The opposition parties leaders, Liberal's Michael Ignatieff, NDP's Jack Layton and BQ's Gilles Duceppe briefly mingled in a vicious pack and in unprecedented move brought down the Harper's five-year-old minority Conservative Government. Last time they've tried the same stunt, they failed miserably and despite their latest second attempt success, they will hardly gain or change anything this time either. The general election will be called for the first week in May and after its all done and the dust settles, the same, most likely even stronger Conservative minority (and perhaps even majority) government will be re-established. Nothing will be accomplished and the federal coffers will be lighter by the election cost of roughly 300 Million Dollars from the taxpayers pockets.
Never mind the desperate strategy and arguments used to topple the Conservatives - if a motion of no-confidence didn't work, they'd probably reached the same result by rejecting the annual budget, or they'd come with something else sooner or later. Let's make one thing clear, the whole charade is not about undisclosed costs of government's tough-on-crime bill, corporate tax cuts or plans to purchase fighter jets. Those are only the opposition parties red herrings and we will hear about those issues again, many times during their election campaigns. But the real and only reason they gave Mr. Harper the boot is much simpler and not so noble whatsoever. If you guessed it's all about a power and greed, you're absolutely right. Over and over again, for the millenniums of mankind existence, the history repeats itself. The potential leaders are so eager and thirsty for power, they can't conceal it even if they try.
In the next thirty-six days we're going to witness all the involved parties throwing about everything in the book, the voters like to hear. The righteous, but empty promises about a health- and child-care improvement, securing a pension plan, focus on education, human rights, environment, reducing national deficit, building strong economy and re-establishing Canada's international prestige. The competing parties individual platforms are not so different from each other, in fact, they look like carbon copies. "We are here to listen to the voice of our great nation and we will sacrifice everything to follow the people's commands and wishes". There'll be a plenty of such cliches,catchphrases and claptraps, but primarily, we'll see no shortage of ugly mud slinging and slandering. After all, a negative advertising - a casting malicious slurs on the opponents has proved to be the most effective tool to discredit any of them.
To me personally, none of it matters, I never waste my time to go to the polls to cast my ballot. Never in the past, not this year and/or any time in the future. Some confused people say: "You have to vote, otherwise you have no right to complain about anything later". The hell I do! On this one, I'm in agreement with the great late George Carlin, who once quoted:
"If you vote, and you elect dishonest, incompetent politicians, and you screw things up, then you're responsible for what they've done. You voted them in. You caused the problem. You have no right to complain."
Not that it really matters, who's the next party governing this country, but you can bet your bottom dollar, come this May, Stephen Harper will be back in the saddle of his high horse. And he knows. The other three, disillusioned, power hungry clowns don't get it. Without forming a coalition - which option is clearly out of the table - none of them stands the chance. And that's fine with me. At least on outside, Harper displays the old-fashioned, classy leadership qualities, paramount to succeed as a head of state: he's smooth and convincing, eloquent speaker, well groomed and always in control of his emotions. Is he a control freak, ruling with an uncompromising, dictatorship style? Perhaps. But without those properties, no lion can stay alive for too long.
Happy ballotage,
Milo.
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