Prince William Canada's Next Head Of State?

Today's poll question; would you like Prince William to be Canada's next head of state? In December 2010 I asked if you thought Prince William would make a good head of state, and only 53% answered yes. I'm curious to know if your opinion has changed in the last 7 months, though this time I'm asking a slightly different question. I will be voting no to the poll question because I prefer to recognize my elected Prime Minister as head of state rather than a hereditary monarchy. That being said, I respect William on a personal level and would certainly choose him for head of state over his father Charles. I'm sure if I asked the question "who would you rather have as Canada's head of state: Prince William, Prince Charles, or Stephen Harper" that our PM would win by a large margin.

DO YOU THINK THAT PRINCE WILLIAM WOULD BE A GOOD HEAD OF STATE FOR CANADA? (from Dec 2010)

Yes (53%)
No (30%)
Undecided (16%)

Should Stephen Harper Attend Royal Wedding?

Prince William and his lovely bride to be will be married the weekend before the Canadian election. Today's poll question; do you think the PM should honour his invitation? If he does go, he will be relentlessly attacked by his opponents for leaving the country in a campaign, whereas staying in Canada has no risk. It is unfortunate that the Liberals and NDP forced this election before the royal wedding, because it would have been a very memorable international event to have our leader attending. As it stands, the smart move is to decline the invitation, which Harper has said he's going to do. Can he send his invitations to the Obamas?

No Royal Wedding For Harper

The word on the street is that if we are indeed officially in an election campaign in the next few days, the Prime Minister will be declining his invitation to the royal wedding of William and Kate. Some had thought it would be a nice photo-op in the middle of a campaign, but somehow I suspect that the PM would be attacked by the left if he took a break from campaigning to attend the wedding. It would certainly be used against him, so cancelling the trip in an election is probably the most pragmatic move.

That's too bad. I thought it was cool that Harper got an invitation but Obama did not.

War With Libya?

As six Canadian jets from a Quebec base are on their way to the Mediterranean to assist in the enforcement of a no fly zone, are you willing to risk going to war with Gaddafi to enforce this endeavour? That's today's poll question. After declaring a cease fire, Gaddafi's forces were opening fire on ambulances and civilians. Personally I say yes, this nut needs to be cracked. Kudos to French President Nick Sarkozy for being ready and willing to "go hot" against Libya for over a year, before the protests even started. It would appear that the French and British will be taking the lead. Canadian forces will still take a few days to get all their equipment and support staff into the theatre, but the French and British are ready to start at a moment's notice. Good on our colonial forefathers. Vivre La France!

Ignatieff-Obama Not Invited To Royal Wedding

The Prime Minister of Canada has been invited to attend the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton on April 29th, and left off the guest list are Barak Obama and the leader of Canada's so called "natural governing party" (meanwhile the King of Bahrain has been invited). One has to wonder if Iggy, who spent so much of his adult life living in England, is a little jealous. Maybe that's why he's so keen on forcing an election in March, in a vain attempt to win an invitation as Canada's PM? I expect attending the royal wedding would be a higher priority to Iggy Pop than actually governing the country. He's in this for his own personal glory, for the parties, for the attention. A royal wedding is a perfect vehicle for Iggy's vanity. He thrives in an elitist environment.

Prince William As Canada's Head Of State?

Today's poll question; do you think that Prince William would be a good Head of State for Canada? It would appear that since his wedding announcement, Canadian opposition to the monarch as Canada's Head of State has diminished. My guess is that it has something to do with the unpopularity of Prince Charles, though it was only announced that William is getting married and not that he is necessarily going to leap frog his dad on the successors list. Is there now a perception that William's marriage increases the probability that Charles gets skipped for the crown?

Personally I have an open disdain for Charles and have a much more favourable opinion of William. I support severing Canada's formal ties to the monarchy, but I will admit that I will be significantly less upset if William becomes Canada's next Head of State than the alternative. I would even vote for Harry, the pot smoking Nazi before Prince Charles.

Prince Charles

I am curious to know how you would feel to have Prince Charles as your Head of State? Regardless of your own feelings on the Monarchy, there really is nothing bad anyone can say about Elizabeth; but who is coming next, and how much power could that individual exert over our Governor General? I believe that most people turned against Charles after the Princess Di tragedy, while others have likely been turned by some of his environmentalist policies. Could King Charles force the Governor General to put a climate changeologist regime in power should a minority block vote down a throne speech immediately after a Federal Election?

I am someone who will take every opportunity to discredit the monarchy's role in our Parliament, not because I have a complaint against the current monarch, but rather because I am looking a few moves down the chess board at who might be coming next. Either way I don't believe the Crown should be our Head of State. I have not yet made up my mind on William. Today's poll question, would you accept King Charles as your Head of State?

