On the world stage, it's the Regressive Conservatives

That’s the title of today’s piece by Lawrence Martin of the Globe: "On the world stage, it's the Regressive Conservatives"

Regressive is defined as “opposing progress; returning to a former less advanced state”. Given this definition, then Harper also certainly represents the Regressive Conservatives on the domestic stage as well the world stage.

Does it not strike most intelligent Canadians, including those working for the Globe and Mail, that it is a trifle regressive to have a situation where politicians promise one thing and then do the exact opposite? And when the politician attempts to justify his reversal, his evidence takes the form of 18 pages of blacked out documents? Does this not strike you as slightly regressive in an era where the electorate demands transparency and accountability from their government, and especially given the fact that people lost $35 billion of their retirement savings as a consequence of this (regressive) act? Does it not strike you as slightly regressive for Harper to have argued in Parliament that he never made any such promise (even though the promise appears in print in their election platform and Harper uttered such a promise far and wide and for political advantage), or that the Finance Minister attempted to disown the consequences of his decision by stating “It’s not my fault”?

This is the second article in a week where Lawrence Martin has attempted to position himself on the right (i.e. proper) side of history. Last week, it was his piece entitled: “To save journalism, bring on that Jon Stewart outrage”

The following is representative of the comments I received to that piece, since it appears that our journalists in Canada are just as regressive as the Harper Conservatives, in the minds of many, myself included:

Brent

This is an obvious case of a long-time journalistic whore trying to have it both ways. After years of profiting professionally from being an obeisant stenographer to those in power, he now attempts to cleanse away a lifetime of sins by this mea culpa. A mea culpa which is way too little, way too limited ( and, of course, way too late ) and is purely the latest attempt to position himself expediently in the prevailing political climate of outrage against corporate greed and corruption and government lies and malfeasance.

P.S. And, by all means, contact/confront Martin and ask him to start making good on his so-called epiphany by, finally, exposing the Conservatives' lies regarding Income Trusts.

Best,
Bob


On the world stage, it's the Regressive Conservatives
LAWRENCE MARTIN
Globe and Mail
March 26, 2009