F grahm

I think the philosophers song captures the moment:

THANKS TO MONTY PYTHON, if only we had known.

Immanuel Kant was a real pissant
Who was very rarely stable.

Heidegger, Heidegger was a boozy beggar
Who could think you under the table.

David Hume could out-consume
Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, [some versions have 'Schopenhauer and Hegel']

And Wittgenstein was a beery swine
Who was just as schloshed as Schlegel.

There's nothing Nietzsche couldn't teach ya
'Bout the raising of the wrist.
Socrates, himself, was permanently pissed.

John Stuart Mill, of his own free will,
On half a pint of shandy was particularly ill.

Plato, they say, could stick it away--
Half a crate of whisky every day.

Aristotle, Aristotle was a bugger for the bottle.
Hobbes was fond of his dram,

And René Descartes was a drunken fart.
'I drink, therefore I am.'

Yes, Graham, himself, is particularly missed,
A lovely little thinker,
But a bugger when he's pissed.

Bill Graham?? the boy lover Bill Graham??
he would be the only one to figure out what Putin was doing undoing boys clothes and kissing them in public.

Never mind Graham; it's the general reaction to Harper that is interesting. Six months ago, the opinions written in would have been heavily anti-Harper. Now, many are stunningly pro-Harper and anti-Liberal.

What is fascinating about Harper is his 'bit by bit' approach, that of the 'bricoleur', who doesn't move in grandiose sweeps, but pragmatic bit by bit. And what he's accomplished in six months, using this tactic of focusing on realities rather than grandiose emotional promises, on real problems rather than fictional problems (the Evil US) - is quite remarkable.

When he was elected, the Liberals said that he didn't have to recall parl't until September. He recalled it within two months and began to pass his promises - all of them - and much more besides. All of it done without great fanfare, and all of it focused on immediate situations, immediate problems.

The Liberals are left with their normal anti-American rants - as evidenced by Steven MacKinnon's Seven Steps that Harper has taken to 'align Canada with Bush's US'; they are realizing that they have never had any policies and so, have nothing to say as the Opposition (aren't they being paid to be the Official Opposition?)...

Quite remarkable.

If it's not a tipping point, it certainly is at least a sea change. It does begin to look like the old-Canada oligarchy's veneer is cracking, their facade is crumbling. Forty years of wintering leaders who were millionaire lawyers from Quebec with close ties to the Demarais family, now being blown away by Mr. Harper's spring winds. It's such a breath of fresh air, it almost takes your breath away.

I say 'Go Bill!'. The more he says the better it is for PMSH. I agree with Angry (AGWN). He (Graham) has contradicted himself so obviously between 2004 and now that nobody even has to criticize him to make him look like a typical Liberal hypocrite. He managed that one all on his own!

You Go Bill!

And don't forget the good deal they got on those slighlty used submarines - LOL

The Liberals look more and more pathetic by the day. Virtually nobody (aside from those on the Liberal payroll) is taking them seriously now.

Bill Graham is a joke.

The dimbos that Graham is pandering to with this crap, are the same simpletons who kept them in office, (and will vote for them again in the next election).
You overestimate the intelligeance of the Canadian voters.

Either that, Davie, or you misunderestimate us.

(See, I told y'all misunderestimate is a valid word.)

The Right Honourable Stephen Joseph Harper (emphasis mine):

"“Across the country, Canadians are joining together to commemorate our nation’s birthday for the 139th time.

“Our country, our way of life, did not happen by accident. We are the product of our values, a country that cherishes freedom, democracy, and the rule of law. Ours is a society characterized by hard work, generosity, and strong communities.

“As Canadians we have a lot of which to be proud. And our future is a bright one - as we strive to build a country that is even better, and even more prosperous. A country that will serve as an example to people everywhere who hope for a better life and a better world.

“With this in mind, I wish all Canadians an excellent Canada Day spent with families and friends.”

************************************

You'll notice how Harper uses nonLiberal phrases such as "hard work", "freedom", and" the rule of law", and doesn't use retarded terms such as "celebrate", "diversity", and "multiculturalism".

Michael "Torture Boy" Ignatieff says that the key to defeating Harper is to defeat his narrative; I say that nobody in the Liberal Party of Canada is capable of defeating Harper's narrative, and Bill Graham is just the latest example.

The old lies don't play anymore, and there appears to be a serious character/talent deficit. Can't say I'm disappointed.

ah yes. mis-spelling "intelligence"... nice job davie. i feel great about the future of this country with the Conservatives in charge. do any of the regulars on here ever question the Party? thought not. you're as bad as Communists.

