In reply to all the liberal bashing

[cplcaldwell]

Does Jack Layton qualify as a 'liberal'?

 

[Loachman]

not all liberals are the long haired hippies that some people associate with the title.

I've never associated liberals - and I'm referring to the party member variety - with hippies. Hippies are generally honest and humble and don't interfere in others' lives and livelihoods.

 

[a_majoor]

For some truly interesting thoughts on Liberalism vs liberalism vs libertarianism vs Classical Liberalism vs what-have-you, look into the many threads on the subject by seniore majoor.

Para is too modest by half. But I'm not! 

Euston Manifesto  http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/42161.0.html
Conservatism needs work  http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/37454.0.html
Libertarians http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/45537.0.html
Why Socialism can never die  http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/42941.0.html
Left wing. http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/43222.0.html
Bill Cosby vs Jack Layton  http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/44142.0.html
The right NOT to vote  http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/38841.0.html
This is how it happens  http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/35595.0.html
Man and Liberalism  http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/33884.0.html
Getting Better Government requires better Voters!  http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/32487.0.html
Politics with more dimensions  http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/23744.0.html

The problem with modern politics and much of today's society in my opinion is the quest to reduce everything to a sound bite or a magic pill (Paracowboy knows what this reference is about). I would defy most members of the Liberal Party of Canada to explain what their version of "liberalism" is about in any coherent way, particulary since in practice the Liberal Party of Canada and it's various provincial branches/offshoots simply act in an expediant manner to gain and weild political and economic power through the use and manipulation of laws, regulations and taxation, and through the funding and control of special interest groups to set the scope of public debate (which is the reason the membership is willing to pour scorn on the party and its representatives).

I invite you to go through these threads (and no, not all of them are mine) to get a grounding about other political philosophies. You may discover what Liberalism once was, and perhaps what the future may hold in Canadian politics.

My own prediction (FWIW) is the Liberal Party will rupture, with many elements going to the Greens and the NDP, since these parties actually have a coherent political philosophy. Depending on the mess, the core or rump of the Liberal Party will emerge as a new Centerist party, perhaps with a new name (look at the evolution of the Reform/Alliance/Conservatives to see what I mean).

 

[The_Falcon]

Hmmm, am I supposed to be a miracle worker? :
Oh Yeh, Tomb of the unknown soldier, Flags at hald mast, somewhat contraversial.
Keeping us out of Iraq.
With the Afghanistan mission enjoying the support that it does, that was a real good move
Yeah, their xtra-crispy now, but someone will have to form the next government
All parties go bad given time

Please, please, please, PROOFREAD (We actually care about proper sentence structure and grammar)!  There is a spellcheck button at the bottom, USE IT.  I am surprised none of the mods have given you "the list" yet.

 

[George Wallace]

I just thought he was mixing and matching English/German/Pig Latin.

 

[paracowboy]

I just had no idea what he said.

 

[Koenigsegg]

What I did was: pretend it was some foreign language, and try to piece it together in english.  Take the words you know, and try to put them in something close to the correct order.

 

[Torlyn]

I just read it slower. 

T

 

[IN HOC SIGNO]

Does Jack Layton qualify as a 'liberal'?

yes...a liberal socialist. It seems that they all like to tout themselves as "progressives" now...liberal perhaps having lost it's lustre a little after the Adscam debacle....and of course now that the Conservatives have changed their name the word can be used and not confused with the PCs.
It seems that anything that is controversial now they term themselves progressive and expect that that is the end of the debate because of course no one in their right mind wants to be thought of as "un-progressive."  :

 

[rmacqueen]

yes...a liberal socialist. It seems that they all like to tout themselves as "progressives" now...liberal perhaps having lost it's lustre a little after the Adscam debacle....and of course now that the Conservatives have changed their name the word can be used and not confused with the PCs.
It seems that anything that is controversial now they term themselves progressive and expect that that is the end of the debate because of course no one in their right mind wants to be thought of as "un-progressive."  :

I would hope that the Canadian public would catch on to this sort of cheap political mumbo-jumbo.  Unfortunately, with so many forming opinions based on the latest sound bite I am doubtful.

 

[HDE]

Have we figured out yet what being "progressive" actually means; apparently Jack is seriously "progressive"  ???

 

[TCBF]

In it's strictly doctrinal sense, it means that which works towards the inevitable outcome of all class-based struggle: a true worker's paradise.  It is a term used to justfy the incremental nature of the revolution and pacify those who would immediately take to the barricades and hang the rich on lampposts. 

