- 'Action': Harper and Con spending on media tied to media that publish pro-Con materials - need to know.

11/9/2009 2:20:20 PM
Wow,

It seems Globa and Mail took my post off - it was there at Tab 8. I guess I will have to take out a Con Party membership.

You can read my post at:

cicblog.com/comments.html

Lloyd MacIlquham

*************************************

Follow the leader? Not these Liberals
Jane Taber, November 6, 2009
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/blogs/bureau-blog/follow-the-leader-not-these-liberals/article1354792/Tab 8


Taber get a new format, this one bites! - or at least something about it bites!

Harper politicizes everything in the traditional Machiavelian fashion. To suggest that the Liberals are politicizing the H1N1 emergency is, obviously and in the most cynical of 'Actions', politicizing the issue. The H1N1 epidemic is extremely important and it is Harper's and Aglukkaq's responsibility, despite them blaming everyone else under the Sun and refusing to take any responsibility - now Harper's shtik is that they have shipped out more vaccine than the Provinces can handle. The only thing that is surprising about this is that the Provinces aren't speaking up and telling Harper where he can 'shtik it'.

If Harper were to stand up and take responsibility for how the H1N1 epidemic is being handled, perhaps the Official Opposition would not have to "hold their feet to the fire" to such a degree. I can imagine that Con's would be upset about Rossi's labeling of the Harper and the Con's Actions on swine flu and party patronage, saying “pork before swine.” All the Con's, Harper included, should all be very embarrassed, shamefaced. Harper and the Con's have been focusing all their energy, and our tax dollars, on 'educating' Canadians, not on the Shine flu, but that they personally are the source of the Stimulus spending, and Canada be damned.

Harper and the Cons feels that they have such an effective propaganda machine established and operating so smoothly, that they can do this 'with impunity' and then simply turn it on and paint anyone who stands up and points out what they are doing as the villain. Harper and the Cons have developed and implemented the biggest propaganda machine experienced in Western democracy in recent history. All I can say is God save Canada.

From Taber's article it seems clear that Sakamoto was approached for his comments and approached as an individual, and did not seek the interviewer out and pretend to be an individual. Sakamoto is entitled to voice his opinion and to have it heard as much as any other person in Canada. Hell, even Mike Duffy is.

With the Harper track record of obscuring, obstructing, hiding the truth, suppressing the facts why isn't, as one Commenter has pointed out, Taber talking about the firearms commissioner's report on the gun registry suppression by Van Loan before the vote on the gun registry. Given Harper and the Con's track record on suppressing information this should have been a top priority, certainly well above what Taber thinks is vital information such as "Ian Davey, a close friend and adviser to Mr. Ignatieff, is on a beach in Florida with his girlfriend, Jill Fairbrother" - sounds more like gossip mongering than informative reporting.

As far as voting on the Gun Registry. Nothing can be read from 8 Liberals voting to have long guns taken out. Nor can anything, legitimately, be taken from Ignatieff encouraging his caucus to vote together against it. This is a free vote and it is not to get rid of the Gun Registry, but only a part. In '04 I ran as a Liberal candidate and one of my "local platform planks" was to have the Gun Registry reviewed with a purpose of distinguishing between the urban centres and rural areas in a like fashion. No one in the Liberal Party ever suggested that I might be 'breaking ranks' and indeed, the impression I had was that voicing my views was supported. If I were an MP now I would likely vote for the Bill, and like to think I would have introduced one myself, and at no time consider it as 'breaking ranks' or somehow being unfaithful to the Party leader, whomever it may be. The Liberal party is dedicated to open, transparent discussion of ideas. It is Harper that suppresses Con MPs, and Ministers even. The Canadian political landscape would be a very barren, hostile, hollow place if all Canadian expected all political parties to act the same way Harper and the Cons do. And, fortunately, despite and insinuations by Taber, we're not there yet.

Reading Taber's article, it is so lopsided and off point, one can only wonder to what extent, given the huge amounts of tax payers money, as well as Con Party money, Harper spends on media - central to the smooth running of their propaganda machine, the Harper and Con largess is tied to media that publish pro-Con materials. I would not put this beyond the reach of Harper and the Con's, everything considered, although I would be a bit disappointed and a bit outraged by such 'Actions' by the media. The only thing I can be certain of is, of course, that the truth will not be forthcoming from either the Con's or the media.

Lloyd MacIlquham cicblog.com/comments.htm