Question? Sure, Craig. I don't think we should be cutting sales taxes, I think we should be cutting income taxes. I don't think the feds should be involved in municipal politics, that's a provincial jurisdiction. The list goes on. I don't like government.

But that's not the point, is it? Canada is a respresentative democracy of the Westminster Parliamentary variety. That's reality, so unless one's arguing treason or sedition, that's the framework one operates in. Since that is the situation, rational citizens judge their options not according to utopianist ideals, but on a relative merit basis.

Interestingly, Mr. Harper has turned out to be a meritocrat, so he is being judged well.

that's funny, V., it didn't seem like your previous comment was that questioning at all. guess i was wrong. but i can see you have some VERY SERIOUS issues indeed with Harper. yep, that's some thought provoking stuff. thanks.

You're welcome, Craig.

When you have nothing to say or add to the conversation, but feel a need to break the momentum of previous brilliant posts, point out a typo. Craig, I think I hear your mom calling you.

No craig, you've got it all wrong. Liberal fanboys are as bad as Communists. Conservative cheer leaders are neocons/fascists or Bush wannabes. All that aside, Harper has done a much better job than either Chretien or Martin did in their first six months as PM, so I say congratulations to him for a job well done. Hopefully he can stay true to his promises and beliefs and not become corrupted by power like too many of our past leaders did (Martin, Chretien, Mulroney, Trudeau).

if billy 'carter' graham had his way meher arar would still be in a syrian prison. or dead from torture. he felt the best approach was thru 'quiet diplomacy'

how quiet bill? too quiet to hear anything?? quite as the mouse you are???

what a useless dikwad.

truly, I, I, I dont see how anyone with a mediocum of recollect or common sense can support the godammable lieberals a this time.

I noticed the few Harper-haters that left comments are much like the ones we regulrly see here...They don't have anything at all positive to say about the LPC so they simply define their beliefs by what they DON'T believe.
I hate this...I hate that...

BUT,most importantly,I was heartened to see,despite the MSM's best efforts,sooo many other Canadians GET IT!!...the LPC existed in government to serve liberals' best interests,NOT Canadians'!...Man...there's hope for this country yet!

The contradictory line from Graham was that the PM was getting too close to Bush while the past two Liberal PMs had just as a warm relationship with Clinton and Bush.

It seems to me that the praise Bush gave to the PM was the praise Graham and the Liberals should be happy about: That Harper is straight-forward and says what's on his mind while being impatient about issues of Canadian concern.

Mayhap we should send Caroline Parrish to Washington to make sure nothing like this ever happens again.
Right Bill? Bill...? Hello Bill? Are you there?
Paul? Jean? Anyone..?

Heh... the Liebrano$$$ are still burnt toast. One cannot un-toast toast. One needs a new piece of bread... just toss the overtoasted piece onto the compost heap and start anew. The customer won't eat the square piece of charcoal and will demand a better piece.

Dump the LPC... replace it. It's over for the LPC. Period.

This from the man who looked after Canadian citizens so very well.

I am sure Bill graham could get a reference from
Bill Samson
Mahar Arar
Ms Kazamei (of course her reference has to come from beyond the grave)

Booo, Americans are soooo scarey.....just who should we be close to Bill? Maybe we should invite Hugo Chavez up to address Parliament?

Billy is just pandering to the party faithful in an attempt to fend off the preying mantis Jacko Layton who covets Lefty Liberals whil at the same time trying to hold the press corp (corpse?)loyal to the party they served so well for so many years.

Traying, but a pathetic spectacle nonetheless.

What a dipshit Bill Graham is!

I was listening to the Mike Stafford show on my drive home from work last night and surprisingly heard Stephen LeDrew (past president of the LPC) state "Stephen Harper is doing a wonderful job for Canada. My only wish is that he was doing it for the Liberal party of Canada!".

Even he gets it!

For once Graham has made sensable commentary... I think Harper should take the warning seriously but not for the lame-asses Liberal pansy notion that all americans are bad...just that this Republican administration is a disaster and will see a full backlash from the public who are sick of their spending, their abandoned domestic policy and their arrogant above the law attitiudes.

The party is bleeding red ink from true conservatives and long time republicans disassociating themselves with the party after the performance of this administration. With an almost identical regime poised to take over in the Dem cartrel, it is becoming apparent to many US voters that it is pointless who sits in the oval office when the CFR and various elite special interest think tanks are dictating policy to who ever occupies a seat in the capitol.

In short the system is corrupt and the elected government is out of control....Harper has still attempting to turn this very same situation back from destroying Canadian democrcy without burdening his task by becomining embroiled in the special interests of the US administration.

