Thursday, November 24, 2011

"If being a grumpy old man makes you an expert"

Didn't Jack Layton promise after the election to bring a new level of decorum to the House of Commons? Didn't Jack Layton proclaim that Canadians don't like insults? Weren't NDP MPs wearing "civility" buttons at the beginning of the first session in June?  Perhaps Megan Leslie did not get the civility memo, after today she started a question with "if being a grumpy old man makes you an expert" before being cut off. That's pretty classy coming from a party that has accused the Conservatives of "ageism" for criticizing the youth and inexperience of the new Dippers in caucus. By NDP standards discriminatory "ageism" only applies to comments against young people, not older people. It is okay if the target is a "grumpy old man", but try to say that a University student lacks the experience for elected office and suddenly you've committed a despicable act of age based discrimination.

It certainly seems of late that Megan Leslie is getting more face time than NDP leader Nycole Turmel.

7 comments:

  1. Well she is better looking and can speak english.

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  2. In commenting on a recent Dan Gardner piece about PM Harper's purported "ruthlessness" I happened upon this article:
    http://www.canada.com/news/canada-in-afghanistan/Layton+least+civil+during+last+session+Parliament+researchers/4869596/story.html
    
"Layton least civil MP during last session of Parliament, say researchers
    
BY BRADLEY BOUZANE, POSTMEDIA NEWS JUNE 1, 2011

    Despite a recent pledge to restore order and civility to the House of Commons, NDP leader Jack Layton was the least civil Parliamentarian prior to this spring's election, according to researchers' analysis of Question Period. ...

    Prime Minister Stephen Harper and former Bloc leader Gilles Duceppe were the only party leaders above the civility average of all party MPs. Harper scored 50 while Duceppe — who was defeated in the May 2 vote — scored a 51. ..."

    It's not nice to speak ill of the dead, as the saying goes, but that is not my intent. It's just that the Bouzane analysis I quoted above gives the lie to the NDP's supposed wish to be conciliatory, to want to work together with the government for the benefit of all Canadians, and all the other platitudes they pretend to espouse. One need only listen to NDP MPs like Megan Leslie, Charlie Angus, Jack Harris, and Alexandre Boulerice -- not to mention foul-mouthed Pat Martin -- to realize that they don't practice what they preach.

    By the same token, however, I firmly believe the Conservatives would be better served if they stopped using Members' Statements to attack NDP positions. Or if they stopped using statements like "I know the NDP doesn't care about jobs for Canadian citizens" in answering a question during QP or using similar overblown rhetoric. Let the opposition show their true colours, frothing anger and all, and instead use a calm, cool and collected fact-filled approach to counter their accusations.
    -- Gabby in QC

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  3. Mary T:

    Don't get carried away with this stuff.
    Leave it at: Megan can speak English.
    1 out of 2 aint bad!

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  4. Trouble with trying to speak in a calm, cool and collected fact-filled approach to counter their accusations,is the message never gets through to their thick skull,s and accusations keep coming until the Government gets fed up and starts telling the truth about the oppositions position and then the proverbial crap hits the fan,because the opposition cannot handle the truth.Ask Preston Manning how being calm and cool worked for him.

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  5. the conservaives are rite though the ndp don't care about jobs for Canadians. If they did they would not have gone to washington to lobby against the Keystone Pipe lines which would have created thousands of jobs on both side of the border. the ndp want everyone on social jobs or unions or welfare so they can control them. kinda like hugo Chavez in Cuba

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  6. That's a Rona Ambrose quote. Rona is a Tory MP. She said that to Ken Dryden. Who cares. This nonsense over manufactured indignation over petty quotes is tiresome. Cons defended Rona when she said it and think it is horrible now. Get a life.

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  7. but Ken Dryden really is an angry man.

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