it's not surprising to hear these assurances from the opposition parties.

Of course, I wouldn't expect nuanced journalism from a twitter feed.

 

[Edward Campbell]

No, but with so many grumbling that prorogation=vacation, it's not surprising to hear these assurances from the opposition parties.

Of course, I wouldn't expect nuanced journalism from a twitter feed.

Hell's bell! I don't expect "nuanced journalism" from the Globe and Mail, CBC, Ottawa Citizen, Global, Toronto Star, CTV or anyone else in the so called mainstream media. Most 'journalists' are little more than stenographers who regurgitate and then sign press releases from politicians, corporations, special interest groups, trade associations, federal, provincial and municipal government departments, trade unions and so on and so forth.

There are a few hard working reporters out there who go out and look for stories and then do some digging to try to get things right, but for the most part ... not so much.

 

[dapaterson]

I long for the good old days of Frank magazine, where at least some of the dirty laundry and incestuous relationships between the media and politicians would be aired (Peter M's frequent dinners at 24 Sussex et al).  And, of course, has there ever been a more apt title than The Ottawa PetFinder?

 

[The Bread Guy]

Most 'journalists' are little more than stenographers who regurgitate and then sign press releases from politicians, corporations, special interest groups, trade associations, federal, provincial and municipal government departments, trade unions and so on and so forth.

Not ALL federal departments..... 

 

[Retired AF Guy]

I think that we are going to get lots of pieces from the likes of Lawrence Martin until March. With the doors of Parliament closed, the media in Canada will have nothing to repeat.

Actually, starting in Feb the MSM will be focusing on the Olympics and not politics. Especially, if we have a bunch of Canadians on the winners podium.

 

[gcclarke]

Actually, starting in Feb the MSM will be focusing on the Olympics and not politics. Especially, if we have a bunch of Canadians on the winners podium.

Unless of course we have a relative lack of Canadians on the winners podium, in which case I'm sure the Liberals will be trying to make it out to be the fault of the Conservatives.

 

[Brad Sallows]

>..What is required is a timed series (every two weeks or so) of announcements showing Canadians that The Government is at work to counter the opposition and their media mouth pieces.

No timing necessary.  This is why I'm happy for the opposition members to beak off as much as they please: unlike when parliament is in session and a minister under fire (or his appointed fartcatcher) must shortly expect to face a press scrum and stammer excuses in response to whatever noise the opposition makes, the government is free to contemplate/deliberate and issue a sober and considered response - if one is merited.  If the opposition has nothing useful to say, they just look foolish.  If they do have something useful to say, maybe we'll also get a useful response instead of a knee-jerk one.  Win-win.  Meanwhile, the parliament rebooted in late 2008 has been almost as dysfunctional as its predecessor.  Prorogation is not the end of the world.  There was nothing likely to be achieved in that extra 30 days or so that could not be achieved in 30 minutes.

 

[hold_fast]

Typical of the 'Red' Star, their great leader's article is not open to comments. Wouldn't want any of the plebes to counter his tired and regurgitated spin with truth. If these are the best examples he can cobble together, it only shows how well Harper has actually done. They were non starters when they happened and are even less so now. Ah well, it's only Prince Igor after all. The princely rant has already been read, glossed over and forgotten. True liebrals are huddling with Bob (Brutus) Rae and sharpening their daggers.

Caesar:
Who is it in the press that calls on me?
I hear a tongue shriller than all the music
Cry "Caesar!" Speak, Caesar is turn'd to hear.

Soothsayer:
Beware the ides of March.

Caesar:
What man is that?

Brutus:
A soothsayer bids you beware the ides of March.

At first, I was like "Wait, wait, did he just compare Harper to Caesar? Harper's not Roman Emperor material in any way, shape, or form..."

But then I remembered that Caesar was a dictator, and Brutus was motivated to be part of the assassination for honour and patriotism. So, "Thanks, buddy!"

I'm an English Literature major. Please don't quote Shakespeare unless you know what you're talking about.

 

[ModlrMike]

I think he was comparing Iggy to Caesar, which makes much more sense if you think about the Liberal party dynamics.

 

[a_majoor]

If the Liberals want to swan around in Ottawa on 25 Jan, the *we* should show up or call their constituency offices that day and demand to speak to the member.

Since they will not be there, *we* can then loudly complain to the media they are avoiding their constituents, voters and taxpayers and not doing their constituency work.

Just thinking out loud... >

 

[owa]

If the Liberals want to swan around in Ottawa on 25 Jan, the *we* should show up or call their constituency offices that day and demand to speak to the member.

Since they will not be there, *we* can then loudly complain to the media they are avoiding their constituents, voters and taxpayers and not doing their constituency work.

Just thinking out loud... >

So get mad at them for working when they don't have to?