24. Great Balls of Fear Mongering, Batman - Canadian Election

Meanwhile, in the Batcave, Batman and Robin are discussing the Canadian Election including the Speech by Danny Williams, Harper extremist right wing,conservative Hidden Agenda, the In-and-out election financing scheme and the Harper strategy of addressing important issues with insults.

Robin: Holy forebodings, Batman, I see Danny Williams, Premier of Newfoundland is warning that “a majority government for Stephen Harper would be one of the most negative political events in Canadian history.”

Batman: That’s right, Robin,

Mr. Williams is very upset because of promises made by Harper in the last election which he promptly broke after gaining power.

Robin: Didn’t we cover that in our segment “Holy Flip-Flops Batman! When Is A Promise Not A Promise”, Batman, back in January ‘07

Batman: Good memory, Robin! Harper tried to explain away his broken promise by suggesting that he had only been expressing a preference during the election.

Robin: Holy Duplicity, Batman, did anyone fall for this somewhat simplistic deception.

Batman: Certainly the Premier of Newfoundland didn’t, Robin and, as I recall, at the time he vowed to expose Harper during the election, which he is doing.

Robin: He certainly is not mincing words, Batman. He’s coming right out and calling Harper a ‘Fraud’.

Batman: Good observation, Robin. This is based on Stephen Harper’s own campaign literature proclaiming, "There is no greater fraud than a promise not kept."

Robin: But Harper and the Con’s have broken other promises as well, Batman.

Batman: Yes, Robin, in my count, Harper has broken numerous promises since acquiring power, not the least of which, aside from Mr. Williams’ complaint is the Income Trust disaster, to the point of indicating an underlying design.

Robin: How so, Batman.

Batman: Well, Robin, by promising the people of Canada whatever he thinks they want to hear, without the intention of keep it if elected, and saying whatever he thinks is necessary, without the concern for its truth, in order to get them to vote for him and the Con’s.

Robin: Holy “Blue Shaft”, Batman, how can Harper and the Con’s get away with that.

Batman: “Blue Shaft”, Robin? That’s Williams’ line, perhaps you can use something like “Holy Con-Job”. Robin: Thanks, Batman.

Holy “Con-Job”, Batman, how can Harper and the Con’s get away with that.

Batman: By not voting them into power, Robin, and that is exactly what Mr. Williams is talking about and why he refers to a majority Harper government

as “one of the most negative political events in Canadian history.”

Robin: Batman, what are others saying about all this?

Batman: Well, Robin, many people are speaking out.

Robin: Who, who, Batman?

Batman: At the start of this election Campaign Harper said that Dion would increase the GST.

Robin: Not the insidious GST, brought in by the last Conservative government.

Batman: Yes, Robin. Dion immediately responded by, quite unequivocally, stating that Harper was a liar.

Robin: Was he, … I mean, lying, Batman.

Batman: Well, Robin, one might expect that most people would,

when accused of lying, be quick to defend their statement, if indeed it is defensible. Harper has simply seemed to have shrugged it off

- a further indication that these are not mistakes but well thought out and executed attacks with total disregard for whether there is any truth to it.

Robin: Holy ‘Dirty Politics’, Batman, you mean there’s more.

Batman: There are more examples than bats in a belfry, Robin.

When the Harper team attacked the integrity of the father of a fallen war hero, Robin, even Layton felt compelled to point out that “the public only has to listen to the way that Conservative MPs and Harper conduct themselves in the House of Commons.

If you disagree with them, you are open season for an insult.” (Toronto Star, 11 Sep’08).

Then there’s the In-and-Out Election financing scheme, Robin. Harper and the Con’s response was to not only attack the integrity of other Parties, by asserting that they did the

same thing, which is apparently not the case at all, but also that of one of Canada’s most internationally respected institutions – Elections Canada, by accusing them of being biased towards the Liberals.

If Harper and the Con’s really believe that they are not

running afoul of election financing rules then perhaps Harper can show some leadership by stating that the Con’s will be doing the same thing in this election. By not so doing one might infer that these are carefully contrived and executed attacks designed to deflect attention from the real issue.

When Dion announced his Green Shift plan, the Harper response was anything but informed, open and transparent. His comment was "Mr. Dion's policies are crazy. This is crazy economics. It's crazy environmental policy." His ‘considered’ assessment of the plan, as Prime

Minister of Canada, and an economist by training, was that it would “screw everybody across the country”.

Robin: Great Ball of Fear Mongering, Batman. How can the Prime Minister of our great land respond to such important issues with such vulgarities,

devoid of any considered, enlightened or informed thought, but focused entirely on insults and fear mongering.

Batman: These are not slips of the tongue, Robin, but carefully contrived and executed attacks with the intention of playing on people’s fears and

thereby acquiring power, of deflecting attention away from an open and informed discussion of the issues and, of dealing with matters to the benefit of a few and detriment of many.

Robin: Holy, right wing extremism, Batman. Why all the obstruction and obscuration.

Why doesn’t Harper encourage open, informed and transparent discussion of the issues.

Batman: Well, Robin, perhaps they fear people will see them for what they really are – extremist, right wing conservative.

Robin: Great Fraudian Slips, Batman. Then Harper saying the other day that he and the Cons’ “want to pull Canadians towards conservatives” is really a concern that Canadians will begin to realize the extent of their “Hidden Agenda” to make Canada extreme, right wing, conservative.

Batman: Yes, you have something there, Robin. It is how they think and approach everything.

Robin: And when Harper says in his new Ad “investments that will produce results”, ‘results’ refers to implementing the their extreme Conservative Agenda and make our great nation conservative.

Batman: You’re catching on, Robin. And there’s more, Robin. Now Harper is saying the Green Shift will plunge Canada into a recession and destroy national unity causing “all kinds of political tensions across the country."

Robin: Holy ‘hidden meaning’,

Batman, just what does Harper mean by “all kinds of political tensions across the country." It sounds like some kind of right wing extremist code to me.

Batman: Well, Robin, ever since the Firewall letter it has become clearer and clearer that Harper’s intention is to

shift power to the Provinces, in particular, Alberta and weaken Federalism. It appears, that it plays well in Quebec is a bonus for them and they use Quebec as a cover to obscure their real agenda and shift power to Alberta and isolate it from the rest of Canada.

Harper’s inaction on Green House Gas issues, is a prime example of this overall strategy.

Robin: How so, Batman?

Batman: Well, Robin, by not taking action Federally it forces each Province to enact their own policies to reduce

Green-House-Gases, including Alberta. That, in turn gives the Federal government an excuse not to get involved and makes it much more difficult to implement any plan for the overall good of the country.

Robin: Holy ‘Clarity’, Batman, you might say it’s an issue of:

“Each Province acting unilaterally and in its own interest does not a Nation make.”
Robin: What can we do, Batman.

Batman: We can only beseech each and every Canadian to think carefully before casting their vote, especially giving Harper and the Con’s a majority gov’t.

We've got to get our Canada back, Robin, before it's too late.

© Lloyd MacIlquham, all rights reserved, 15 September, 2008 (2008-09-15)