Take Me Out To The Rodeo

Someday I would like to attend the Calgary Stampede. I have never attended a rodeo and I think that would be an enjoyable experience. I saw in the news today that a group paid $15,000 to advertise the “cruelty of the rodeo” in the Calgary Herald. A British animal rights group is also getting involved. Rodeos are banned in Britain, and as many as 50 British MPs signed a motion in their House of Commons to have the Canadian federal government intervene in what is considered permissible at the Stampede. When I hear this kind of moral indignation coming from Europe (like with the seal hunt) against historic Canadian institutions, it does not make me more sympathetic to their opinion. Rather the opposite, I want to go buy seal skin boots and tickets to the Calgary Stampede.

Thoughts On The Monarchy

When you write 1100 blog posts over a 10 month period, you will inevitably write things that piss off people who would normally agree with you. It is as Ray would say, "the way she goes". One of my beliefs is that Canada should cut England (specifically the Monarchy) out of our constitution. I believe that the powers of the Governor General (the Queen's representative) should be reduced, or else have the position eliminated altogether. This is not just about me having some petty vendetta against someone who might have "pissed in my beer"; it has everything to do with the power of the GG to allow the 2nd and 3rd place parties to form Government shortly after an election.

I will sometimes rail against the British Monarchy like I rail against Ignatieff and the NDP, and yes that can piss people off. I don't apologize for it, and I try not to worry about what might upset certain people when I'm writing. When you start paying too much attention to what other people think, writer's block often ensues. I should state that I have no specific complaints against Elizabeth. She has never done anything to upset me. I have met a few a**holes from England, but that's not why I don't want the head of the Royal Family to be my head of state. I regard my Prime Minister as my head of state, and I strongly believe that the leader of the party who wins the most seats should be Prime Minister.

What is at the heart of my opposition to the Monarchy? We are facing a high probability of minority governments for the rest of my adult life. I spend a lot of time thinking of how I will react that day when we have an election and the Liberals and NDP vote down the ensuing throne speech so that they can ask the GG to form government. That day might come sooner rather than later, and at that time I will be vocally challenging the right of the GG to do so. In theory, the GG is supposed to do what the Monarch commands. I'm just laying out the foundation of my challenge against such a decision before it happens, and I am very concerned about the possibility or probability that it does happen.

If I piss you off in the meantime, deal with it. But you might like what I have to say when the Tories win 148 seats in the next election and Jack Layton gets sworn in as Prime Minister. What I wrote yesterday I didn't put much effort or thought into. There is very little traffic on political blogs at the end of a month/holiday when Parliament has been adjourned. I just needed to write something, however short (knowing few would read it), and the Queen was the only thing on TV. If you are mad at me, I promise I will make it up to you in the next 1-10 years when we have a constitutional crisis created by the Queen's representative in Canada. Perhaps the Prime Minister will appoint a new GG who would never accept the worst case scenario of a Liberal-Dipper-Bloc coalition, we'll see. I remind you that we will face many minority governments going forward, and the power of the Monarchy will come in to question. We avoided a catastrophe last time. Next time, we might not be so lucky.

I might not have any actual animosity towards Elizabeth, but I loathe Prince Charles. I don't want that man having any power over Canada, ever. If he becomes King, I will be full steam ahead on my anti-Monarchy opinion, but that's another story altogether.

And while I’m at it, I don’t think Sarah Palin is qualified to be President of the United States... Hell, if I’m going to piss off the Monarchists, I may as well piss off the Palinists too. It is Canada Day, so very few are paying attention to political blogs today anyway.

God Save The Queen?

Are you excited that the Queen is visiting Canada? Will you be traveling to a location near you to possibly catch a glimpse of the Monarch? Personally, the British crown does not appeal to me and I would rather we cut our official constitutional ties with the mothership. Nearly every man that I have met in my entire life who speaks with a British accent has insulted me after I mentioned my Scottish ancestry. The most common joke being about sex acts with farm animals. As a result, I don't have a fond opinion of the British. Never in my life have I been sexually aroused by sheep, much less any form of livestock.

My general opinion is to Hell with England. I don't want the Queen to be my head of state, and my preference would be to cut all formal ties with England.

Where In The World Is Mike Ignatieff?

Were there any Iggy sightings over the weekend? Was the Liberal leader in his Toronto riding as his city hosted a major international event, or on vacation France? Actually neither, he is in England (credit Joanne at Blue Like You). His summer under the bus tour to meet "the Canadians" doesn't start until July 13th, and while the most important people in the world gathered in Toronto, Iggy decided that it would be best if he left the country. I was going to call Toronto Iggy's backyard, but I see that as a temporary arrangement until he loses his job as Liberal leader and returns to Boston.

