- The Harper Doctrine: To the Winner Go the Spoils

Posted: 10:32 am, 10:38 & 11:20am, 19 June, 2010 The Toronto Star
Million-dollar-a-minute summit worth it, insists Stephen Harper aide, Les Whittington, 2010/06/19
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/torontog20summit/article/825508--million-dollar-a-minute-summit-worth-it-insists-stephen-harper-aide?bn=1#article

Wouldn't it be cheaper to hold the G8-20 on the International Space Station. The Russians charge, what, $20m per person and I am sure they would give a volume discount. And, I am sure the world leaders would bond better in such cozy quarters.

However, I wouldn't ask Stephen Harper or any of the Con's to negotiate it - they seem to have a penchant for spending Canadians tax dollars with free abandon and for partizan purposes, as if it were money given to them. It seems that it is built right into Conservative values when you compare Mulroney, Bush, Reagan, etc. - perhaps, it's the laissez faire corollary: 'to the winner go the spoils'. Tom Flanagan once compared the Harper style of politics to the ancient Romans, he is right, in a extremist, right-wing fashion, and this doctrine 'to the winner go the spoils' is but one example.

Dimitri Soudas: “So that is exactly why we need these type of summits, that is exactly why leaders sitting around the table face-to-face—and not through Twitter, Skype or video-conferencing—will eventually produce more results.”

Soudas, and Harper, Baird, Clement, Flaherty, are throwing this out there like it is a self evident truth. For a couple billion of Canadians' hard earned tax dollars, I need more than Harper and the Con's simply saying it true, especially give Harper's dismal, to say the least, track record or being straight forward, transparent and conducting affairs in a non-partizan, statesmanlike fashion with the good of all Canadians at heart.

Second, this is obviously a very carefully drafted, pre-meditated message, representing Harper and the Con's view on the matter.

However, the best they can do is say that meeting face-to-face will "eventually produce more results".

Harper is obviously conceding that " Twitter, Skype or video-conferencing" will produce results, and comparable to those meet face-to-face. The only difference they dare suggest is that "eventually" face-to-face will produce more.

Well how about if they meet on a monthly basis on "Twitter, Skype or video-conferencing". Canada could pledge a couple million and encourage the other G20 countries to throw in a couple million each and they could come up with a pretty good connection. Now that I can see spending the money on. They could even download a video or two and order a pizza, at their own expense.

Further, 'results' for 'results' sake only is simply folly.

And meeting face to face doesn't always produce good results. And, in fact, perhaps Soudas, or Harper, could give an example of when it did. Oh, yah, I forgot the UN IPCC 2007 climate report, the one that Harper and the Con's with their power base in Alberta and sourced in the tar sands, along with just about every other Oil and gas interest in the world, so vehemently attack.

We want good results, results that are a benefit to not just all Canadians but everyone in all the countries. After all, we are all in this together. Harper going his own way on all the important issues, such as Global Warming and Maternal Health, contrary to the other G8-10 countries, and contrary to Canadians as well, only encourages unilateral, everyone in it for themselves, approach and give the other countries an excuse not to 'come together' in the biblical sense, on these and other important issues. Thus, totally undermining the purpose of these meetings.

Good results are not the result of one-off, face-to-face, highly politicized photo opp's. They are produced by long laborious rational analysis of the circumstances, serious and sober consideration of all interests and viable alternatives, and on going discussion in an open and transparent fashion, in the context of the best interests for everyone. All of which is totally foreign to Harper and his Con's and in fact is simply "a different philosophy" (to put it in the words of Van Loan).

Canadians are being Con'd and we should stand up, be counted, and say enough-is-enough.

Lloyd MacILquham cicblog.com/comments.html