Friday, August 26, 2016

Two Takes on Shifty Steve

 You would never know they were talking about the same guy, Stephen J. Harper.

According to Kinsella, Shifty was an okay guy deep down. If only we had been as privileged to know him as WK did, we'd see him much differently and so it's "farewell, good luck and God speed."

For a slightly different take there's Michael Harris' eulogy, "Goodbye Harper, Good Riddance. How do you sum up the career of a guy who betrayed every ideal he claimed to cherish?"

In this passage, Harris lays bare our once prime ministerial malevolence:

Stephen Harper was Donald Trump before Trump was Trump, right down to the bigotry, fear-mongering, divisiveness, scapegoating, and profound anti-democratic impulses that had Canada’s entire parliamentary structure tottering, according to experts like Peter Milliken and Robert Marleau.

While others will remember amusing episodes involving personal encounters with Harper, I will remember the look on the face of Canada’s former nuclear safety commissioner, Linda Keen, while she recounted her personal destruction at the hands of his government because she wouldn’t sell out her mandate.

It was the same look I saw in Richard Colvin’s eyes when the former diplomat was smeared by Harper and Peter MacKay for the high crime of telling what he knew about the as-yet-unresolved Afghan detainee affair.

WK may fawn over the guy but Harper was a mean-spirited, brutal prick as a prime minister and, as Harris notes, the country is well rid of him. Even the dregs of the Conservatives who carry on admit as much.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Harper was a mean-spirited, brutal prick"

Succinct and accurate.

Anonymous said...

I'm sure Slick and his Sunni Ways are happy.

-MC

Anonymous said...

History sees Churchill in a positive light , disregarding his earlier days (Gallipoli) and his later days when he sent in the military to subdue striking coal miners.
As much as I despise Harper history will decide his contribution to Canada .

The Mound of Sound said...

I agree, in part, Anon. All leaders are judged by history but it's invariably on the great and terrible things they did. There were no such defining moments for Harper. And, for every Churchill and Stalin there are endless nondescripts consigned to history's dustbins. Not all are remembered much less adjudged. That is the fate I foresee for Harper.

Anonymous said...

Kinsella is a weasel. Thinks he's punk because he fights dirty in politics. Not surprising he admires Harper and Hillary, two of the most sleazy politicians in the universe.

Kinsella demonstrates why there's no difference between Lib or Con, or Dem or Republican. Lawyer-politicians from upper-echelon cliques think of themselves like major league athletes. (Less the talent.) It doesn't matter what team they're on, as long as they're in the Big Show. They're all about ambition, entitlement and self-aggrandization. The only values they uphold have dollar signs.

Take people's infinite capacity to rationalize, add in the lawyer's rhetorical skills to shred all meaning out of any and all words and you have a civilization on the verge of collapse for looting robber barons and their bribe-taking politician lapdogs.

If the people don't stand up to this corruption, they deserve what they got coming.

Anonymous said...

WK is an asshole.

A right-wing, sleazy, dishonest, egotistical, opportunistic, unprincipled elitist, but an asshole nonetheless.

The Mound of Sound said...


To all WK/Kinsella fans. He's over the top today defending Harper against the comedic stylings of Mark Critch:

http://warrenkinsella.com/2016/08/mark-critch-is-an-asshole/

Unknown said...

WK the man who wants everyone to know he's married to an ex super model.The few times I have read his blog, I am reminded why for the most part I rarely read him. I think one of the reasons he wrote what he did is he wanted eveyone to know he knew Harper. He likes to name drop, even if dropping Harpers name makes him look pathetic.

The Mound of Sound said...

Hi, Pamela. He's a strange duck indeed. He proclaims himself a progressive yet shows no grasp of what the word means. Oh well. I'm not sure why he hasn't simply passed over to the Conservative camp. Perhaps he's afraid that "the boss" wouldn't approve.

My suspicion is that he's really a Fenian.

Lorne said...

Your last two sentences sum it up for me, Mound.

rumleyfips said...

WK shilled for the reformatories all through the last election. The commenters he has attracted to his blog show that everyone understands that he is a bit right of Goldwater.

Anonymous said...

Anyong......I am much of your mind Mound. But we haven't got rid of all that mess. Jason Kenny is working overtime in Alberta and most think he is the best. I am much of the writers mind... Put JK in power and Albertans will get what they ask for.

The Mound of Sound said...


Instead of whinging about some comedian mocking Harper's closet episode, perhaps our friend should take this moment to come out of his own.

the salamander said...

.. best go with the Harris analydiss .. or your own.. both exceedingly accurate

All other stuff aside Harper was f'n fine with
- omnibus bills a la Saint Jim Flaherty servitude
- total attacks again Environment, Species & Habitat oh behalf of Big Energy
- Election Fraud - 247 ridings? CIMS obstruction at highest levels afterwards
- 'Star' candidates Anders Calandra Del Mastro Shea Leitch - an endless list of abject losers
- treating Canadians like some sort of ignorant sub-species ..

One could go on and on and on and on ... . and on forever..
Would I dream of shaking that arrogant cheatin mealy prick's hand?
More likely I'd suggest he back away.. and quickly
and bumboy Novak as well.. or Arthur Hamilton or Nigel
the precious little evangel spouting cabin boy closet coterie he somehow attracted
that truly speaking.. Canadians have about zero understanding about..
after all.. mainstream media won't touch that.. or Laureen

A PS .. Kinsella waxed poetic of Harper's wonderfullness at one point
Something to do with Stevie/Ray offering condolences.. re WP's father's passing ..
Also keep in mind who WKcurrent wife's best friend is... yes, ms Rempel ..
I found your WK election recollections fascinating...BTW !

Anonymous said...

Mentioning WK diminishes this blog. There is no point in touching the s***...
A..non

Anonymous said...

Kinsella banned me from his blog (again) for the following comment on his defense of Harper hiding in the closet while all the loud gun fire was going off:

"You might have a point except for the CCTV footage that shows Harper looking for a closet when Justin Trudeau stormed across the aisle to escort the Con whip to his position when some Dippers (for some strange reason) decided to block his path. (The fateful ‘elbowgate’ incident.)

"There’s nothing wrong with closets. I hear Steve likes to spend a lot of time in them with his (very) personal assistant Ray."

Last time he banned me for pointing out that Kathleen Wynne (our illustrious premier of Ontario) must have made a killing in pay-for-play kickbacks privatizing the electricity system. (The only explanation that makes any fiscal sense.)

Just thought I'd share...

deb said...

I can never understand how anyone, including WK, can wax poetic about such a brutal asshole like Harper, even if he did offer some crumb of civilized nicety.
I mean im sure plenty of evil men, pet puppies occasionally or kissed a baby for a camera( in this case a phone call to a spin-doctor who can help him)
Seriously if I had a phone call from someone that nasty, I would have kept it to myself and never mentioned having any relations with THAT man, lol. I mean it only makes one look pathetic when they can say the are moved by one small action, while they blindly miss the rest of the movie.
I cant read WK without seeing him for what he is, a grasping, spin doctor who spends time trying to shift society's opinion about politicians, he is his own social pyramid scheme.