Keeping it real
posted by Babbling Brooks @ 10:49 a.m.
13 comments
Babbling Brooks
Where left is never right.
Friday, February 10, 2006
Profile:
I'm an Ontario redneck who hopes Alberta will invade and occupy Ontario sometime in the next week or so. I'm a proud Papa Bear to Boo and Mini-Boo. My wife Litlbit is sexy. I'm not very. I'm a small-c conservative. You want to know more, start reading the blog. Oh, I almost forgot. I believe most problems can be solved with weaponry of a high enough calibre. Take me seriously at your own peril.
The opinions expressed by me on this blog are my own, and should not be attributed to any other group, organization or individual with which I am affiliated. Neither do others' comments to my posts represent my opinion. Furthermore, any links I provide to other websites are for information purposes only, and don't imply any endorsement on my part. And if anything in this entire disclaimer is news to you, you need to give your head a shake and join the reality-based community.
Contact me
All e-mails are presumed to be for publication on the site unless otherwise indicated. Even then, I might mock the odd ignorant correspondent as an anonymous twit. Think about it before you hit the "send" key.
Previous Posts
- Doing the Stone Boat, and all Canadians proud
- ...versé leur sang sur la terre de France...
- The trouble with O'Connor isn't O'Connor
- Why
- BZ, Cpl Jacob Petten
- STFU
- Unimpressed. Disgusted, in fact.
- Realistic training saves lives
- Six of one
- Four posterity
I remember this flag, and those who served under it.
"Blow out, you bugles, over the rich Dead! There's none of these so lonely and poor of old, But, dying, has made us rarer gifts than gold..." - Rupert Brooke
"You make me want to be a better blogger." - Jack Nicholson...kind of
- Argghhh!
- Belmont Club
- Bound By Gravity
- Daimnation!
- Dust My Broom
- InstaPundit
- Political Staples
- small dead animals
- Bob Tarantino
- Tart Cider
- Stephen Taylor
- Taylor & Company
- The Tiger In Exile
...and the rest of the best...or best of the rest...or something cheerily complimentary
- Autonomous Source
- the blog quebecois
- My Left Wing Girlfriend
- Target Centermass
- Hacks and Wonks
- All things Canadian...
- Captain's Quarters
- Mader Blog
- Not the PHB
- Le Blog de Polyscopique
- wakinguponplanetx
- The Last Amazon
- The Urban Refugee
- Responsible Government League
- John The Mad
- Minority of One
- Quotulatiousness
- Raging Kraut
- The Phantom Observer
- West Coast Chaos
- Celestial Junk Blog
- Blue Blogging Soapbox
- Jay Currie
- Afghanistan Watch
- Defence of the Realm
"Never doubt that a small, group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Meade
- The Torch
- E-Group
- Gods of the Copybook Headings
- CFP Blog
- Ahab's Whale
- CanConv
- The Ruxted Group
- The Black Rod
- OPFOR
"The press is our chief ideological weapon." - Nikita Khrushchev
- Andrew Coyne
- Colby Cosh
- James Lileks
- Paul Wells
- David Akin
- Adam Daifallah
- Mark Steyn
- Andrew Sullivan
- Paul Tuns
- Adam Radwanski
- Gerry Nicholls' NCC Blog
- Jack's Newswatch
- Rick McGinnis
- Kathy Shaidle
- Bill Doskoch
- Rondi Adamson
"The doubt of an earnest, thoughtful, patient and laborious mind is worthy of respect." - John Lancaster Spalding
- Calgary Grit
- Peace, order and good government, eh?
- Andrew Spicer
- Crawl Across the Ocean
- James Bow
- Tilting at Windmills
- The View From In Here
- The Amazing Wonderdog
- Gen X at 40
- Flit
"Sanity calms, but madness is more interesting." - John Russell
- Ghost of a flea
- Some Thoughts
- The Superficial
- Hog On Ice
- Rick Mercer's Blog
- The Adventures of ACCORDION GUY in the 21st Century
- John Bowman
The Blogging Tories
"A man who has both feet planted firmly in the air can be safely called a liberal as opposed to the conservative, who has both feet firmly planted in his mouth" - Jacques Barzun
13 Comments:
Garth is the new rat pack and he aims 360 degrees. You Ben and I agree on this apparently. There is hope for the future.
Did you not get the memo? Do not talk about this...
Watch out for Analogue
I can only hope that you similarly encourage every social conservative to debate the merits of abortion legislation, repeal of same sex marriage, and other similar initiatives which the Party democratically chose to specifically not support in the media instead of in the caucus room.
After all, electing Liberals is what we really want, isn't it? Ensuring that none the the proposed reforms ever find the force of law?
Garth has demonstrated that he has no respect for democracy: the Party Leadership, democratically selected, made a decision that was in their power to make, and his first thought as a Member of that governing party is to undermine it publicly? To let the minority who support him (Turner) claim to rule over the majority?
