Apolitical Staples

Of course the Conservatives are worried about the weather. The polls in the Globe last week (or maybe the week before), show clearly that most Canadians think Kyoto is great, but don’t know the first thing about it. The opposition parties are all claiming that Kyoto is vital, while knowing full well that their positions are completely false. Rational people often fear the completely irrational, and that is what we are dealing with here.

Ah, the neutral language of an unbiased reporter is a beautiful thing to behold:

“subtle [secret] messages drifting [wafting in an evil cloud] from the Prime Minister’s Office”

“current series of Tory attack ads”

Could somebody tell me why a conservative party insider would ever speak with a representative of the Globe?

Were there really any party organizers? Can we contact them to see if they were misquoted or quoted out of context? Guess not.

I think the party has seen the polls in Ontario and are afraid, very afraid. Of course, they could actually do something substantive on the greenhouse gas file, but hey, that’s too much to ask I guess.

“I think the party has seen the polls in Ontario and are afraid, very afraid.”

No, you wish that.

Why does the government have to do anything at all? Why don’t the good citizens of Canada just reduce their energy consumption by one fifth? I mean, we love Kyoto, don’t we?

A few numbers:

http://www.geocraft.com/WVFossils/greenhouse_data.html

http://www.environnement-canada.ca/soer-ree/English/Indicatorseries/newissues.cfm?issueid=4&techid=15

Why does the government have to do anything at all?

I think that should be the slogan for the CPC’s election campaign. Bet it won’t be though.

Alan, you are wasting your time with links. People who still believe in Kyoto are quite consciously choosing to remain ignorant.

“A few numbers”

I don’t think a concerted effort to debunk Kyoto will be a winning strategy. The freight train has already left the station.

Speaking of irrational fear-mongering, though, wasn’t Mr. Harper recently drawing a lurid picture of Canadian streets filled with guns, drugs, and crime?

The CPC have no worries about the Ontario polls. They are where they need to be. It’s Quebec where their worries are focused. They should also be worried about Saskatchewan too.

The next election is a crap shoot for everybody. Nobody is assured anything by the polls. The campaign will decide it. Here is where the Conservatives have the confidence. They’ve got buckets of cash. Also, they think Dion has a glass jaw. The “attack” ads are a probing jab. See what happens. See if Dion cracks.

An election is imminent. Harper’s only choice is what it will be about. It’s like I wrote months ago. There are two racing trains to the election station. One is the budget train. The other is the Kyoto train. Harper had maneuvered Kyoto to arrive late with the Clean Air Act. Then this private member’s bill provided a shortcut. Jean Charest has also delayed the budget train with his own election.

The Senate won’t get a chance to vote on Kyoto. There will be an election call before then.

However, the pressure is on Harper about the budget timing. Too soon and he doesn’t help Charest. Too late and his government falls on Kyoto. The question is whether any party will keep the budget debate alive long enough to allow the Kyoto bill to be proclaimed as law? Meaning, vote for the budget on 1st and 2nd reading, then kill it at 3rd reading?

Yes, yes he does.

Kyoto is actually a waste of time and money, even if its recommendations were impliments it wouldn’t actually acomplish its objective. So at the end of the day, what’s the point? Furthermore, I have no reason to believe that Canadians really have an interest in the environment beyond wanting the government to appear to be doing something about it, while not interferring in their daily lives.

Greg: I think the [Conservative] party has seen the polls in Ontario and are afraid, very afraid.

Alan: No, you wish that.

He sure does.

(And since when does seven percent qualify as “a slight lead”? You can bet that if the Liberals were up by seven, the CP wouldn’t call it that.)