Let's call it Le Salon de The.
As mentioned in the past, the Tea Party movement is resonating around the world including here in Canada and in Quebec in particular.
Once again, it's up to Quebec to make things interesting in this country.
The message of the Tea Party is smaller government and lower taxes and all that jazz. Of course, to some, this is nonsense and its origins is rooted in not only racism but astro turfing.
Either way, the message is what's striking. In Quebec, the realignment of conservative politics began with the ADQ. It's a few years now, in addition, I've observed the rise of Quebec libertarianism as well.
The Quebec Freedom Network is now up and running. It's so new it doesn't have a website. Its first "star" speaker is conservative MP Maxime Bernier
The question is, is this happening because we've reached a "tipping point?" In other words, liberal over reach and people are merely reacting to it? Or is this something that's been around except these voters never had a political conduit to voice their concerns?
One thing is for sure, it's gonna be tough linking them with the "racist" tag. They don't carry that sort of baggage.
While I do think taxes are elevated and there's an excess in government agencies, at least here in Canada we're not engaging in "modification" payments for mortgages like in the States. That's a serious social malaise.
Man. The mind boggles.
We are slowly drifting back to Duplessis era and mentality. Everything for the well off and perish the others.
ReplyDeleteI don't know about Canada (except for what I hear from the "snowbirds" who come down here every winter) so I cannot say what this will lead to up there. I have to disagree with potsoc, though. I think that the socio-political landscape in free countries is always in flux. That is, it needs the extremes on each end of the spectrum to keep things from stagnating. I have a lot of faith on the average "Joe and Jane", in sufficient numbers, to keep each extreme from gaining too much power.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely agree with that. Canada is testament to the middle-ground.
ReplyDeleteSame in the States. I don't see how the fundamentalists could reach the apex of power. People up here thought a "theocracy" was being put in place.
Paul, can it be we're confusing needing to fix our social welfare state with reverting to a lost mentality?
The math is simple: Fix things or get whacked. I think people would rather let it collapse than any thing else.
We're afraid.
Then France happens.
The Tea Party has very little to do with overt racism (though when your mantra is "screw the poor, what's mine is mine," you inevitably hurt minorities more).
ReplyDeleteThe Tea Party mentality is particularly wrong in the states because it is nothing but a rebranding of Republicanism. Tea Partiers try desperately to say "we're non-partisan, we have people from both parties," but the fact is that of the over 100 candidates on the ballots this year across the country, every single one of them is running on the Republican ticket.
I know you're all excited because you have no clue what it's about, but let me try to explain: the Republicans ruined their name by claiming all the same things the Tea Party did, and then not doing it while in office. Expanded government powers, increased spending, increased taxes on the average household... these are the realities of the previous Republican president. They had to rebrand in order to ever have a chance of seizing power again.
I can't speak to what the Canadians will do, since you guys actually have socialized medicine, so clearly you're able to actually fulfill the wishes of your population.
Bret, we have a clue.
ReplyDeleteTrust me.
You "think" guys like me don't because we interpret it differently.
It's not that complicated.
I'm not focused on the little things. I'm intrigued by the wider implications of all this.
And what you don't seem to compute is there's a problem in the West with the cost associated with maintaining the welfare state.
It's a simple fact. That can't be denied or debated. What we need to answer is do we "tighten" and adjust to our means or do we let it all collapse? Or will we find ways to make compromise?
THe Canadian way, and here Québec is not distinct, is compromise. Ever since there has been something called Canada, and it dates back to the French regime, we have always found a way around the edges. We will again this time around.
ReplyDeleteBut I am worried by the populist, even simplistic,approach of the Tea Party as well as that of our A.D.Q. The Liberty guys are more sophisticated and likely to scare off ordinary people but they are strong of the other parties weakness and popular distrust of them. That is where the devil is.
I don't understand how you can call what the US has a "welfare state," because there are people dying on the streets, hungry. One in seven children doesn't have health care. We trail Canada in every health and poverty comparison imaginable.
ReplyDeleteWhy is this appealing to you? Seriously, I want to know.
I didn't say the U.S. is a welfare state. All I said was there's a cost associated with it that's beginning to weigh on Western economies.
ReplyDeleteYou asked me what were Canada's poverty levels a while ago and I don't know if you saw what I posted but Canada's PL according to Stats Can is 11% (2005). We're 34 million people.
There's poverty in the West despite the expansion of government charged with "defeating" it.
Duplessis was obsolete at best. He certainly serves as a good example of a bad direction, I'd say impossible direction, to move in our times.
ReplyDelete