Hey "Paul" - sock puppets aren't welcome here. One alias is all you're allowed.
Oh, and right-wing trolling will get you deleted the same way left-wing trolling does.
What are you talking about? I have only ever posted under my name. No aliases, ever.
And if someone has the temerity to suggest that this isn't the only topic about which there is likely to be public disagreement about policy directions - that it is important for MPs such as Garth Turner to respect the democratic processes of the Conservative Party as much as it is for the rest of caucus, that you threaten to delete such comments?
Have you become so ill-prepared to deal with polite discourse from anyone who might question the wisdom of your support for such behaviour?
Far be it from me to ever disagree with you in the future. Please be so kind as to let me know what my opinion is supposed to be.
Maybe it is because your words...
"Garth has demonstrated that he has no respect for democracy"
...makes absolutely no sense. Garth (who I never would have voted for being an NDPer) spoke a truth - he said what he stood for in the election stands after the election. Wow. Democracy within "The Party" is not really democracy - it is oligarchy. Because 4.5 days have already given us all the yips, Little Stevie has about 5 to 25 days to turn around his ship and get it back onto the theme of open and transparent government. Folk like you who mistake democracy within a party with democracy are what gets us in this mess every time.
So what your opinion ought to be, seeing as you need to be told, is credible. Better luck next time.
My mistake, Paul - I read a number wrong.
I understand the need for caucus solidarity on some matters, but I don't believe that this is one of them. We don't want a bunch of trained Liberal seals on the government benches, with blue ties instead of red.
Our party campaigned on doing things differently in Ottawa. Show me a single Conservative who campaigned on unelected cabinet appointments and switch-before-the-swearing-in ministers. Oh, I know Harper didn't rule it out, but if it caught this much of the party faithful off guard - including many in his own caucus - you can't claim this was the plan all along.
There's a time to be a good soldier and shut up when the orders come down, and that's most of the time. But there's also a time to say "With respect, no sir." It's always a judgement call when you do it, and you always have to be willing to pay the price if you're wrong - and sometimes if you're right.
Turner's taking a stand. You might find it foolish and wrongheaded, but I agree with him.
[Forgive me for lashing out in response to what appears to have been a simple error. I apologize.]
But there's also a time to say "With respect, no sir."
I absolutely agree. There's also a place. And that place is in caucus, not in the press. Some people actually think that unless you disagree in the papers that you don't disagree at all! That every discussion must be mediated by the media. Ridiculous!
Garth acknowledges publicly that he was told how and when to raise such a discussion, and then he persists in dragging the discussion through the media.
As for my comment about his (limited) respect for democracy: it was a bit strong, but I am furious over his behaviour. Every Canadian wants him (and every MP) to represent the views of his constituents. But there are ways that he can do that and still show respect for his democratically elected Party leader and caucus colleagues whom he has hung out to dry.
He is also fully aware that Bill C-251 failed in the House: the issue has been discussed, yet he is unwilling to recognize that result.
He could have said, "I don't understand this, but my democratically selected Prime Minister has the authority to take this action at this time." No more. He then proceeds into caucus to raise his concerns with his colleagues.
Instead, he has forced everyone to take a position either with him or with the Prime Minister, on an issue and at a time that doesn't need to have been so publicly divisive.
I have not a shred of doubt that other MPs are taking a stand. But they are doing so in a forum in which they can remain effective.
This is not the only issue over which there will be disagreement among Conservative MPs. This behaviour from Garth Turner does not provide a positive example for others to follow.
Fair enough and well put but what is up with Harper's leadership skills that this happened. Did he set out rules for communication for all MPs during the recruitment process? One would have thought that after his treatment of the strong headed Stronach in the days before she quit he might have learned something. Not being a Tory myself, then, there is the prospect of Turner - having been now told he has no place in future plans - becomes the new rat pack or even the new Chuck Cadman. Why wouldn't he?
...it was a bit strong, but I am furious over his behaviour.
I appreciate your honesty, Paul. Please understand that this is how I feel about the Emerson appointment.
People have a right to disagree and be upset, but MP's must keep it in caucus, not the media.
That said, sometimes you must take a stand and principle must trump loyalty. However, is this the hill you want to die on?
You can choose to die only once, and I think Garth has wasted all his political capital on a somewhat minor issue, compared to all the others the conservatives want to implement.
It is his capitla to spend, so more power to him. I see no upside on this for Garth, and if he thinks this is so wrong, how does he plan to fix it by mouthing off?
Does he feel he will have more results out of caucas than in? How will sitting as a independant help?
Perhaps it is me, but I fail to see how his actions are going to help and he just comes off looking like a media hound.
Barf all you want, Peter, as long as it's not in my comments section. It's covered in enough crap from Anonalogue as it is.
Post a Comment
<< Home