The man who has no argument....

Have you ever heard the expression the man who has no argument is the man who shouts. 
This is what is happening now in Canada in our Parliament and in our political life. Our Prime Minister
Stephen Harper has ordered a new negative campaign against his latest target the new Liberal Party of Canada Leader Justin Trudeau. The campaign at the moment is based on a series of videos stolen from the Huffington Post, yes copywrite material which the Conservative Party has manipulated digitally and is narrated by its spokesperson Fred de Lorey**, the text is saying that Trudeau has no judgement because he participated in a fund raising for a charity. At this fundraising the female audience was asked to bid on a male stripper, Mr. Trudeau is young, muscular and good looking so he took his shirt off but kept his white undershirt on and raised a lot of money for the Canadian Liver Foundation. The video is very tame and frankly looks more like a lot of good fun at a Church picnic.

All this is very sad because instead of attacking him on a political level and issues debated in Parliament the Conservative have decided to pick at the lowest common denominator in the hope that this will embarrass and make small of a political opponent. There is a principle in a democratic debate that is upheld in any functioning democracy governed by Laws, Constitutions and Parliaments. You can disagree strongly with an opponent and oppose any views this opponent may have but you have to remember that it is a democratic debate of ideas and that in the end your opponent in Parliament is a colleague and NOT your enemy, there is mutual respect despite the strong differences.

Under the government of Mr. Harper that idea has been tossed aside, the Opposition is the enemy and must be either ignored or attacked by slander. For the last 7 years of the Harper government has made an art of slandering in any way possible its opponents or anyone in the public seen as opposing their ideas. Facts are never acknowledged, scientific fact is ridiculed, logic turned on its head, this approach to governing is wearing thin.  But it also shows that Mr. Harper has a limited understanding of democracy and that ultimately is far more dangerous.

Today in the House of Commons, Mr. Trudeau asked 3 questions directed at the Prime Minister on tariffs and trade during Question Period. Mr. Harper instead of answering went on attacking China and linking Mr. Trudeau to facilitating trade with China. This is a rather bizarre reply, given that a week ago Mr. Harper was welcoming Pandas from China we are now renting for $1 million dollars a year for 10 years to facilitate trade with the PRC.

Mr. Harper has also done much to point out that Justin Trudeau has no experience and knows nothing, cannot be trusted he says. That is another strange statement, given that when Mr. Harper entered politics 7 years ago he had never travelled outside Canada, did not have a passport, and is entire political life was concentrated on what he had learned from extreme right wing elements in the USA who were his mentors, many of whom were part of an Evangelical Church whose main tenet is to bring the Rapture. No one has forgotten the days of robot Harper where his clothes were chosen for him and his make up lady made his face up for official photos.

On the other hand Justin Trudeau was born and raised during the period his father was Prime Minister and received a very broad education and travelled around the world with his Dad. Trudeau by his upbringing has a far more universal experience of the world, Government and Parliament than Harper can ever hope to achieve.

So our current PM is worried, this kid could unseat him. It reminds me of Mark Anthony and young Octavian who inherited the Roman Empire when his uncle Julius Caesar died. Octavian was just 19 years old and Mark Anthony was 40. He thought this kid is immature and has no experience we will get rid of him quickly, that is not what happened and Octavian became Augustus, Pater Patriae.

To my mind Harper is the man who has no arguments, a sad pathetic figure whose vision of Canada is not universally accepted. To the attacks Justin Trudeau replied today that since he was 5 years old he has had a microphone shoved in his face so he is not phased by the latest nastiness.


** De Lorey is a member of the International Republican Institute chaired by US Senator John McCain. see iri.org