For a guy who spent 30 years living abroad, only to return in a foolhardy attempt to become Prime Minister, shouldn't he be spending every minute he can INSIDE Canada trying to get back in touch with the country he is so out of touch with? As soon as we close the doors on Parliament, this guy is taking off to Europe for extended vacations, even when the city that elected to him to Ottawa is hosting a major international Summit! This is crazy. Despite his many shortcomings, at least Stephane Dion gave a damn. If he plans to be the leader of Canada anytime soon, shouldn't he be here on Canadian soil greeting other world leaders when they are visiting his city?  Toronto is burning, and Iggy is out of country, the story of his life.

If the guy has a sense of humour, the loud speakers should blast the song "Don't forget me when I'm gone" on the loud speakers when he gets off the bus for BBQs...listen to the song, it works on so many different levels...

Germany Wins Battle of Britain

This morning Germany crushed England in the World Cup knockout round 4-1, as the Brits join France, Italy, and the United States as spectators for the remainder of the tournament. The Krauts rolled over the Brits like they were the French army circa 1940. The long tortured English soccer fans will have another 4 years to lick their wounds before failing again in 2014. Although Germany won the game comfortably and dominated the English, there was controversy over a missed call on a goal; but either way the best team won. I am actually looking forward to the next game of Germany against Argentina. It is not often that I'm proud of my 1/4 German lineage, but I am today.

I have to say that I’ve been enjoying the World Cup, even though I don’t enjoy soccer. In fact the World Cup is the only time I even remotely pay attention to the sport. It’s fun because so many people around the world care so much, so having some knowledge about this epic event does give you a topic of conversation with people you otherwise would not share common interests.

Braveheart

This evening the History Channel aired the film Braveheart, arguably my favourite film of all time as a person of predominantly Scottish ancestry. But I have to say, the historical accuracy of this film is flawed at best. As I have researched some of the story, I am miffed at Mel for butchering the actual historical events. I happen to have the same last name as one of the noble families in the film, as my family name is one of the most common in Scotland. Though my dad once listened to Scottish born Canadian tell him that our ancestors are "just a bunch of f*@king lowlanders."

Here are my 3 biggest complaints about Braveheart:

1) William Wallace riding into the bedroom of a Scottish noble on a horse. Guaranteed that never happened. If Wallace indeed snuck into the room and killed the man as he slept, there is no way he did it on a horse. That scene is ridiculous.

2) Mel Gibson butchered the battle of Sterling Bridge. It didn't happen even close to how it was depicted in the movie. Mel thought it would be a better movie his way, but there is little to no historical accuracy to his version of that battle.

3) The biggest joke is that Edward the Longshanks lived on for 2 years after Wallace was executed. To have the Princess whisper in his ear that she was pregnant with Wallace's child was insane. Even if he lost the ability to speak, guaranteed the King knew how to read and write. He couldn't have written on a piece of paper that the future Queen was pregnant with Wallace's baby over a two year period? In fact, I am willing to bet that the entire romance with the Princess was fabricated for theatrical purposes.

USA vs England

Today I am going to my friend’s house to watch a soccer game, which is the first time I have made any effort to watch soccer. I will be cheering for the United States, while my friend will be cheering for the Brits. English soccer fans get on my nerves, and I know how devastated many of them will be to lose to the Americans. Personally I think hockey is a far more entertaining sport, requiring more specific skills at a higher rate of speed. Soccer requires a lot of endurance, but you need to learn an entirely new mode of transportation before you can play ice hockey.

I would enjoy soccer a lot more if it allowed body contact and fights.

Britain To Copy Canada

Canada is making headlines today in Britain after Prime Minister David Cameron announced that what the English need to resolve their fiscal crisis is to be more Canadian. A bank tax isn't going to fix anything, and the economic model that can best rehabilitate and strengthen troubled European financial systems exists right here in Canada. The road to recovery for the British is to emulate the true north strong and free, and I will list that as yet another reason why I am proud to be Canadian and proud to be represented on the World stage by a Prime Minister as competent and astute as Stephen Harper.

Canada is taking a leadership role in this world economic recovery as leaders from other countries look at Canada as a shinning example for how to regulate financial markets and conduct business. What is even more incredible is that we have managed this exemplary recovery in a generally dysfunctional minority Parliament. One could only imagine the horror that would be the Canadian economy had we bee cursed with Prime Minister Stephane Dion in Dec of 2008. We'd have been better off with Prime Minister Celine Dion than Stephanie.

Wait, I screwed that up, can we start over again?

Happy Sir John A MacDonald Day!

