Politics in 2013

[Edward Campbell]

No, the channel isn't changing but the story and plot line sure is...

How much to do you want to bet that Duffy is saving something for the day of the CPC convention to try an upstage the PM's speech?

If Sen Duffy hasn't used all his weapons yet then's he's a lousy tactician. He may be out of the Senate ~ and therefore unable to use parliamentary privilege to shield himself from lawsuits ~ before Prime Minister Harper speaks in Calgary.

I have considerable sympathy for Sen Wallin: I think she used the rules, as written, to her personal advantage, but so, I suspect, did many, many of her colleagues. I think she was caught when the auditors used new rules against her old actions.

I have a tiny bit of sympathy for Sen Brazeau: I believe he knowingly cheated but, again, so did others and he may have thought it was normal. He should have known it was unacceptable.

I have no sympathy for Sen Duffy: he was billing the people of Canada for things for which he was already being paid bythe Conservative Party of Canada; that's not "harmless" double dipping, that's fraud and that's a crime.

I have one big problem with idea of a Senate inquiry. If such a thing is held and evidence is called it will, likely, make any subsequent legal action impossible ~ I think criminal courts will regard all such evidence as tainted and will not allow it to be used or even introduced thus giving Duffy et al a "get out of jail free card."


Edit: punctuation  :-[

 

[Remius]

If Sen Duffy hasn't used all his weapons yet then's he's a lousy tactician. He may be out of the Senate ~ and therefore unable to use parliamentary privilege to shield himself from lawsuits ~ before Prime Minister Harper speaks in Calgary.

I agree with everything you said except this part.  I think Duffy (again I hate giving him credit) knows exactly what he is doing and is playing his cards exactly the way he knows how.  he was in journalism for decades and knows how to use the media and make this stretch out as long as he can.  He has more and is going to reveal more at the right time I think.  He completely overtook the throne speech, ceta and anything else the CPC and the PM have tried to use to deflect this.  Just as the Pm was starting to get ahead he dropped another bomb derailing the message yet again.  the PM has even taken to talk radio for god's sake to stop the bleeding.  This is a man that never gives interviews.

The motion to suspend will likely not go ahead until early next week.  The convention starts Thurs with the PM speaking on Friday.  I expect that Duffy will have more on that day and will attempt to upstage the PM and will likely succeed.  the media is feeding off this like sharks.

The CPC wants this motion exactly because they want to shut him up.  I suspect they know he has more but I doubt they know exactly what.  They probably deleted any record of anything but Duffy kept some of those, at least what related to him.  This is far from over.

The PMO should have got ahead of this months ago but didn't, have lost the initiative and are scrambling to stem the bleeding.

 

[pbi]

Perhaps this is an object lesson for all Govts that no matter how anal and hyper-scripted you try to be in your information policies, somewhere out there, there is a wild card  just waiting to pop up when you least expect it.

"Messaging" and "bridging" the rest of that good old Media Training 101 stuff is IMHO a bit like the Maginot Line. Run headlong into it, and it stops you dead with its interlocking fires and defense in depth.

But, outmanouevre it and then just watch a fortress try to "take the initiative".

 

[Edward Campbell]

This came to me from TVOntario's flagship public affairs programme The Agenda:

 

[Fishbone Jones]

This came to me from TVOntario's flagship public affairs programme The Agenda:

Do I dare say the MSM is about to start eating one of their own?

That would definitely create a dilemma for them.

Could they denounce, ridicule, chastise and disenfranchise Duffy without appearing sympathetic to the PM?

Or at least agreeing the PM was right?

Hmmm. The worm turns.

 

[jollyjacktar]

Bruce MacKinnon's cartoons in the Chronicle Herald have very cutting on Duffy.  Rightly so, the Pratt. 

I do wonder if this will be Harper's Waterloo moment and undoing come 15?  I expect that whomever it was who suggested those three would be good candidates as Senators is no longer working on the hill at any capacity beyond janitor now.

 

[Jed]

I don't feel a lot of sympathy for any of the Senator appointments, however; It is very unjust to lump them all together bringing them all down to the lowest common denominator.

It is not a fair comparison to judge Duffy with Wallin or with Brazeau or Harb. It seems to me the Liberal mindset of the Eastern side of Canada wishes to smear those from the Midwest Conservative mindset by lumping Wallin in along with Duffy.  Not much of a comparison if you ask me. You Maritimes folks can shoulder the responsibility for Mr. Duffy and we prairie guys can carry our burden of Ms. Wallin. I will take that trade any day.

 

[jollyjacktar]

I'm a transplanted Albertan.  All four of those fids you named aren't worth a pinch of Coon shit.  They're all the same witn their snouts firmly planted in the trough.  They milked the taxpayers of this country for hundreds of thousands and were caught at it.  I have no sympathy for any of them.  At least Harb did a somewhat correct act  by resigning.  Neither the Liberals or Conservatives can claim the high moral ground here.  Only the Dippers can to a point and that's because they don't have their own waste of rations sitting in the Senate.  I hope the axe the lot of them and save us millions each year.

 

[JorgSlice]

Question here is whonto believe? Duffy/Wallin or Harper? One side has documents, one side does not.

I fear that even though I've lost respect for Harper, he still has the better portfolio to run this country, this will be the death of his political career.

On the other hand though, I think that Duffy and Wall in are full of shit and will get axed.

 

[a_majoor]

Or has the Prime Minister, being the master of poitical tactics, set things up to discredit the Senate and can now move ahead with Senate reform?

The individual senators have shown themselves to be rather tone deaf to the idea they should be accountable stewards of our monies, and the Senate itself hasn't done a very good job of either policeing themselves or holding individuals accountable. Powerful arguments to make when advocating for reform of the Senate, and being the champion of Senate reform might be the way to ride out of this smelling like roses.

