Politics in 2017

[Jarnhamar]

And the other thing that both Stephen Harper and Brian Mulroney did during their betrayal phases was to distract with frivolities - no money for ammunition, fuel, or other operational matters, but plenty for dress uniforms, rank insignia changes, re-namings, and all of the associated madness that those triggered.

I'm not smart enough to know better but how much of the buttons and badges would have been Harper and how much our dress-up obsessed military?

 

[jollyjacktar]

I'm not smart enough to know better but how much of the buttons and badges would have been Harper and how much our dress-up obsessed military?

OK, OK you caught me.  Ever since I arrived in Ottawa, I've secretly been trying to float the idea of making us all look like Sky Marshalls of the Mobile Infantry. 

 

[Loachman]

I'm not smart enough to know better but how much of the buttons and badges would have been Harper and how much our dress-up obsessed military?

That was government, goaded on by a couple of connected twits. There's a long, painful thread wherein that was hashed out.

 

[Rifleman62]

There's a long, painful thread wherein that was hashed out.

That was government, goaded on by a couple of connected twits.

Nothing has changed except there are more and more twits.

 

[George Wallace]

Nothing has changed except there are more and more twits.

More and more twits is not the precise terminology......More and more twits with some form of credentials, would be more like it.  That is not saying that those credentials really would have to hold any water if closely examined.

And we are back to the 18th Century Gentry buying officer positions in the British armed forces.... [:'(

 

[Kirkhill]

More and more twits is not the precise terminology......More and more twits with some form of credentials, would be more like it.  That is not saying that those credentials really would have to hold any water if closely examined.

And we are back to the 18th Century Gentry buying officer positions in the British armed forces.... [:'(

How different is that to hiring Private Security Companies? 

 

[The Bread Guy]

Slightly off topic too- I'm pretty disgusted with the Conservatives dishonest online campaign to smear the liberals about taking away the tax break/danger pay from Cf members in Kuwait.

It sucks that our brothers and sisters there are losing that benefit,  and maybe any deployed soldier should be tax exempt, but the way it's being painted by the Conservatives and especially Rona Ambrose is dishonest and misleading.

Political Spin 101 -- all parties do it.  Make the strongest possible case (even if you have to ignore some bits) for your side, make the worst possible case (even if you have to ignore some bits) for the other side.  Just like reading media with the question, "what are they not including?  why?" in mind, it's always good to apply the same filters to info-machine/political communications, no matter what colour jersey.

 

[Edward Campbell]

There is a key difference, though.

Liberals have always underfunded and neglected. They have never really pretended otherwise. That is one of the very few things about which they are honest.

Both Stephen Harper and, before him, Brian Mulroney underfunded and neglected, but acted like our best buddies and built up hope before, Lucy-like, pulling the football back as Charlie Brown began his kick.

The end result is always the same, save the sense of betrayal left by Conservatives.

Maybe it's an age thing, but you're wrong. After World War II it was Liberals, especially Louis St Laurent, who developed and implemented a real ~ our first and only ~ coherent, interest based grand strategy and designed, developed and paid for the "right sized," "right shaped" armed forces to support it.

It was a Conservative, Diefenbaker, who began the nasty habit of misusing the military for partisan purposes ~ Pierre Trudeau just built on 'Dief The Chief's' model. Mike Pearson ushered in the fiasco of integration/unification (unification ~ joint forces was good, integration ~ "jolly green jumper" was nonsense) primarily in an effort to find ways to afford the defences he knew Canada needed.

Anyway, in this debate Liberal ≠ bad and Conservative ≠ good; both ≈ only interested in selves.

 

[Good2Golf]

^ this.

By way of example, modern Conservatives have yet to buy a fighter jet.  It was actually Trudeau who bought the CF-18s.

#inconvenientCanadianpoliticalfacts

Regards
G2G

 

[Loachman]

Maybe it's an age thing

Yes, I suppose that it is. I was referring to my direct observations during my time in - my definition of "recent history". Perhaps I should have defined this earlier.

By way of example, modern Conservatives have yet to buy a fighter jet.

How does one define "modern Conservative"? The Diefenbaker government bought the CF101s and CF104s. Liberals have yet to buy large jet transports.

It was actually Trudeau who bought the CF-18s.

And the Leopard 1s, but not because they really wanted to.

My point still stands, I believe - both have performed equally, but only one pretends to really care, loves CADPAT AR photo backdrops, promises lots, and then reneges.

