NDP will prop up the Tories - And I'll be dating Maria Sharapova

Now that Michael Ignatieff has finally decided to withdraw support for Stephen Harper's minority government it looks like we'll be headed to the polls this fall...or maybe not. The NDP is entertaining the notion of propping up the Tories provided Harper's crew is willing to address some issues near and dear to Canada's labour party. Two specifically mentioned are pension protection and bank fees.

I'm sure I'm not alone in thinking any possibility of the Conservatives agreeing to NDP demands is pretty much dead in the water. Of course anything is possible, maybe I'll wake up in bed tomorrow next to a Russian tennis star...one can only dream.

I'm certain that Harper would much rather be in control of his own fate, so I won't be surprised in the least if he asks the Governor General to dissolve parliament and call an election even sooner.

I'm in the minority in wanting an election, whether its a vote of non confidence or Harper pulling the plug, I don't care. Stephen could even try to curry the favour of the separatist Bloc, but that is likely too fraught with the potential for backlash amongst his base to warrant serious consideration.

So its an election or a dance between the Conservative right and the NDP left. If Jack can get Stephen to play ball though...Maybe my dream can come true?

How would you like your eggs cooked Maria?

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The Ultimate Canadian Guy Song...Pay Attention Ladies

Sometimes this blog, like most of the political variety, can get far too serious. Every now and again a person needs a break, and music can be a great tonic. With that in mind here's a favourite little ditty that I came across about a year ago.



Talk about the ultimate male bonding experience. What could be better than mud, machinery and muscle? Women seeking to understand the male mind would do well to pay extra attention, note taking might be in order.

Get a bunch of guys together with a mutual problem and the experience can be heart warming, just don't expect a lot of communication. We love getting dirty and trying to fix things, success is nice but it isn't essential. Guys, we don't get emotional, we might get angry or exasperated...but there's not gonna be a lot of talking going on.

Notice all the guys pulling up in their trucks...one comes by with two men and a woman. They don't help out, but the guys probably would have...if there weren't a lady present. I bet they were dying to get in there.

Okay...I'm running for cover now ;-)

Kidnapper Phillip Garrido - Another Chrisitan wacko, not a Muslim

The story of Phillip Garrido kidnapping an eleven year old girl, imprisoning her in his back yard for 18 years, and fathering two children by her, has pushed Ted Kennedy's passing off the front page for the moment.

Surprise surprise, this horrific crime was carried out by a man who espouses deep religious convictions. If the accused was a Muslim, tongues would be clacking from coast to coast about what an evil religion Islam must be. But Phillip Garrido doesn't quote Mohammed or the Koran in his blogs, instead he quotes Biblical scripture.

An article on The Guardian's (UK publication) website includes this quote from one of the accused's blogs:

"I know a man in Christ who 14 years ago was caught up to the third heaven". (emphasis mine)

I'm not writing this in an effort to diminish Christianity, or to extol Islam...I'm no fan of religious extremists no matter what faith they lay claim to. But the simple point is that we, the thinking public, should not treat one religion any differently from another. When a Muslim is accused of committing an atrocious crime, as with the drowning of four women in the Rideau canal, many are quick to use it as an indictment of the entire Islamic faith.

What's good for the goose, if we're going to condemn Islam based on crimes committed by its adherents, then we should do the same with atrocities committed by Christians, Jews, Hindus...or any other religion.

Yeah yeah, I know the Bible thumping fundies will probably get all worked up if they read this. After all, they'll claim, their's is the one true faith...yadda yadda yadda. Spare me please. The lesson I take out of stories like this is that religion has the capacity to warp minds...and it doesn't matter whether that religion is Christianity, Islam or any other.

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Former Mulroney crony L. Ian MacDonald offers Ignatieff advice in today's Gazette

Today's Montreal Gazette features an op/ed piece by L. Ian MacDonald under the headline:

Summertime poll has bad news for Liberals

The poll referenced is the one done for CanWest by Ipsos showing the Conservatives teetering on majority territory. Its not the Decima poll (with twice the sampling size) that shows the Libs and Cons in the same statistical tie they've been in all summer.

Using the smaller and ergo less reliable poll, the writer paints a dismal picture for Liberal prospects in a possible election. Projecting the numbers out regionally, the author concludes that forcing an election at this time would be folly.

Well...opinions are not unlike another certain orifice, or so goes the old saw, everyone has one. Something I like to do when confronting a strongly held "opinion" that borders on advocacy is to check out the person offering it up.

In this case its L. Ian MacDonald, a gentleman whose website refers to him as; a columnist, author, editor, broadcaster -- and speaker.

Listed among numerous accomplishments is that he was a speech writer for Brian "Brown Bag" Mulroney from 1985 to 1988. Later he served in Washington as Minister of Public Affairs at the Canadian embassy. Needless to say, this is a man used to dealing in politics...with a decidedly Conservative bent.

Obviously the Ipsos poll is music to the ears of Conservatives, and MacDonald relies on it heavily in formulating his conclusion that Harper's summer has been very good while Iggy's has been very bad. But that poll was conducted from Aug 18-20 and surveyed just 1,001 Canadians.

The Decima poll on the other hand, the one showing the Liberals with a slight advantage nationally, took place over a longer period, from Aug 13-23. And its basically double the size with 2,000 respondents.

Of course CanWest paid good money for the poll showing Harper on the cusp of majority support, so its only logical for Conservative minded writers to jump all over it. But if I'm Michael Ignatieff I'd be very wary about taking the musings of a former Mulroney hack to heart. I'm sure Stephen Harper would prefer to avoid an election call anytime soon, anything short of a majority win next time around could spell the end of his time in the PMO.

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