Reading newspapers

I ask myself sometimes what is the point of reading newspapers either in print or on the internet. Most National papers in Canada are now owned by large corporations who have little to do with the news world, owning a paper is a matter of prestige and more to the point of pushing ones business/corporate agenda on the public. Canadians believe or want to believe that newspapers are independent and stories based on facts, editorials are serious unbiased reflections on events. Not so anymore, the news is all about entertainment and influencing public opinion.

This past week I read about the Harper government doing away with the Canadian Health Board which  monitors health program delivery in all provinces in Canada. Reason given by PM Harper is that as of 2014 the agreement on health care program funding between the Federal government and the Provinces will come to an end. The Federal government will no longer be involved and this means that Western Provinces who currently are wealthier will have better health coverage than poor Eastern Provinces (this includes Ontario), in general the health of Canadians will be affected.

In Parliament the New Democratic Party (NDP) who are the Official Opposition are presenting a motion on the secret FIPA treaty between China and Canada, the life of this so called free trade treaty is 31 years. The Chinese Government will be able to sue secretly Canadian Companies and demand damages which is to be paid by the Federal Government. You can well imagine that the Communist Party in China will go after all Canadian companies, think Bombardier and will undermine them so that Chinese companies can take over, economic colonization. PM Harper sees nothing wrong with that claiming it will create jobs. Canadian companies will not gain anything in the process and certainly will not be able to sue Chinese companies (mostly owned by the Communist party) for damages in China.
Strangely the little Western African Country of Benin has been able to negotiate a better trade deal with the Chinese.

Parliament is broken, it was revealed by the Whip of the Conservative Party that Members of Parliament do not represent their constituents but the views of the Party Leader. In Canada we do not elect our Prime Minister, the leader of a Political Party is chosen to form a Government by the Governor General based on the majority of seats won by any Party after an election. Something most Canadians do not understand. The right of Members to ask questions in the House on what is of concerns to their Constituents has been taken away by the Party Leaders and instead MPs ask questions based on what the Party Leader wants to hear. The Speaker of the House has become a lap dog to the Prime Minister.  Currently there is a fight in Parliament for more independence for Members of Parliament so they can re-assert their rights. Otherwise what is the point of Parliament if the business once conducted in the House, like the latest Budget, is now handled by un-elected staffers in secret who work for the PM.

In the last 7 days the attack ads against Justin Trudeau have been shown more than a quarter of a million times on television by the Conservative Government of Mr. Harper. Who pays for all this, the taxpayers.  On Radio-Canada this morning a commentator gave this analogy, it was Herr Goebbels, Propaganda Minister to the Fuhrer, who said repeat a lie 10 times and it is still a lie, repeat it 1000 times and it becomes the truth.

The Minister responsible for the now defunct Canadian International Development Agency (now a branch of the Dept of Foreign Affairs) asked for all his briefings to be written in English only, in other words ''Speak White''. The Harper Government tried to deny this but unfortunately for them, there is a paper trail pointing to the Minister. So much for Official Languages in Canada, most of the Members and Ministers of the Harper Government do not speak French and have no interest in respecting Bilingualism. It was Sir John A. MacDonald our first Prime Minister who said in 1867 that if you wanted a man to vote for you, you had to speak his language. Sir John A. a Conservative, spoke French.

Also this morning a story in the papers about a Cézanne discovered in the vaults of the National Gallery of Canada. The morning show on Radio-Canada said that the painting had been lost in 1983 and was only discovered again by accident last week. Great deal of laughter all around, how can you loose a Cézanne. However in the English paper The Ottawa Citizen, the story is very differently presented. Apparently this painting which is just a sketch and is unsigned though it is known to be a Cézanne arrived in Canada from Europe via Bermuda during the Second World War and it is believed that it could be part of stolen art works belonging to a Jewish family or someone, that is not clear. The Citizen goes on to suggest that maybe the NGC knew this all along and was not forthcoming in returning to painting to its rightful owners whoever that may be, no one knows despite research into the matter.

The Ottawa Citizen has always been anti-museum, its editorial line is, why do we need to spend money on art in general, its not efficient and it brings in no money, its for the elite, the masses have no need of art and culture, unless we are speaking of Justin Bieber.

The Director of the NGC pointed out correctly that the National Gallery does not claim to own this painting, it is only acting as custodian for the time being, it is a very complex situation given the lack of records on it and no known owner. The director pointed out that the NGC has never in its long history been involved in looted or stolen art works, The Ottawa Citizen appears unsatisfied.

I have also noticed how the Globe and Mail which use to be a respectable National Newspaper has now sided very clearly with the Prime Minister, the editorial line now appears to be Mr. Harper can do no wrong, while the Opposition and the new Liberal Leader are fumblers.

Canada use to be known as a wealthy country, it is now referred to by political commentators as a relatively poor country.

There is a lot more, this is why I wonder why read the news.



 

The Houses of Parliament at the Palace of Westminster

Under sunny skies with a cold wind went to visit the Houses of Parliament at the Palace of Westminster. In ancient times around 1099 and up to 1547 this was a Royal Palace and Kings lived in a group of buildings. Only after the death of Henry VIII did his son Edward VI give the palace to Parliament and it met in Saint-Stephen's Chapel from 1547 to 1834. What the Parliamentarians inherited was in a ramshackle state, not what you see today.  So the buildings we see today were built between 1840 and 1870 by John Barry and Augustus Pugin. Inaugurated by Queen Victoria when she was still a young Queen. What is truly old of the entire complex is Westminster Hall built by Rufus the son of William II in 1099. This is where all visitors assemble before starting on the tour. This magnificent hall has seen a lot of history, more recently this is where Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother was lying in State prior to her funeral.