For my entire adult life, it has baffled me that we have a national holiday for a dead British Queen, but none for our country's first Prime Minister. Therefore for the last few years I have celebrated Victoria Day as Sir John A MacDonald Day, because in my opinion he did far more for Canada than the outdated Monarch. I have never been a fan of the British Crown, or the British for that matter, although my all-time favourite politician in the history of mankind is Winston Churchill. Any warm feelings that I feel today from the memory of British leadership is on the back of Winston Churchill.

One of my favourite Churchill quotes, and there are many, comes from when he was meeting the King of Saudi Arabia. I believe that the question asked of Sir Winston had to do on the question of alcohol consumption at the state dinner because the Saudi King doesn't drink, and his response; "my rule of life prescribed as an absolutely sacred rite - smoking cigars and also the drinking of fine Scotch before, after, and if need be during all meals and in the intervals between them."

If this Canadian holiday weekend must celebrate British leadership, let it be Sir Winston Churchill Day if not Sir John A MacDonald Day. Where I come from in Northern Ontario, nobody calls it Victoria Day. It is "May 2-4" (in reference to the relative date of the event and the consumption of cases of beer).

London's New Loveable Olympic Cyclops

Yesterday London's Olympic organizers unveiled their mascots for the 2012 Summer Olympics. Ladies and Gentlemen please behold, your Olympic Cyclops. This is too much! Considering how critical the British media were of the Vancouver Olympics, which I was here for and were spectacular, this stumbling out of the gate is an ominous sign of things to come. Sure, the Vancouver mascot looked like Gumby mated with a pile of rocks, but at least the rock figures have a more positive history than the Cyclops. I have a funny feeling that these figures will frighten many a children before their Olympics are over. They have 2 Cyclopses, one for the regular Olympics and one for the Paralympics.

Avoiding a Coalition of Losers

I have to thank our friends across the pond for coining this "Coalition of Losers" moniker, in the event that the 2nd and 3rd place parties attempt to form government immediately after an election, circumventing the party that finishes in 1st place with the most seats. I am going to have to borrow this expression when the opposition tries to grab power after the next Canadian election, whenever that might be. With this agreement on detainee documents, the probability of an election before the summer recess has fallen considerably. Maybe this summer Iggy will attend a few BBQs and try to build up some momentum for his annual fall showdown?

This fall will mark the 2 year anniversary of our minority Parliament. After that point, the probability of a sudden collapse of government increases considerably. I think a lot of Canadians have grown tired of minority government and will want to vote for a majority. The Tories are mere inches away from majority status, where the probability of the Liberals forming a majority after the next writ has to be less than 15%. If you are going to place a wager that the Liberals win a majority next election, be sure to get at least 10 to 1 odds. The most likely means of the Liberal Party of Canada taking the Prime Minister’s Office is by forming a coalition of losers. AND if the Prime Minister appoints a Governor General who is unlikely to be receptive to an east coast coalition of losers, then the ability of the losers to form a coalition falls considerably.

Like sands through the hour glass, so are the days of our lives...

Do you think Canada could ever have a coalition government between Tories and the NDP?

No (87%)
Yes (9%)
Undecided (3%)

Birds of a Heather

Sometimes Heather Mallick really blows my mind. What's she doing over in Britain trying to convince all Britons that Canada is gripped in some evil dark age? Winston Churchill once said "when I am abroad, I always make it a rule never to criticize or attack the government of my own country. I make up for lost time when I come home." Is Heather currently living in England? Does she even know that Canada is doing well and our financial system is the envy of the modern world?

I'm wondering, is the UK Guardian the last paper on Earth who will print her rants? I'm happy that at least this time it was not posted on the CBC website, at least that I could find. It will probably be up there on Monday. I would link the latest article, but honestly it is not worth your time to read. I just wanted to take a brief moment to remind you that this cretin is still out there. I would also like to let the people of Britain know that she only speaks for a minority fringe in Canada, not the mainstream. Geez, I hope that the British don't think that her opinion is a meaningful representative sample of Canadian opinion!

CBC News: "Harper dodges U.K.'s 'hanging' political debate"

Evidently the CBC expects Prime Minister Harper to publicly state his opinion on Britain's parliamentary negotiations, which makes absolutely no sense at all. Even if the CBC thinks that we should be telling them how to run their country, there is nothing the PM can do to affect the outcome. What do they really expect Stephen Harper to say about it? What if he endorses Cameron and Brown forms a coalition? Then our PM would be on bad terms with the government of a close ally. We can't affect who forms their government, and have to work closely with whoever does! The only play is to wait and see what happens, and then work with the winner. Trying to affect the outcome is not in anyone's best interest.  It makes no sense for our Prime Minister to get involved now, and in fact it is really stupid for the CBC to make this a partisan issue.

The post in question was written by CBC news and does not list an author.