 

[JorgSlice]

Or has the Prime Minister, being the master of poitical tactics, set things up to discredit the Senate and can now move ahead with Senate reform?

The individual senators have shown themselves to be rather tone deaf to the idea they should be accountable stewards of our monies, and the Senate itself hasn't done a very good job of either policeing themselves or holding individuals accountable. Powerful arguments to make when advocating for reform of the Senate, and being the champion of Senate reform might be the way to ride out of this smelling like roses.

Quoting Homer: "Mmmm... Senate Reform"

 

[pbi]

Or has the Prime Minister, being the master of poitical tactics, set things up to discredit the Senate and can now move ahead with Senate reform?

This is just what I have been musing on, when I feel in a tin-foil hat mood. >

But, seriously, what a masterful choreography that would be! And the Three Bad Mice (Duffy in particular...yukkk...martyrdom at its most schlocky...) are playing into this script as unattractive trough-snufflers.

Could it be? (Theme from X-files playing in the background...)

 

[Remius]

Riiight.  There are far more effective ways to reform the senate than that kind of theater.  And less damaging.  There is broad and deep support to reform or even abolish the senate that this kind of fantasy is very unessary.

The PM needs to fire some of advisors.  But I bet that with Nigel Wright gone, the talent isn't as good...

 

[a_majoor]

There is no broad and deep political consensus for reforming the Senate, and the PM has been making attempts to move forward for several years now, with a resounding "no" from the provinces as an answer.

This sort of thing makes the position of the provinces and the Senators themselves much weaker, while making the PM's hand much stronger.

While he may not have set things in motion, I'm sure he has been working to find the advantage to be had from this.

 

[Journeyman]

Riiight.  There are far more effective ways to reform the senate than that kind of theater.

I don't think anyone here, or even the media Harper Haters,TM stated that this was some diabolical plot to set the stage for Senate reform.  :Tin-Foil-Hat:

 

[Remius]

Or has the Prime Minister, being the master of poitical tactics, set things up to discredit the Senate and can now move ahead with Senate reform?

Sorry, when I read this I thought it was meant as some sort of allusion to a master plan of some sort.  apologies if I misinterpreted.

 

[Fishbone Jones]

I wish people would stop treating this blip as some sort of palace coup. It's only news because the MSM, and the Opposition, is making it news.

If the MSM, the HoC and the Senate were truly interested it this, they would freeze ALL Senators expenses, call in an outside accounting firm and do a forensic audit on the whole senate.

But they're not going to. Why? Because they have a chance to embarrass the PM. That's it, that's all.

This isn't about hog troughing senators, or what the PM knew, or how the PMO handled it

This is simply childish, playground name calling and bullying. The MSM and the Opposition playing 'Gottcha'.

It really is the only thing they have to grasp hold of.

If anyone seriously thinks this could topple the government, they have to move to a planet where the sky is blue, because the one they're on is way out there.

:boring:

 

[Rifleman62]

Harper Haters,TM

I thought the media here and the US still have Bushitis.

 

[Remius]

I wish people would stop treating this blip as some sort of palace coup. It's only news because the MSM, and the Opposition, is making it news.

If the MSM, the HoC and the Senate were truly interested it this, they would freeze ALL Senators expenses, call in an outside accounting firm and do a forensic audit on the whole senate.

But they're not going to. Why? Because they have a chance to embarrass the PM. That's it, that's all.

This isn't about hog troughing senators, or what the PM knew, or how the PMO handled it

This is simply childish, playground name calling and bullying. The MSM and the Opposition playing 'Gottcha'.

It really is the only thing they have to grasp hold of.

If anyone seriously thinks this could topple the government, they have to move to a planet where the sky is blue, because the one they're on is way out there.

:boring:

Well, I would hardly call this a blip.  It has been going on for almost a year now and it is mostly of the CPC's making.  From the poor decision to name them in the first place to throwing them under the bus to the ever changing stories.  So yes the media is all over it but, they keep feeding them.

It is relatively minor yes, agreed.  But it is hampering the government's effectiveness because they are forced to focus on this.  It also harms the credibility of the party and the PM.  Most people I know could care less about prorogation, stymied committees, limits on independents and backbenchers etc etc.  But this story has drama and they are all listening and watching or at least somewhat informed. 

Can anyone explain why in gawd's name they brought that senate motion forward when they did?  They should have just stayed the course, refer everything to the investigation at hand and carry on.  instead they have to deal with the monsters they created.

This won't topple the government but it is hurting them.  As I said, advisors should be sacked over this.


Edited for grammar

 

[Jed]

Well, I would hardly call this a blip.  It has been going on for almost a year now and it is mostly of the CPC's making.  From the poor decision to name them in the first place to throwing them under the bus to the ever changing stories.  So yes the media is all over it but, they keep feeding them.

It is relatively minor yes, agreed.  But it is hampering the government's effectiveness because they are forced to focus on this.  It also harms the credibility of the party and the PM.   Most people I know could care less about prorogation, stymied committees, limits on independents and backbenchers etc etc.  But this story has drama and they are all listening and watching or at least somewhat informed. 

Can anyone explain why in gawd's name they brought that senate motion forward when they did?  They should have just stayed the course, refer everything to the investigation at hand and carry on.  instead they have to deal with the monsters they created.

This won't topple the government but it is hurting them.  As I said, advisors should be sacked over this.


Edited for grammar

It is truly amazing how the Harper Hater TM media can cog up the normal governmental process on matters of minimal importance. The same thing seems to be happening south of the border only it appears to me they tend to favor the current US administration against all common sense.