Trade with them, ally with them against common enemies, smile a lot, shake hands at Washington shin-digs, don't bad mouth 'em but stay away from their bizarre trans-national statist agendas driven by the CFR or security branch freakoids.

Fred - I agree with your point. Graham is trying to deal with the 'party faithful' who are faithful for no reason other than that they are and have always been, Liberal. And he's trying to fend of Layton.

The problem with the Liberals is that they, under Chretien, aided by Trudeau's era, moved into a rule by oligarchy rather than by rule of law and policy.

Trudeau's Charter destroyed the ability of most Canadians to participate, officially, in government and led to the creation of a closed governing clique in the Montreal-Ottawa corridor. This clique assumed power, relying heavily on the PMO's ability to appoint members of the clique as gov't authorities without vetting by the House. These appointed were the real gov't. Not the elected House which became irrelevant under the Liberals.

The electoral part of the Liberal Party moved merely to the task of retaining the mood of the electorate. This was achieved by propaganda and MSM manipulation of the people. Key images were, first, anti-Americanism and the rhetoric of self-asserted 'best practices' of health care, tolerance, multiculturalism, peacekeeping. All five of these are empty in themselves but were used as major propaganda 'memes'.

Then, problems began to appear. Health care wasn't working, multiculturalism established isolate ghettoes where people had loyalties that ignored Canada, peacekeeping in a global war on terrorism became irrelevant and anti-Americanism became, simply not enough to manipulate the people.

And, and, the West arose. The Liberal base around Montreal-Ottawa had ignored the West for years. But, the Canadian economy has moved west, and people began to see that the centralist gov't under the Liberals had nothing to do with Canada's well-being and everything to do with the maintenance of a closed oligarchy.

With the rise of the West, came blogs - from the west and elsewhere, that began to do the unthinkable. Criticize. In Liberal dominated Canada, criticism and dissent means that you are 'unCanadian'. They made that clear repeatedly. They kept winning elections using these tactics of 'criticism means that you are anti-Canadian and also, means that you are 'pro-American' and Canadians must be anti-American'.
But, the operative infrastructure was crumbling from within. Health care. Education. And finally, it was revealed. Adscam and how the Liberals were laundering taxpayer money to pay for their election campaigns.

And blogs, blogs, blogs took over from the MSM, who refused to criticize the Liberals.

It's like a clean sharp wind from the West, blowing out the mouldy, decaying fumes of Ottawa. People are starting to wake up. It should be a gradual wakening, based on reality, based on Harper's 'bricolage' tactics of step-by-step practical solutions and changes. And, it's working. Quite remarkable.

We should be very grateful for this change and for his clear steady hand.

As usual, ET has opined with wit and wisdom. But I would like to add that there has always been solid support in Central Canada for reform in Canadian politics. Many us who weathered the taunts of anti-Canadiadism simply for criticizing the governing elites wanted change to a statist-ideal gone horribly wrong. The do-nothing Parliaments supported by 100 Liberal MPs from Ontario obediently obeyed the clique for favours and received "sweet dick all" from them. The only things that kept Central Canada going during this shameless period of un-governance [sorry Orwell!] was free trade and a cheap dollar, both conservative economic policies. These policies kept the money flowing to an aimless Federal government that tried to prop up its base with patronage, state funded psuedo project-programs that were just as useless as the dough given to the sorry ALCOA agency.

Read all of the comments on the moan and wail site and the vast majority, surprisingly, were in support of Stephen Harper. Very Well Done!

Leadership matters and what a leader does matters. If there were a Liberal in office taking a strong anti american stance there would be a chunk of the population that arent normal supporters that would follow.

In this case support for a better relationship with the US done in a decent and strategic manner picks up support.

If Paul Martin had supported BMD then it would have passed....this is the trouble with follwoing polls rather than trying to lead them. Its the reason you need priciples, sorely lacking in previous admin.

As long as SH isnt a toady to the US and couches all rapproachment as "in Canada's interest" then he is fine. As soon as he is perceived to be acting in interestes counter to Canada's and more to an ideology then he'll pay a price.

For the moment he is on totally solid ground. Liberal trunculence left him lots of ground to stand on.

Incumbency and competence matter. SH will get his majority in due time.

Graham Crackers anyone ?

Leadership...exactly!
As interim "leader" of the Libranos, Grahams comments reflect exactly how unfit they are to represent Canadians in any way.