 

[Good2Golf]

How does one define "modern Conservative"? The Diefenbaker government bought the CF101s and CF104s. Liberals have yet to buy large jet transports.

I use post-unification as a 'modern' marker.

And the Leopard 1s, but not because they really wanted to.

Oh, so the Liberals did buy major combatant systems, CF-18s, Leopards and Destroyers...but "not because they wanted to"...one could ask, "So what?  At least the CF receive those new major combat systems."  Your pseudo-point is moot.

I think my point still stands, I believe - both have performed equally, but only one pretends to really care, loves CADPAT AR photo backdrops, promises lots, and then reneges.

There, FTFY.  So "pretending to care" is better than "pragmatically investing?" ???

Regards
G2G

 

[jmt18325]

From the Globe and Mail

Since Mr. Trump’s election, Mr. Mulroney and former Canadian ambassador to Washington Derek Burney have acted as informal advisers on how to handle the Republican-led Congress and the Trump White House and cabinet secretaries.

A source said the President’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, has said in private that the White House has found it easy and professional to work with Mr. Trudeau’s team of advisers that include principal secretary Gerald Butts, chief of staff Katie Telford and Canadian Ambassador to the United States David MacNaughton.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/mulroney-receives-warm-welcome-at-trumps-mar-a-lago/article34085505/

It seems like Trudeau is pretty on top of all of this.  Throw in an extra couple of billion for defence (something they've already hinted is coming) and Trump won't have all that much to complain about.

 

[The Bread Guy]

... Throw in an extra couple of billion for defence (something they've already hinted is coming) and Trump won't have all that much to complain about.

If Team Blue didn't do the bit in yellow with a majority, Team Red's far less likely to.

In other political stuff, let the by-election campaigns begin!

The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today announced that by-elections will be held on April 3, 2017, in the following four electoral districts:

    Saint-Laurent, Quebec
    Markham—Thornhill, Ontario
    Calgary Heritage, Alberta
    Calgary Midnapore, Alberta

And let's not forget the Ottawa-Vanier by-election also coming up 3 April.
op:

 

[Remius]

From the Globe and Mail

Since Mr. Trump’s election, Mr. Mulroney and former Canadian ambassador to Washington Derek Burney have acted as informal advisers on how to handle the Republican-led Congress and the Trump White House and cabinet secretaries.

A source said the President’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, has said in private that the White House has found it easy and professional to work with Mr. Trudeau’s team of advisers that include principal secretary Gerald Butts, chief of staff Katie Telford and Canadian Ambassador to the United States David MacNaughton.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/mulroney-receives-warm-welcome-at-trumps-mar-a-lago/article34085505/

It seems like Trudeau is pretty on top of all of this.  Throw in an extra couple of billion for defence (something they've already hinted is coming) and Trump won't have all that much to complain about.

And I suspect this has the anti-Trudeau/lib pro Trump side a bit ruffled.  Some were hoping for some sort of smack down and really don't want them to get along.  Instead they get along.  Who knew?

 

[Lightguns]

And I suspect this has the anti-Trudeau/lib pro Trump side a bit ruffled.  Some were hoping for some sort of smack down and really don't want them to get along.  Instead they get along.  Who knew?

Actually I think the Trollservatives on twitter were looking for the smack down.  My conservative friends (who are mostly centrists) figured that two trust babies living on narcissism developed for them by their fan base and fed to them by their silver spoons would find a lot of common ground.  Both are in it for themselves......

 

[George Wallace]

Are we sure this isn't a case of those "false news" or "alternative facts"?  [

Meanwhile some will gloat.  [

 

[Scott]

Are we sure this isn't a case of those "false news" or "alternative facts"?  [

Meanwhile some will gloat.  [

Why shouldn't they? You've been doing plenty of gloating and/or whining since the fall of 2015. Many have been wrong about the PM and POTUS formation of a relationship, and I am sure there would have been gleeful posts here if it had have crashed and burned. Plenty of tut tutting and I told you so moments.

 

[Journeyman]

Instead they get along.  Who knew?

Mutual interest in hair products; it can bridge ideological gaps. 

 

[Remius]

Mutual interest in hair products; it can bridge ideological gaps. 

Bomb Syria with Vidal Sassoon. problem solved.

 

[George Wallace]

Why shouldn't they? You've been doing plenty of gloating and/or whining since the fall of 2015. Many have been wrong about the PM and POTUS formation of a relationship, and I am sure there would have been gleeful posts here if it had have crashed and burned. Plenty of tut tutting and I told you so moments.

Where are your emojis?  Eh?