- Harper is no Class Act.

Sunday, October 4, 2009 09:45 AM, Harper sings, Iggy dodges,
Norman Spector
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/blogs/spector-vision/harper-sings-iggy-dodges/article1311417/Tab 5
and
PM gets by with help from Yo-Yo Ma, Last Updated: Sunday, October 4, 2009
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2009/10/03/harper-piano.html#socialcomments-submit
tab 111 (n-o)

The only reason, manifestly, Harper is on stage playing, whether with Yo-Yo Ma or otherwise, is his position as Prime Minister.

This is clearly an abuse of power by Stephen Harper. If a leader wants to show support for the Arts the traditionally accepted, classy, method is they attend the show. Better, instead of severely cutting funds they increase funds.

By doing this Harper is again showing his contempt for the Arts by manipulating those in the Arts and using this performance in a blatant attempt to promote his brand of governance and the Con party: like somehow Harper must be a nice guy, or somehow right in his (extreme right wing) ideology, or somehow is right or good for the Arts or Canada generally, or that Canadians in general somehow agree with what he and his Con's stand for. On the other hand, perhaps it's the Arts that is manipulating Harper in that by letting him appear he, and his Con's, will somehow change their 'colour'. Harper may display other colours because of his minority government but deep down he is the same, extreme right wing ideologue, who has contempt for the Arts this will never change and, with a majority, he will have no hesitation in displaying his true colour.

I hope they sang "God save Canada" at the beginning of the evening.

Lloyd MacIlquham cicblog.com/comments.html