Mind boggling how there are so many deluded fools who still think this bunch of self serving cretins are the best choice for us!
OMMAG

lIBERAL PROPAGANDA: That's what we have been listening to for the past 13yrs which gave way to the entitlements that have robbed us blind. Propaganda has worked to a ruling party's advantage. Europe for example, bombard the people & eventually they will believe. Worked well for the facist & nazis in the 30's Spain, Italy & Germandy but in all societies eventually the mighty will fail & fall. A man will come forward & say enough is enough, He will rise above all & put a stop to it.
In Bill Graham we see that he thinks that the liberal's are still the ruling party & that they know what's best for Canadian's, However now there propoganda will not work for them anymore it just shows them for the fools they are.

This is another great day for Canada. A top Liberal gets up to spout some crap and he gets a beating in the comments section of the Mail. The MAIL !!! When the Toronto Star endorses the NDP, you'll know that the fat lady is finally on stage. Good riddance to the platitude gushing thieves.

Aren't they but a queer bunch of folk the Lieberals??? Including my favorite queer McQuinty the ballless. LOLOLOLOLOL.
On a serious note, how is it that we in Canadian society have forgotten about our past, our involvement in WW1 and 2, the dangers that we overcame since 1900. How have we let the average idiot or pissant get into government and hijack our values,customs and what we believe in. Fuck Bill Graham, the queer ideology and everything else that these asshats keep trying to put on us. I want my country, my values, my Canada back. Tell all those Canadian Euro types to go to Amsterdam if they like it so much cos I can't take them much anymore and I'm right liable to get active and they may not like what I have to present.

Crackers by Graham. ...-

Graham Liberals Senate Reform
30 May 2006

Today Liberal Opposition Leader Bill Graham (Toronto Centre) condemned any moves toward Senate reform. Yet while Liberals are spinning how terrible it would be to reform the Senate, many Liberal MPs have actually called for Senate reform – including former Liberal leader Paul Martin, who promised that he would deal with Senate reform during his time in power – another promise the Liberals failed to keep! Perhaps Mr. Graham should speak with his own colleagues:

The facts:

* Scott Brison (Kings-Hants): “One of the ways to address that is through an elected Senate, particularly one elected to proportional representation. Some people say this creates the potential for gridlock. The competitive friction between two Houses is not a bad thing. In fact, it can prevent politicians from doing dumb things unilaterally unchecked.�? (The Hill Times, May 26, 2003)
* Belinda Stronach (Newmarket-Aurora): Conservative party leadership hopeful Belinda Stronach arrived in Calgary Friday and announced she would appoint both so-called Senators in waiting to the upper chamber should she becomes prime minister. (Calgary Herald, January 24, 2004)
* Keith Martin (Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca): In creating an equal, effective and elected Senate, that long-held Reform dream, Martin favours getting there by attrition, with new senators elected by their respective provinces to replace those retiring. They would serve four-year terms. (Vancouver Sun, June 16, 2000)
* Paul Martin (LaSalle-Emard): "I have long been an advocate of Senate reform," (Calgary Herald, November 18, 2004)
* Paul Martin: "Will I commit, at some point in my mandate, to try to deal with comprehensive Senate reform? Yes," Martin said. (Hamilton Spectator, June 9, 2004)
* Michael Ignatieff (Etobicoke-Lakeshore): Among proposals of his that you won't find in the official Liberal platform: reform the Senate appointment process (Maclean’s, December 8, 2005,)
http://www.conservative.ca/EN/2874/43244

I think what's far more insidious in Billie's comments is the Liberal insinution that somehow Canada's leaders are fundamentally inferior to the Americans. How can it be that a mutually cordial relationship between two entities can only be to the advantage of one unless one of the entities is basically disadvantaged? I can certainly see that this would be the case with Liberal leadership, but it has yet to be shown that this is the case with Harper.

Willy Graham's words are sung by Brucy.

Oh, what a loverly bunch of cocanuts...

Aunty-American Brucy on tour in the US.

Next tour up: Carla Al-Parrish and the Islamists' Choir:

See them all astanding in a row ...-

Cockburn songs rub Americans wrong way
Toronto Star - 7 Jul 2006
His 17-date US tour last fall drew healthy applause for his rich catalogue of social commentary, until he turned his sights on the White House. "They took it personally, I guess," the Toronto singer says in his instantly recognizable baritone. ...
google news

From Hans: (via Python) "Yes, Graham, himself, is particularly missed,
A lovely little thinker,
But a bugger when he's pissed."

Nice double entendre, Hans! I laughed myself silly.

WL Mackenzie: "Harper has still attempting to turn this very same situation back from destroying Canadian democrcy without burdening his task by becomining embroiled in the special interests of the US administration."

I give up. I have tried to parse this sentence a number of times without turning it into anything resembling English. Please try again!

Graha.. can*t even print the name. Considering the source, I am ashamed to waste time on a comment. Pointless.. TG