Same Old, Same Old
"As everyone in this room knows, it has become a right of passage for aspiring leaders and prime ministers to promise Senate reform - on their way to the top - but once they are elected, Senate reform quickly falls to the bottom of the Government's agenda. Nothing ever gets done."
-Stephen Harper, Speech on Senate Reform before Senate Committee, September 7, 2006
The recipe for Senate appointments rarely changes, does it?
-Round up some party cronies
-Make sure at least two thirds are men
-Add an athlete (preferably a hockey player) to deflect attention away from the patronage
-Make the announcement at a time when no one's really paying attention
Yes, the Liberals used the same playbook for years. It's just, you know, they were always fairly upfront about it.
-Stephen Harper, Speech on Senate Reform before Senate Committee, September 7, 2006
The recipe for Senate appointments rarely changes, does it?
-Round up some party cronies
-Make sure at least two thirds are men
-Add an athlete (preferably a hockey player) to deflect attention away from the patronage
-Make the announcement at a time when no one's really paying attention
Yes, the Liberals used the same playbook for years. It's just, you know, they were always fairly upfront about it.
posted by calgarygrit at
11:48 p.m.
6 Comments:
So that makes it OK for Liberals to appoint Senators because they were up front with it?
I know your answer . . . "but Harper said he wasn't going to do it". Lets see now, where have I heard a politician say one thing and do another . . . oh yeah, the Liberal Red Book.
By
Anonymous, at 8:03 a.m.
RE: Prairie Kid...
The other guys did it first is hardly a compelling excuse... especially when the entire Conservative campaign in 2006 was accountability and doing government in a more transparent clean way... but whatever helps you sleep at nite.
By
MERBOY, at 8:19 a.m.
I never said it was OK for the Liberals to do it.
But if you're going to, ya know, attack the Liberals for doing it, it's somewhat hypocritical to go ahead and do the same thing.
By
calgarygrit, at 9:32 a.m.
CG didn't write the Liberal Red Book; he's never to my knowledge supported Liberals appointing Senators.
Yes, PrairieKid - it was wrong for Chretien to promise and not deliver. That's why it's equally wrong for Harper.
-Make sure at least two thirds are men
So true, so true... when will things change?
By
jason Bo Green, at 10:46 a.m.
The Liberals are the hypocites, not Harper!
Liberals PASSED Harper's Senate reform legislation in the House, then BLOCKED it in the Senate. Then they criticized Harper's policy because the all Senate vacancies meant the committees couldn't do their work. They had a point, until Harper appointed Senators specifically chosen to break through the undemocratic Liberal roadblock.
For Harper's part, he promised, proposed and passed legislation, and he is the only Prime Minister to ever appoint elected Senators. Twice!
You Liberals love to twist the facts, but the facts remain.
By
zoop, at 2:49 p.m.
If anyone cared about the Senate, the Reform Party would have swept the nation.
"Your limo use is bad, ours is good"
"Your use of government planes is bad,ours is good"
"Your Senate appointments..."
And on and on.
By
nuna d. above, at 3:17 p.m.
Post a Comment
<< Home