From the Vancouver Sun comes word of yet another campaign promise Steve Harper has decided he'd rather not keep (h/t While the Earth Burns).
During, and just after, the election:
Harper, while unveiling his “Stand up for B.C. platform” in Victoria during the 2006 election campaign, promised an inquiry into the “mismanagement” of the Fraser River fishery.
He reiterated that promise after becoming prime minister in a public statement that included a vow to end “racially divided” fisheries on the West Coast. But the government hasn’t fulfilled either vow.
And today:
(CPC Fisheries Minister Loyola) Hearn said a judicial probe wouldn’t likely unearth anything that wasn’t raised in two 2005 reports, one by a parliamentary committee and another by former B.C. judge Bryan Williams.
“There’s a lot more important things to do, and … judicial inquiries cost five, 10, 15, 20 million dollars,” Hearn told The Vancouver Sun.
“And there are a lot of ways I could spend (that money) that would do a lot of good, rather than finding out the same thing we’ve already found out at least twice in the past, and probably knew even before we had these studies."
Think they'll ever admit it was a stupid promise to make in the first place, driven not by sound policy but by political opportunism? Nah, me neither.
Don't get me wrong, I'm actually glad Steve has sagely decided to flip-flop on this one. And, in fact, if he's interested I'd be happy to send over a list of other campaign promises I'd love him to flip-flop on. You know how to reach me Steve.
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Another Harper flip-flop
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12 comments:
And, in fact, if [Harper's] interested I'd be happy to send over a list of other campaign promises I'd love him to flip-flop on.
Very decent of you. But perhaps you could convince your guy to stop flip-flopping in the opposite direction first ...
Yep... just a flippin and a flopping... poor Dion, just a fish out of water.
Whooee! All this here flippety-floppin' usually amounts to is somebuddy facin' facts when they can't deny them facts any longer. Harpoon hadta face the fact that income trusts oughta be taxed an' he hadta face the fact that Canajuns won't buy a Clean Air Act that don't live up to its name an' he hadta face the fact that it ain't cost effective t' deploy them ice-breakin' battleships up in the arctic like he sed he would an' who-knows-how-many other fact facin' flip-flops he's done or will hafta do before long.
Flip-floppers is fact-facers. Nothin' wrong with facin' facts, sez I, but if they had a good understandin' in the first place, they already would o' known them facts an' wouldn't hafta flip-flop when they finally face 'em.
JB
they already would o' known them facts an' wouldn't hafta flip-flop when they finally face 'em
Right Jim, because the facts never change. Just like circumstances never change, and how new information never comes to light. If something is true one day, it must be true the next, because the world is immutable and what we knew in the past is all that we can possibly know in the future.
Signed,
Liberal Spin Doctors
And what have learned from this? All promises made by politicians should come with a qualification. For example, "I promise to deliver X as long as nothing material changes between this date and the deadline for me to deliver on my promise."
So for Jeff's example here, Harper should have said "I promise to execute an inquiry into the mismanagement of the Fraser River fishery as long as future circumstances don't dictate that this is would be a total waste of time and money." Or "I promise not to touch Income Tax taxation as unless every major company in Canada threatens that, in order to maximize their shareholder value, they have no choice but to take advantage of this ridiculous tax loop hole."
See. Wouldn't that solve everything? Then we wouldn't have to read asinine posts stating that "AAAHHHHHH, Harper flip-flopped, AHHHHHH, Harper can't be trusted, AAAHHHHH, I would have done the same thing"
"
No one's getting spinnier these days than you and your blue ilk, McFlea. This habit of always pulling out a picture of someone else and getting appoplectic isn't becoming, but certainly you girls are mastering it. Because we know it doesn't matter how big the lie, as long as you shout it it will carry.
But remember, your favourite hobby horse could be on Harpor's hit list next -- that is if he cares about the level of epoxy in dildos...
But remember, your favourite hobby horse could be on Harpor's hit list next -- that is if he cares about the level of epoxy in dildos...
It's really interesting to me how so many of the anti-Harper crowd makes gay jokes now. What gives?
That's not an anti-gay joke. It's a (hilarious) insult that highlights the CON-troll's single-minded focus on climax, such as the one he or she achieves when scoring against a political adversary with an action (such as introducing irrelevant, off-topic remarks in a dialogue) that are as meaningful to the rest of us as his or her preferences in sex toys. But saying all that is dull. Dildo, all on its own, is simply a fun word.
What McLea meant to say was that Harper broke one of his promises, and therefore should not be trusted when he promises anything. But that's too concise (and hardly interesting) and would probably result in denunciation from the Conservative Central Committee for being too "off-message."
Then we wouldn't have to read asinine posts...
Ok, fess up. Who's forcing all these CON-trolls to read non-CON blogs?
Ok, fess up. Who's forcing all these CON-trolls to read non-CON blogs?
You don't think it's foolish for someone to jump all over Harper for "flip-flopping", and then a paragraph later admit that he did the right thing?
To each their own I suppose.
Perhaps the wider point was unclear, my fault for not being more obvious and clear and banging it over the head.
All this crap over flip-flops is dumb. And it's all I hear from the Cons these days, from Harper and his MPs to Blogging Tories. Dion flip-flop this, Flipper that. It's stupid.
So, as long as this flip-flop BS is going to be an official CPC talking point, I am going to point out every example of the rampant flip-flopping Harper and company are doing themselves until they get off this stupidity.
Ok, Jeff, I see your point.
But it is fair ball to point out a "flip-flop" (though I hate the term - sounds dumb as hell) when a Party and/or a leader changes course on an issue that was/is of high importance, especially when it's (a) done on a dime, (b) not done for any particularly good reason, other than to score points, and/or (c) done in respect of a promise that shouldn't have been made.
Both the Libs and the Tories have done this, and it's reasonable to point that out, as they'll both have to wear it come the next election. (The BQ & federal NDP do not, of course, need to be concerned about this, as they haven't governed - and therefore haven't had the chance/reason to "flip")
And as for the "flip-flop" thing being an "official CPC talking point" ... I don't know, but a read-through of the Liblog site from time to time strongly suggests that the Libs don't mind using the term it when it suits them - and not in the apparently-ironic way you were going for.
Perhaps the wider point was unclear, my fault for not being more obvious and clear and banging it over the head.
Oh, and now you're flip-flopping. What is it...an epidemic?
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