What will be the worst thing about neoconservative hegemony in Canada?

I think what bothers me most about the looming conservative era in Canada is the fact that since its leaders and its most devout followers take inspiration from the American Bushian right, that we will soon end up, as a country, as bitterly divided on matters of public policy as are our American neighbours.

Harper’s personal predisposition towards polarization, and his deft use of wedge issues, is already apparent. Personally, I dread the day when triumphal conservatives ideologues in Canada will have majority government backing to trash the centrist and centre-left opinions of the majority of Canadians (a majority whose electoral power is uselessly divided between the Libs, the NDP and the Bloq.)

As happened with the right wing polarization of America, it seems likely to me that in the coming era of conservative hegemony, that Canadian public discourse will become far more bitter, more heated, more accusatory, more hateful, and more divisive, from Parliament Hill media right on down to the street level, where anyone without a "Support Our Troops" decal on their bumper will be seen as questionable. And I really, really, hate that prospect.

So what do you dread most about the coming era of conservative dominance?

- B

message: Unite or die a horrible (politically speaking) death. I don't agree with your message but kudos on your passion.

your premise that there will be such an era.

So I guess you and other coming-neocon-hegemony deniers are exempt from the question.

Fine with me, but I still wonder what people who can see it coming fear most about what happens after the next election, when Harper is in full control.

When I think of this, what scares me most is not the impact of any of his specific policies as such, which I'm sure we can survive.

What may do lasting and profound damage to the tolerant Canada we now know, however, is the corrosive social divisions, and the breakdown in civil discourse, that happens whenever ideologues with right-wing agendas achieve power.

It's what happend in the US, and it is what will happen here when Harper gets full control. The prospect of this is what bothers me most about what's coming down.

- B

Do you believe if the left, center-left parties united, all would be solved? That is THE solution?

Why would you think a neophyte party that has never been in a governance position before will become a hegemony yet the reality is they are in a minority government position?

Do you believe if the left, center-left parties united, all would be solved? That is THE solution?

I don't think uniting (or voting strategically) would solve all problems, but it would prevent Harper from getting the 40 per cent plurality he needs to get a majority of seats in the next Parliament.

You then ask:

Why would you think a neophyte party that has never been in a governance position before will become a hegemony yet the reality is they are in a minority government position?

I have watched Harper for years, I have read all I can about him, and I am now watching him closely. He now has power, he is very smart and politically very astute, and the opposition are fighting each other.

All this looks looks to me like Harper is building quite nicely to get the 40 per cent plurality he needs in the next election to defeat a divided centre-left majority.

Nothing all that complicated about it, really.

For my part, I now think 6-10 years of neocon rule is pretty well inevitable, since Harper is making all the right moves, and since it seems quite unlikely that Liberal and NDP partisans will get their act together in time to give Canadians a reliable way of stopping Harper from getting a majority.

- B

opinion of him than you seem to:

"I have watched Harper for years, I have read all I can about him, and I am now watching him closely. He now has power, he is very smart and politically very astute, and the opposition are fighting each other."

He is the antithesis of politically astute, he has made major errors all along in his career. The only way he could get the Canadian people to even give him a minority chance was to pretend to be something he is not, a Conservative in the true sense of the word. He only received a chance at a MINORITY government because of the Liberal scandal and their arrogance about it.

You have little faith in the Canadian people and way too much faith in Harper, imo.

The left, center-left has been split since the inception of the CCF yet the Liberals managed to win many majority governments, I wonder how that could possibly have happened????

The faux Cons, on the other hand, once there was a split on the right, couldn't win even one, how 'odd', and, once they did 'unite' they could only get a minority.

I guess we will see who is right in the not too distant future.

but

He is the antithesis of politically astute, he has made major errors all along in his career.

Couldn't have been that major if he ended up as Prime Minister.

In fact, objectively speaking, the Tories have been formidible in their strategy and have laid waste to everyone else. Simply dismissing their machine with some vague notion of a coming 'red Republican state' with hell-fire evangelists swooping in from Alberta is not really going to cut it anymore.

Now we'll dispense with our 'Son of Odin' tactics as they are obvious and stupid. But you on the other hand must be educated enough to see that the Tories are scoring points with the electorate, nonetheless and their numbers continue to be strong.

They have a very good read of the mood of the public and I am afraid the other parties are in a holding pattern; the liberals for obvious reasons, the Bloc is a 'who cares' and the NDP?

I am beginning to think that perhaps Jack might have a dossier hidden in somewhere in a secuirty deposit box--how else can one explain the fact that they are free for the next little while to 'go after' the Tories and get a pretty fair shake on any policies they might want to roll out for the next election.

