A Tale Told by an Idiot

So last night, a visibly shaken Stephen Harper addressed the national media. Fighting to hang onto his political life, the Prime Minister did what he always does: he blamed the opposition for the mess he got himself into.

The Prime Minister promised Canadians after the election that the Government would act swiftly to introduce an economic update to restore faith in the Canadian economy. Instead, Mr. Harper, who just days before had promised to consult with and work with the opposition, ordered his Finance Minister to pen a Fiscal Update that had no stimulus of any kind, but that was based instead on attacking those who are not too friendly with the Tories: namely women, unions, and any political opposition they can find. That's right, Stephen Harper's foaming at the mouth desire to destroy the Liberal Party means that nothing is too crass, even if we're talking about a major international crisis. Doing the right thing for all Canadians and putting partisanship aside is simply not something that ever enters into the equation for our Prime Minister.

But our MINORITY Prime Minister forgot himself. He forgot that his vanity-exercise election did not give him the parliamentary majority he so dearly wished for. No, he got another minority. Mr. Harper forgot that in a minority parliament, the only votes you get to take for granted are those of your own party. So when the opposition didn't roll over and play dead, Mr. Harper got quite a jolt. All of a sudden, the house of cards was teetering. Imagine the nerve: the opposition was demanding that the government do its job and introduce the stimulus that we were promised. If the government refused to do its job and actually govern, then the opposition decided that someone needed to act like adults, so they committed to setting aside their differences to resolve this economic crisis.

The Prime Minister found himself in a corner, and fumed at the notion of a coalition government. He ranted and raved how this was not proper, how it amounted to hijacking Parliament, and how it was just not fair. I was prepared to defer to him on the notion of a coalition, about which I admit I remain uneasy. But something was nagging at me, and I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Finally, this morning, somebody sent me a link to what it was that had been bothering me. It was a letter, signed by then Leader of the Opposition Stephen Harper, in 2004. Below is the text of the letter:

As leaders of the opposition parties, we are well aware that, given the Liberal minority government, you could be asked by the Prime Minister to dissolve the 38th Parliament at any time should the House of Commons fail to support some part of the government’s program. We respectfully point out that the opposition parties, who together constitute a majority in the House, have been in close consultation. We believe that, should a request for dissolution arise this should give you cause, as constitutional practice has determined, to consult the opposition leaders and consider all of your options before exercising your constitutional authority. Your attention to this matter is appreciated.

So back then, Mr. Harper had no problems with the Opposition getting a kick at the can. Stephen Harper was happy to defy the electorate which had rejected him, and enter 24 Sussex through the back door. There's a word for that where I come from: hypocrite.

So here's my message for the Tories: you didn't get your majority. You wasted 300 million dollars of taxpayer dollars on an election campaign that was the result of the breach of your own fixed election date law. That election left you with another minority Government. Stop using the machinery of government to settle scores. It is petty, and not befitting of the power with which you were entrusted. Work with the opposition. It's what Canadians told you to do in the last election. Only a third of the country wanted to see this government re-elected, and it's time for you guys to show a bit of humility. Do the people's business, and if you continue to refuse to, then we the people will ask that the Governor-General exercise her prerogative to send you packing without sending us another $300 million bill for your continued stupidity.

So here's what I think of all this: the Prime Minister has been caught with his pants down. He's running around like a complete fool now, pulling his hairplugs out in dismay and disbelief that his ironclad grip on power might be slipping away. He has lied, schemed, and cheated to try and hang on. It's downright Shakespearean, when you think about it. Funny how the bard had a lovely quote that sums up the Prime Minister's PR strategy quite nicely:

...it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing."