Back in the early 1990’s when Steven Tyler was proving even not-so-good-looking rock stars could be “babe magnets”, my friends in Toronto’s arts community, insisted that I switch from singing, “Livin’ on the edge” and start culturally “attuning” myself to more “introspective” aspects of cultural awareness such as Pink Floyd or restructure my social vision by binge watching John Cleese and the Monty Python’s Flying Circus.
I have to admit I felt insulted; not only did I already own an original release of “The Wall” LP, but I could also understand its message without first having to reach for a tab of acid (LSD) so as to embrace its “deeper” lyrical meaning. As for Monty Python, to that point I’d never indulged my inquisitive self by watching them (my “bad”), thus requiring me to hit the local Blockbuster in order to my being provided with greater insight into man’s very existence. After selecting “The Meaning of Life” as opposed to “The Life of Brian”, in its very watching I was to find a spiritual awakening that would forever bind me to pursue the philosophical agenda as espoused by the NDP.
OK – not really…
What “lesson” I learned from watching these films was that by our so-called “charismatic” religious right are still attempting to interpret religious works such as the Bible in its originalist format. Even as believers we are depriving ourselves of the challenge to live our lives according to this biblical message by interpreting its viability to survive within an ever-changing social structure.
To me, no one is less capable of learning to survive in our post Covid-19 social structure than Pierre Poilievre, except perhaps Donald Trump. While he may believe that the title to another Monty Python release, “And Now for Something Completely Different”, is his personal political “message”, it is actually a juxtaposition of this phrase, that being “More of the Same”.
Really, can someone PLEASE tell me what is the “difference” between whatever Poilievre says in public that Stephen Harper hasn’t already conveyed to the electorate? Harper’s goal was to wipe the Liberal Party off the map of the Canadian electoral system with a political movement opposed to all progressive ideals moving us along in our struggle to create Utopia here on Earth. Here in Saskatchewan we have a cacophony of idiots praying for such deliverance, but WHY we are wasting so damned much emotion attempting to turn this notion into a dangerous reality?
With Poilievre, we’re just repeating a Generation Four history of the Conservatives trying to put a Harper clone back into the Prime Minister’s chair. Doesn’t ANYONE remember that Harper’s governments were responsible for the largest increase in our budgetary deficit – at least until Covid-19 showed up? Doesn’t anyone remember that this man was so hated across Canada that when he scheduled a rally in 2015 at Saskatoon’s Nu-Fab Building Products, there were almost as many Saskatoon police officers and RCMP hiding in unmarked vehicles with shaded windows, simply waiting for a riot to break out.
At the moment, Poilievre is attempting to humiliate Parliament’s NDP caucus for having agreed to support the Liberal minority through the Covid crisis in exchange for passage of progressive legislation dealing with inflated drug costs and dental health, just so that Canadians wouldn’t have to go through an election in the middle of the pandemic – which the PM called despite these facts, simply because he could rack up an majority in Parliament in 2021.
Poilievre is like Trump, in that he preaches total nonsense, such as his contention that Trudeau changed the expected date for an election to be called in 2025, just so Jagmeet Singh could be eligible to receive a lifelong pension – when there are far more Liberals AND Conservatives also benefitting from this change.
As for CERB-related legislation to create relief for individuals and small businesses affected by business slowdown or lack of job opportunity, these plans were the creation of the NDP caucus, and adopted in panic mode by the Liberals. Even more worth mentioning, we now have a Pharmacare program in place to ease prescription drug costs, particularly with senior citizens, as well as parents now being able to provide their children with a proper dental care program called DentiCare.
Having now withdrawn their support for supporting the Liberal government, Poilievre is now demanding that the NDP call for a vote of non-confidence to force an election, a move that many here in Saskatchewan drool over the prospects of this happening.
All that Poilievre is doing by calling for this last move is to in the end blame the NDP from not acting in such a manner, thus treating westerners as utter fools, simply because the Bloc Quebecois, hardly good buds with the Conservatives, have already stated that they will now support the Liberals until at least the end of 2025.
Over this past four years, the NDP acted as the grown-ups in Parliament, and gave us legislation most Canadians had demanded for years. Poilievre, however, knows that most NDP supporters who’ve allegedly “switched” their allegiance to the Conservative Party have only parked their vote there, knowing full well that eventually PM Trudeau will have to leave.
Watch what will happen next, if you don’t believe me.
