Shit Harper Did

This is a lovely political website - beautifully designed - pointing out the things done by Stephen Harper, Tory Prime Minister of Canada, who prefers to rule without a parliament, and is the only person on the planet to see George W. Bush as a role model.

Add another tyrant to the list

Stephen Harper is the only man on the planet who thinks George W. Bush is a role model, and that the United States' approaches to capitalism (let 'er rip) and the environment (who needs it?) are admirable.

Unfortunately, he's the Prime Minister of Canada. He's the fellow who found a loophole in Canada's political system and just suspended parliamentary democracy for months on end whenever it was in danger of outvoting him.

He's done something rather Gadaffiesque now: announced that all official communications will no longer refer to 'the Government of Canada' or 'Gouvernement du Canada', but instead talk about 'The Harper Government'.

George Orwell would be proud. I think this is what the Canucks have to look forward to.

A very Canadian coup

The Canadians had an election recently, as did the New Zealanders. In both cases, the Conservatives won despite succeeding decent liberal governments. Thankfully, the Liberals in Canada have got together to form a coalition, throw out Stephen Harper's no-good Tories in a confidence vote and save the world. (Poor Anne would hate it - she's a die-hard Tory but only because Matthew Cuthbert was). 

So what have the sneaky low-down Canuck Conservatives done, eh? Just gone running to the Queen like the Aussies in 1975, when the viceroy (sorry, Governor-General) dismissed Gough Whitlam's government even though he had a majority. Harper's asked the Queen to suspend parliament to avoid losing the vote - the coward. His whips should be bribing and threatening and dragging in the sick-bed vote like most mature democracies would.