To kick off a three-day conference of The Manning Centre for Democracy, Prime Minister Stephen Harper gave a remarkable — and unannounced — defence of small-c conservatism. It was remarkable, in my eyes, for its candour — we rarely get to hear him talk politics in this way nowadays — and its frank assessment of the mistakes that got us to where we are:
Prime Minister Stephen Harper said the global recession was caused by American consumers and investors who believed in the “unconservative” idea that they could borrow without consequences.
In a speech Thursday night to a group of supporters attending a fundraising dinner for a conservative think-tank, Mr. Harper delivered a frank diagnosis of the world's economic problems, took a swipe at U.S. President Barack Obama's stimulus plan, and suggested the federal courts and bureaucracy was filled with Liberals who did not share his Conservative government's agenda.
“Imagine how many Liberal insiders and ideologues would now be in the Senate, the courts and countless other federal institutions and agencies – I should say, how many more,” Harper said to the laughter of the mostly conservative crowd of about 300.
“Imagine what a carbon tax would be doing to our economy in the middle of this global recession.”
… in his speech, Mr. Harper gave a passionate defence of conservatism in what has become an era of big-spending, big government.
“We are in a global recession principally – and we have to face this – because a lot of people on Wall Street, because of a lot of people in the private sector more generally – homeowners or consumers – pushed or bought into a very unconservative idea:That they could live beyond their means,” Mr. Harper said. [ Read the rest of the story ]
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Funny that he now blames the US economy for dragging us down.
Seems like only yesterday he was telling us we would never have a recession despite the US downturn because our fundamentals were strong and we had sufficiently independent economy.
Then it was a recession then a possible depression then a cyclical downturn and, based on last week's speech, we are well primed and even on our way to recovery. He says that we are doing better than all other nations which is not true: our job losses are far far greater than the US, our GDP is about the same and our GDI is well off others.
Mr. Pass the Buck seems to sing a different song about the economy every few weeks, but every song is out of tune.
It would seem that these conservatives who agree with Harper's simplistic and self-serving analysis about the global recession don't grasp that it was the conservative free-market ideology that created the notion that homeowners or consumers could live beyond their means.
Great post, as usual.
What is missing from your analysis, however, is an obvious point. Harper represents a riding that is the best example of people spending beyond their means. The outrageous real estate boom and extravagant spending generally that occurred in Calgary Southwest is exactly the kind of conduct that he is attacking.
In other words, he is putting the lumber to his own “peeps”.
The flagrantly ostentatious display of out-of-control spending in Calgary generally, and the most-affluent southwest area in particular, are the best example of consumers going way too far with purchasing.
Now that the real estate bubble has burst/exploded in Calgary – foreclosures and other debt-related seizures are skyrocketing – Calgarians are dealing with a cold dose of reality. It must be cold comfort that their very own MP is rubbing salt in their wounds with his “I told you so” lecture.