The Pander Option

Most troubling, though, I think the Harper Conservatives have become Mulroney-ized. Former prime minister Brian Mulroney seems to have too much influence over policy and strategy.

That’s where the current Tories’ Quebec pandering comes from, as well as their ludicrous green plan. Mulroney, who this spring was honoured as Canada’s “greenest” prime minister, is firmly convinced that middle-class voters are motivated to choose a party in a campaign by the party’s stance on the environment. lorne gunter, edmonton journal

Green hysteria in the middle class might well manifest itself in voting behaviour. After all, doing anything else would impact upon the very middle class lifestyle these folks cherish. But voting? Voting costs nothing.

The CPC is stuck with a bunch of green policies which, as Gunter points out, it does not actually believe in. And it is stuck with them because it lacks the spine and the leadership to actually lead the voters out of the green delusion.

Now, the good news is that a lot of the hysteria is abating. While the Goracle can still pack in the guilt plagued SUV driver and the media is still incapable of reporting the science rather than the spin, the chances are pretty good the green tide will recede over the summer.

Had the Tories any wit at all they would, as gas prices head towards $2.00 a litre, point out that this was actually a good thing and that to really cut those emissions - in the event the Liberal Senate passes the Kyoto compliance silliness - the Tories will be imposing an immediate $1.00 a litre carbon tax. And, for good measure, will impose the same tax on the energy equivalents (however generated) in natural gas and electricity. Call it the Liberal Party Catch Up Act and actually confront the sainted middle class with the real costs of Kyoto compliance.

Of course, the really smart move would be to convene a conference on Kyoto which featured skeptics as well as the elect. Start with Bjorn Lomborg. But the eager beavers in Finance and Energy to work costing specific measures. But put the chaps in external to the task of figuring out what we might do for people dying this week with the money we would otherwise spend on reducing carbon emissions. Invite the Premiers and the leaders of the various political parties and hammer out the cost benefits.

As if.

As Sir Humphrey would say, “That would, indeed, be courageous Prime Minister.”

Written by jay on May 29th, 2007 with no comments.
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Re Handguns

Edward Michael George makes a rather telling point in the wake of the kid on kid shooting in Toronto and the predictable demand for the immediate elimination of hand guns:

In response to the accumulation of evidence provided the citizens of France since November 2005 of serious societal decline, President Nicholas Sarkozy condemns as responsible–get this–the French themselves! Now this is a novelty, isn’t it? Imagine suggesting that a country is responsible for the things that happen within its own borders! That its citizens take responsibility for the consequences of their own actions! Scandalous!

To elaborate: Monsieur Sarkozy apparently believes that neither gasoline nor matches are the determining factors in, say, a nationwide blight of car burnings. Rather, he’s under this weird impression that a preponderance of bad behaviour has something to do with the fact that good behaviour isn’t being encouraged or even taught. (For those who don’t know our other official language see here). edward michael george

Indeed.

Written by jay on May 29th, 2007 with no comments.
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Modest Predictions

One of my main objections to GW hysteria is how little certainty there is or, in a basic sense, can be about the predictions of the IPCC and the various alarmists. Just how bad the predictions have been is outline in this rather exhaustive prediction scorecard created by Warwick Hughes. It’s results do not inspire confidence.

Written by jay on May 29th, 2007 with no comments.
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