The great stain glass window in Westminster Hall.

The Westminster Hall was the seat of the Royal Law Courts until 1822. Many famous trials took place in this great hall, Thomas More, King Charles I, Robert Deveraux Count of Essex, Guy Fox, all condemned to death. Oliver Cromwell was proclaimed Lord Protector in 1653. Truly this great hall is the history of England.

Oliver Cromwell, the Lord Protector.

We then ascended the steps and turned left entering St-Stephen's Hall which use to be a Chapel until 1547, the Commons met in that room for many centuries until the great fire of October 1834.

The tour starts at the Sovereigns gate which is the entrance at Victoria Tower. The reason for this is to illustrate to the visitor that 3 elements form Parliament, 1. the Sovereign, 2. the People (Commons) 3. the Peers (Lords) all 3 elements only meet one day a year when the Sovereign Queen Elizabeth comes to Parliament to read the Speech from the Throne. For Canadians this is just like our own Parliament in Ottawa, the ceremonial and its significance is just the same, some years the Queen will read the Speech from the Throne other years it will be the Governor General.

The Royal Robing Room

The ceremonial is explained by the guides, we were shown the robing room were the Sovereign will put on the robes of State and the great train which requires 4 male pages to carry it otherwise she would never be able to walk forward it being so heavy. The Imperial State Crown weighs about 5 lbs meaning its like wearing a big bag of sugar on your head and she alone must  put it on and adjust it. Attendants are not permitted to help, the Crown is considered Sacred and a symbol of Authority, only the Sovereign can handle it.

The room where Queen Victoria had her question about that fresco.

The procession would go through an anti-chamber on its way to the House of Lords where the walls hang with frescoes, our guide pointed out one such fresco in which the Duke of Wellington on his horse at Waterloo is seen shaking hands with the Prussian General Blucher. Apparently Queen Victoria was puzzled by this scene and on her way to the House of Lords, stopped and asked if this handshake had ever really taken place, she could not remember anyone ever telling her this. The event depicted was well within living memory and Wellington was still alive. Panic ensued no one knew exactly what to answer. She was finally assured that yes they did shake hands on the battlefield and the procession continued. The House of Lords is very ornate with Royal Symbolism, the prominent colour is red.

The House of Lords or upper chamber of Parliament where the Queen reads the Speech from the Throne. The Speaker does not sit on the throne but on the big red cloth bag in front of it. The bag is filled with wool as a symbol of trade and wealth.


We then proceeded down the corridor to the other end of the building to the Commons, whose predominant colour is green. The room is laid out like the Commons in Parliament in Ottawa, though it is smaller despite the fact there are 50% more members of Parliament in London. The decor is sombre and plain a sharp contrast with the House of Lords. Our guide explained that the main power of the Commons rests in questions of finance and money bills. No taxes shall be imposed by the Sovereign without the assent of the Commons. Any government who looses a vote on a budget bill is automatically defeated and a general election is called. I was somewhat surprised by the small size of the room, I am more familiar with the House of Commons in Ottawa which is a far larger room and more airy, though the layout is similar.

The Commons, the Speaker sit on his chair at the front of the room, the Sovereign cannot enter this room ever. When Parliament meets the Sovereign in the House of Lords will send the Gentlemen of the Black Rod to fetch the Members of the Commons to come to the House of Lords to meet. The Sovereign will say with haste immediately and the Members will, by tradition, come slowly instead. 

During this tour, men must take their hats off, it is forbidden to wear a hat out of respect for the institution of Parliament. No chewing of gum and no food or drinks, no photos either. You cannot sit anywhere despite lots of comfy chairs. You should be quiet, no cel phones or other electronic devices. The guards keep a watchful eye and don't try it. The tour takes about 90 minutes, it is very interesting.

Came away from this visit with a renewed sense of how important Parliament is as an institution. The Ceremonial and symbolism is steeped in history and very important to our democracy.

The Victoria Tower at the foot is the Sovereign's entrance.




   

Food for thought

Carolyn Bennett, M.P., P.C. published this today on a Tweet that I happen to read. Parliament just returned to work on Monday 17 September. I think this is food for thought in the current political context. Some of the 14 points are relevant to our experience. In particular points 1,3,4,7,8,9,10,11,12 and 14. In a democracy it is always important to ask ourselves as Citizens where are we going and what direction is our country taking. Indifference or a laissez faire attitude can be dangerous. People living in advanced develop countries where rule of law is the norm can be vulnerable to slippage in the democratic process. One sign of just such slippage is the low voter turn out at election which is alarming in Canada. Another one is a lack of knowledge of political issues or development surrounding certain political issues and their impact on everyone's lives. This is when things can start to happen without anyone quite understanding or noticing what is going on.


Defining Characteristics of Fascism
By Dr. Lawrence Britt
Source Free Inquiry.co
5-28-3

Dr. Lawrence Britt has examined the fascist regimes of Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia) and several Latin American regimes. Britt found 14 defining characteristics common to each:   1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism - Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.   2. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights - Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of "need." The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.   3. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause - The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial , ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.   4. Supremacy of the Military - Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.   5. Rampant Sexism - The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Divorce, abortion and homosexuality are suppressed and the state is represented as the ultimate guardian of the family institution.   6. Controlled Mass Media - Sometimes to media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.   7. Obsession with National Security - Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.   8. Religion and Government are Intertwined - Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government's policies or actions.   9. Corporate Power is Protected - The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.   10. Labor Power is Suppressed - Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed.   11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts - Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts and letters is openly attacked.   12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment - Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.   13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption - Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.   14. Fraudulent Elections - Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.   From Liberty Forum   http://www.libertyforum.org