Now I don't think Prime Minister designate Harper is crying over this one,
Canada has been dropped from a global club of "progressive" nations because of the election of a new federal government headed by Stephen Harper.Former prime minister Jean Chretien and his Liberal successor, Paul Martin, made overseas trips in 2003 and 2004 respectively to join British Prime Minister Tony Blair, South African President Thabo Mbeki, former U.S. president Bill Clinton and a host of other "centre-left" political luminaries at self-proclaimed "Progressive Governance Summits" in London and Budapest.
But Mr. Harper is not invited to next week's conference in South Africa, says the director of a British-based think-tank that has organized the international meetings since 1999.
Mr. Harper "wouldn't fit the political criteria" to gain membership, said Matt Browne, whose organization Policy Network is co-sponsoring the Feb. 11-12 conference in Pretoria with the South African government.
Apparently the only criteria is the name of your party because a great many issues the Conservative Party of Canada is to the left the British Labour Party and the American Democrats. To be fair (or not, I'm sure) there are a great many Canadian progressives who think that Paul Martin was too centre-right to gain attendance as well.
Comments (8)
I am one of those centre left people who feel Martin is in the same “progressive” category as Tony “I love the word privatization” Blair.
Posted by Greg | February 2, 2006 9:35 AM
Posted on February 2, 2006 09:35
Yeah, that comment was for you ;)
Posted by Greg Staples | February 2, 2006 9:48 AM
Posted on February 2, 2006 09:48
What can I say you hit the nail on the head. I have said all along Canadian politics, regardless of the parties, is to the left of the U.S. As for Tony Blair it appears he and Harper were seperated at birth. Birds of a feather, maybe the solution is to put the Progressive back in front of the Conservative and they will get invited back to join the club.
Posted by Eugene Plawiuk | February 2, 2006 10:18 AM
Posted on February 2, 2006 10:18
I agree with Eugene - Bunch-a-yacking-hens -white wine-liberals….This is too funny.. it’s a meeting of hypocrites.
Harper gets savaged by the Libs and the media for his moral support of the Iraqi war, then in light of the intellegence failures changes his mind on that issue - Now you have Hilary (who is attending this meeting), who not only voted for the war - but has lambasted fellow Democrats for wanting to withdraw….The Policy Network should grow a brain and had better stop equating their criteria to that of playground sandbox rules.
Posted by RTBWA | February 2, 2006 10:54 AM
Posted on February 2, 2006 10:54
Does this club qualify as a “Vast Left Wing Conspiracy”? Just askin’.
Posted by Chris | February 2, 2006 10:56 AM
Posted on February 2, 2006 10:56
Stephen Harper and Tony Blair birds of a feather ?
A gross libel on Stephen Harper I’d say. As Peter Oborne said in today’s Daily Mail following Blair’s defeat in Parliament over the Religious Hatred Bill, “Ever since he came to power, Mr Blair has tried to destroy Parliament…Now history has come full circle..and the Commons is destroying Mr Blair.” Good. This man has done enough damage to Britain while pretending to be someone the right could trust.
Martin has been thrown out in Canada. Now is the time to throw Blair out in the UK.
Blair once said “The Labour party is nothing less than the political arm of the British people.” A bit like Martin saying “Liberal values are Canadian values” and such tosh.
Posted by The Fog is Clearing | February 2, 2006 12:58 PM
Posted on February 2, 2006 12:58
Dear Fog why do you think the British Conservative party has lost the elections because Blair is Maggie Thatcher just with a kinder gentler approach. In fact the new leader elect for the UK Tories is a Blair Lite.
Posted by Eugene Plawiuk | February 2, 2006 4:39 PM
Posted on February 2, 2006 16:39
Today’s paper (er, I think it was the Post) mentioned that the purpose of this conclave was to “establish links between the left and the centre”, and that Harper’s government was “centre-right” and so not of interest.
If I understand this correctly, it means: Harper already is where these people are trying to get to, and thus they have nothing to offer him.
Posted by ebt | February 2, 2006 5:25 PM
Posted on February 2, 2006 17:25