Think of that the next time some lettered pundit or TV bingo-caller (talking head journalista) calls a policy you and I like "regressive."

 

[Dogboy]

Para is too modest by half. But I'm not! 

Euston Manifesto  http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/42161.0.html
Conservatism needs work  http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/37454.0.html
Libertarians http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/45537.0.html
Why Socialism can never die  http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/42941.0.html
Left wing. http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/43222.0.html
Bill Cosby vs Jack Layton  http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/44142.0.html
The right NOT to vote  http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/38841.0.html
This is how it happens  http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/35595.0.html
Man and Liberalism  http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/33884.0.html
Getting Better Government requires better Voters!  http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/32487.0.html
Politics with more dimensions  http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/23744.0.html

The problem with modern politics and much of today's society in my opinion is the quest to reduce everything to a sound bite or a magic pill (Paracowboy knows what this reference is about). I would defy most members of the Liberal Party of Canada to explain what their version of "liberalism" is about in any coherent way, particulary since in practice the Liberal Party of Canada and it's various provincial branches/offshoots simply act in an expediant manner to gain and weild political and economic power through the use and manipulation of laws, regulations and taxation, and through the funding and control of special interest groups to set the scope of public debate (which is the reason the membership is willing to pour scorn on the party and its representatives).

I invite you to go through these threads (and no, not all of them are mine) to get a grounding about other political philosophies. You may discover what Liberalism once was, and perhaps what the future may hold in Canadian politics.

My own prediction (FWIW) is the Liberal Party will rupture, with many elements going to the Greens and the NDP, since these parties actually have a coherent political philosophy. Depending on the mess, the core or rump of the Liberal Party will emerge as a new Centerist party, perhaps with a new name (look at the evolution of the Reform/Alliance/Conservatives to see what I mean).

I think you need one more
http://www.infoshop.org/faq/index.html
for a view from outside the box entirely

 

[paracowboy]

yeah, 'cause Anarchy is a viable political system. :

 

[warspite]

The NDP may be idiots and the liberals may be corrupt but please... don't ever suggest the toppling of my wonderful countries gov't in favour of anarchy.  It would be the end of Canada... end of discusion.

 

[paracowboy]

The NDP may be idiots and the liberals may be corrupt but please... don't ever suggest the toppling of my wonderful countries gov't in favour of anarchy.  It would be the end of Canada... end of discusion.

relax, it can't happen. Only adolescents (regardless of physical age) even dream of pretending that anarchy is a viable political system for anyone, anywhere.

Personally, I'd like to see anarchy instituted briefly. The numerous deaths would be almost entirely limited to the very types advocating anarchy in the first place. They're usually underfed, malnourished, fools who decry the presence of police officers and soldiers, along with any of the other trappings of authority that keep them safe and allow them to function safely, and their skulls would quickly be used for beer mugs by the nearest biker gang.

 

[warspite]

Thanks for the reality check...okay breathing deeply....blood pressure returning to normal.. ahhhh...

You are right about only fools dreaming of anarchy being a viable option. Governments may be corrupt by nature but they are a necessary part of life... for example building and maintaining the roads in the north or anywhere else for that matter. May not seem like a biggy but consider what would happen if all the roads in Canada were no longer maintained... after a while no more transportation via cars or trucks... meaning no more semies dropping of groceries and other goods to your now isolated (forestry, mining etc.) town. Now with everyone starving you think theirs going to be anyone at the hospital to help you?... well maybe some druggies raiding the place. So now what do you do.. people being shot down in the street and here you are...whose going to protect you now? Oh yeah here is your anarchy for you... now you see your mistake at what you've wrought and what you've done and then someone runs you over with a motorcycle from behind...

Sorry Para but I really had to get that off my chest...will drop the subject now...

 

[Dogboy]

obviously you all read the FAQs before jumping to the standard assumptions of what Anarchy is. before making your points.
just to let you know every state their was about to become a anarchy was brutally crushed by Fascists or Communist or capitalists, and that's where your views of total destruction come from.
remember history is writing by the whiners

 

[George Wallace]

obviously you all read the FAQs before jumping to the standard assumptions of what Anarchy is. before making your points.
just to let you know every state their was about to become a anarchy was brutally crushed by Fascists or Communist or capitalists, and that's where your views of total destruction come from.
remember history is writing by the whiners

???

Huh?

 

[Kat Stevens]

  "remember history is writing by the whiners"
:rofl:

Actually, it's written by those who can spell