I’ve been chewing on this a while, and this is the straw...
In a democratic country we elect our leaders. Those leaders form the government and have an honour bound duty to lead the country. Inherent in that leadership is the fact that the people who form the government are elected for their ideals, policies and platform. The idea that they must represent those people in the public that backed, and most likely continue to back, the opposition is nonsensical. The only portion of the public to which they owe any loyalty are those that gave them the mandate to govern. The rest quite frankly can go pound sand until such time as there is an election or the government in toppled by a vote of non-confidence.
On the other side of this coin is the fact that the Loyal opposition is supposed to oppose the government in Canada. IN CANADA! Their duty to oppose ends at the borders of this country. To insist that they be included in international forums, that they have a seat at the table for conferences and international bodies is preposterous, and done, if at all solely at the pleasure and with the permission of the elected government.
We the people of Canada, representing a plurality of the population elected the government to represent us both nationally and internationally. We most emphatically did not elect the Opposition to speak for us as a nation or on the international stage. The oppositions job is to oppose at home and stay at home! Not to go chasing our duly elected leaders around the world spewing partisan talking points in order to score points with Canadian voters.
These opposition media whores are making this country a complete laughingstock internationally. You do not see Condolezza Rice berated in Israel by Hillary Clinton who followed here there to state the Democratic platform. You don’t see Gary Kasperov waiting in the hallways of the UN building in the hopes that he can grasp the coat-tails of some NBC news crew so he can deride his governments position on the state of Georgia.If Dion, or any other member of the opposition, Liberal, NDP, Greens or Bloc want to spend their own personal money and travel as John Q Public to whatever, meeting wherever, then fine, there is no way to stop them but it should be crystal clear that these people do not speak for Canada and do not speak for Canadians.
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2 comments:
Amen, brother, amen.
Funny, I don't remember any of the opposition parties chasing around when the Liberals were in power, but perhaps that was it - the Conservatives knew their role and played it to the extent. The knock against the Conservatives was that they had to learn how to govern... perhaps the Liberals needed to spend more time learning how to be the Opposition?
i support the conservatives, but harper did something simliar if i recall, wasnt that in the ny times
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