My 2 cents

"They have a very good read of the mood of the public..." but very much agree with the rest of that sentence, "and I am afraid the other parties are in a holding pattern; the liberals for obvious reasons, the Bloc is a 'who cares' and the NDP?"

The don't have a read on the public except to know, which anyone with one eye and half an asshole would also know, that doing nothing of consequence right now is safe. Even at that, they didn't quite get that right with the no press move, mistake, yes, mega, no. Also, if they had such a great read on the public, they would not have to institute a gag order on their own members or bar the press.

Re the other parties, it is fascinating watching the dance going on, especially with Jack who seems to be in it for himself rather than for the principles of his party, no different than any of the other leaders though, I grant you that.

The Libs are impotent for a number of reasons: First and foremost, the upcoming leadership imbroglio and, secondly: Their total responsibility for the change in mission in Afghanistan from one of NATO peacekeeping to one of combat, an issue they have to be either mute or supportive on.

Who does Harper have to court to get the requisite votes to stay in power? The Bloc or the NDP? I suspect the Bloc is more palatable to them and, also, worth a great deal more in votes than any 'blackmail' from the NDP for the next election.

to become Prime Minister before his 40th birthday, and the reply back to me has always been: yes, but he was only in office for ten months.

Stephen Harper has been the prime minister so far for less time than Clark, so calling him politically astute is premature. Let's see if he makes it through an entire year.

and his arrogance has already begun to rear it's head. Time will tell for sure.

Stephen Harper has been the prime minister so far for less time than Clark, so calling him politically astute is premature. Let's see if he makes it through an entire year.

That's a good point. My timeline here is going back to the last minority government and the fact that it's the strategy that he is following. Let's be honest Harper was bad in the 2004 election and there was a minute where he looked like he would step down. He got smart.

But well see--to emphasis your point, the real fun begins when the Harpies deal with blowback from the Budget on all sides, including their own little den of grumpies. The Tories have some large 'grassroots' organizations, namely their Christian wing and small business lobby, that expect something and he hasn't had to deal with any of that yet.

If his strategy is to keep everyone quiet...that'll backfire in spectacular ways. Nobody wants to talk to Tory backbenchers and they 'got lots to say' and all it takes if for a couple of them to go 'native' and Harper is NOT strong enough to keep that ship together.

Your right--my assessment might be a bit pre-mature.

same cloth as the mouth-breathing troglodytes of the "unite the right" movement from a few years ago. As a Clarkist/Orchardist Progressive Conservative who was deeply involved with the NO MERGER movement in 2003, I have a lot of problems with the idea of uniting the Liberals and New Democrats, knowing full well that it will be no more than a hostile takeover. I've been there, and I quite naturally distrust -- almost to the point of despising -- people with the black and white, almost Bush-like, thinking that allows for only two parties, one from the left, one from the right.

Progressive Conservatives are nothing like Reform/Alliance folks, just as Liberals and New Democrats are totally different animals (remember which party in Saskatchewan opposed Medicare? Hint: it starts with an "L"), and we all have different agendas. Those who don't appreciate the nuances of the various political parties have little to offer to Canadian political discourse.

A divided left along with a right wing biased media gave us the horrible mess we have right now. I'm just warning you.

I don't think that you're helping bragi at all.
You have a 'united' left, and you lost to a monkey. Twice.

RIGGED!

OURS I tell you! :D

Then we'd have a truly united left... but the Liberals choose to align themselves with the right.

As for your conservative future... not going to happen. Canada and the US have different people. We're naturally more skeptical of things like war and what not. The Canadian people will never become what you're fearing, it's not in us.

Should he win and swing to the right (to be in line with Bush), would he be able to get a second term or would the Cons be crushed just as they were in 1993? Many here claim that it is only a matter of time before Canada elects a majority Con government.

If an election were held today with the cons at 41 per cent, he would get a majority. And his support is still growing.

- B

Also, once the Libs get their new leadership team in place, can they work to push down Harper in the polls?

He's proving to be even more of a ninny than I gave him credit for. And I don't believe that Canada will elect a majority conservative gov't.

I do fear the polarization, it is a terrible thing. Ofcourse the fundies coming out of the woodwork is scary too.

...and I know that evangelical Christianity, and regular church attenders, are percapita far lower in Canada then in the US. Yet your sky is falling schtick makes it sound like we're likely to face the same problems. The fact of the matter is demographically Canada and the US are not the same, so therefore culturally they're not either.

I don't recall raising in this thread the matter of comparative religiousity. My point was/is that I don't look forward to the bitter social and political polarization that conservatives foster to get and stay in power. The Harper administration is already setting the stage for this, the same way that Harris did in Ontario.

- B