Dear stupid Canadian wankers: Devin has a question for you.
LET ME HELP YOU OUT THERE, AARON: Over at Devin's place, Blogging Tory Aaron Lee Wudrick thinks he's outed the flaming hypocrisy of the Left:
Here's another question: will left wingers accept a coalition of right wing parties even though their preferred choice got the most support?
This is an interesting question since it reveals that Aaron is well aware of the rank hypocrisy out there of people whose fundamental principles are so delightfully context dependent. Um ... that would be his Blogging Tory colleagues we're talking about here, but let's answer Aaron's question, shall we?
As many of us on the Left had to explain to Aaron's conservative fellow travellers, there is absolutely nothing devious, untoward, sleazy or undemocratic about a coalition in Canadian politics. The Constitution makes that strikingly clear, even if the vast majority of Aaron's BT buddies didn't have a fucking clue.
And as for Aaron's question, I can say without reservation that, if a right-wing coalition arose in Canada, of course it would be entirely legitimate, for exactly the same reason I just provided above. That's because, unlike the wanks Aaron hangs out with, I like to think my basic principles don't depend on who's involved or who benefits. That's called "consistency," Aaron, and it's not something you're going to find in the ideological circles you cruise in.
So let's open up the phone lines to our regular listeners: For those of you who supported the notion of a coalition of Canada's Left, would you equally support one from the Right? Actually, let me rephrase that -- this doesn't even involve "supporting" such a thing or not. The proper question would be: Would you equally recognize the democratic and constitutional legitimacy of a right-wing coalition as much as one from the left?
For my own part, the answer is: Of course. Unabashedly. Unreservedly. Without reservation or hesitation, because my Constitution says so. And that's the difference, Aaron. Because if you ask the converse question of your BT colleagues, you will, in short order, learn the true meaning of context-dependent hypocrisy.
I'll make book on it.
12 comments:
Didn't CC (and others) point out numerous times that Big Daddy started a coalition attempt of his own?
I don't recall CC dissing that idea--just the idea that Big Daddy supporters *now* have an issue with it
Sure, of course a right-wing coalition would be legitimate. Nasty, bad at governing, but legitimate.
Speaking of rightwing coalitions, how did the Israeli election fall out? Last I heard the ultra rightwing party was the kingmaker. Whether anyone 'left' likes it or not (aside from the lethal irony of ultraright leaning Iraelis), it would still be a legitimately decided government for the nation.
If the Canadian right wing could stop acting like a gang of petulant schoolyard bullies long enough to assemble concensus sufficient to raise a governing coalition, they wouldn't need one.
They could just do it in Parliament.
I wouldn't like a right wing coalition but I would support it's right to form a coalition......and that is the difference between a left wing and a mindless wingnut.
desiintoronto.com
As long as it showed it could command a majority of the votes in Parliament, sure I's accept them as legitimate. It is not the ideology or political philosophy of the parties involved that matters, it is whether it follows the legal requirements as defined by our Constitution and governing legislation. Then though like CC I am someone that places the rule of law ahead of any partisan preferences. Now, would I oppose and be critical of the actions of such a coalition from the far right, of course I would, but that is far from questioning whether they had a legimate and legal basis for their power.
It really disturbs me when I see people that claim to be conservative in nature demonstrate that they are anything but. After all, real conservatives consider things like the rule of law and the equality of all under it a cornerstone of their beliefs. Indeed, in that respect I am very much a conservative, which is one of the core reasons I have always opposed Harper and his so called Conservativism and the party he created through treachery, the CPC. With them partisanship matters more than principle, precedent, and the rule of law. As we have all seen literally since the treachery that formed the CPC, let alone once they formed a government.
Would you equally recognize the democratic and constitutional legitimacy of a right-wing coalition as much as one from the left?
The answer is of course, in a heart beat. And I'd be happy to do so, because it would be yet another sign that our democracy was working fine and as it was supposed to.
The fact that this is even up for discussion is, frankly, disappointing and disgusting (restraint in full effect). It shows, even more clearly than ever, that there is some sort of malignant sickness at work within the ranks of part of the conservative folk within Canada.
It should be noted, and it pains me that I have to point this out, that supporting the legality of the action and supporting them as government and being happy about it are two separate things.
For instance: Steven Harper is the Prime Minister of Canada. My Prime Minister (no matter how much he wishes that people like me would go away). This is fact. He runs the country right now. I hope he does a good job, not because I like him, but because he's in charge and I love Canada.
I am, in no way or form, even remotely happy that he's in charge.
Simple answer to a simple question: Yep.
But of course Canada DOES have a right-wing coalition! They will deny it, of course, but ...
"Stephen and Michael
Sittin' in a tree ..."
And it should be pointed out, we almost had one. A few points a different way in the 2004 election, and Harper could have formed a working coalition with the Bloc Quebecois. And, for many pundits, such a coalition would be the restoration of the East-West coalition that Mulroney managed to pull together for his two terms of office.
Whether this would be a good government or not is an academic question, but given that it would be kicking Paul Martin and his corrupt Liberals to the curb, I wouldn't be too upset. If Harper could have pulled together the Conservative-Bloc-NDP coalition he wrote to the Governor General about, I would have positively cheered.
Um, wasn't that more or less what the Conservative/Reform was? I mean, yeah, they actually merged parties, but isn't that a defacto coalition? Had they formed government with a majority, that's pretty much exactly what we'd have. And no one on the left was screaming "TREASON!" then.
God. Some days, I just want to bury my head in the sand and avoid these morons.
wv: dingst. It's like angst + dinks. So perfect.
"undecided."
KEvron
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