Ah, summer. Hot temps. Thunderstorms. Days at the beach. No need for coats, boots or tuques.

Ah.

Summer brings with it a feeling of satisfaction with oneself, one’s community and one’s country. All’s good, man.

I love the heat.. I didn’t when I was a kid… we had a small hobby farm whose composition varied between horses, pigs, chickens, ducks and geese. I hated the geese. They used to grab my bell bottom jeans and beat me with their wings.

Evil critters, geese.

But worst of all was in the summertime and the hay and straw used for food and bedding. I am deadly allergic to pollen and animals (the allergist has told me my biggest bugaboo is the meek little rabbit). Of course, my parents didn’t believe me when I complained of being unable to breathe, stinging eyes and a constantly running nose. They thought I was trying to get outta work. And said work which often consisted of being in a hay loft full of reaction-inducing chaff and hauling bale after bale down to the equally reaction-inducing animals.

This is a big reason why I’m not crazy about animals to this very day. We have a cat. Clarence. But we will NEVER have a dog, rabbit, or any other beast other than some goldfish and maybe a gecko or tarantula.

As a child, winter was a welcome respite from my allergies.

But, as I said in the first paragraph, summer also brings feelings of contentment with one’s lot in life. Canadians are pretty happy at this time of the year. Fresh off Canada Day, we are starting vacations (13 more work days till mine!), BBQing, swimming in pools and at beaches, and not really paying any attention to what is going on around us politically.

Which is why I think Harpy is preparing to call an election.

Yup. Think about it. late August and early September would be ideal for him to go to the polls. The Grits are going nowhere fast with their so-called Leader languishing behind Harpo, Jacko and Groucho in the leadership polls. But the Libs are gaining some of their support back in Ontario and elsewhere, which would not bode well for a ReformCon chance at a majority.

And Ontario and BC voters are pissed off about the HST thing (though I personally think it’s a good idea) and the difference between provincial and federal political parties is not really clear to the average voter. Thus, they may take out some of their anger by voting for the ReformCons. So Stevo must be thinking that the iron is ripe for strikin’! Majority – here we come!!!!

But who needs a majority? The Cons are pretty much getting everything they want anyhow… what with their coalition partner’s support! So why not roll the dice and take a chance at the big time? The Maclean’s writer, Paul Wells (with whom I seldom agree) puts it this way:

If an election goes really well for him, he’ll be Prime Minister when it’s over. But he’s Prime Minister already. And he’s really the Prime Minister. Another evergreen Ottawa myth asserts that Harper is somehow unfulfilled without a parliamentary majority. But he has had a majority for four years, thanks to a succession of not-ready-for-prime-time Liberals. Every budget he has ever whipped up has passed with Liberal votes.

And in concert with the Liberals, Stephen Harper is changing this country. He was able to gut environmental oversight of energy projects in the middle of a historic energy-sector environmental disaster. He is stuffing the nation’s prisons like Christmas geese. He spent $1 billion turning the country’s biggest city into a demonstration of the necessity (if not, ahem, the effectiveness) of tough policing against thugs, rabble, bicyclists and other miscreants. Inside the riot zone, with the world watching, he stared down Barack Obama in a debate over continued fiscal stimulus vs. relative budgetary restraint. He gets to name Supreme Court justices. He gets to name a new governor general. He’s in charge of nominations to every board and agency.

So he gets to have his cake – and with Iggy’s cooperation – eat it too! So go for the gusto and call a fall election!  Worst case scenario is that he is back as PM and still being supported by their “unofficial” coalition partner.

What a cute couple*

Meanwhile – only 13 more work days till my vacation… ahhhh… hope the heat wave sticks around.

Just keep the critters away from me, K?

*thanks to Harper Valley for the pic.

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

The Grit leader says that he will support the budget only if the neocons agree to provide clear budget updates in order to track fiscal progress.

Stevie should be able to live with this.

I hope.

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

The neocons have done the impossible and have managed to largely exclude their normal partisanship and opportunism from this budget.

What does this tell me:

• Harper is under extreme pressure form the caucus and the party executives to tone it down a little since the ramrod approach clearly isn’t working with the vast majority of Canadians.
• They accept that their government is a minority and any budget items that would have pushed the limits of their situation would not be accepted by the House. In other words, they are trying to at least give the semblance of governing like a minority government.
• They are a bit scared about the outcome of another general election should the Grits push them that far.

What should Iggy do?

• Pump out his chest and say that dang-nab-it, we cannot support this thing in its current form but here are a few minor amendments that would make it more palatable… then, yeah, we’ll grudgingly support it.
• Build up the profile of his party and himself over the next 16-18 months. This will buy some time to sell the Liberals as a real alternative to the neocons and will also buy some time to build up the Grit treasury.

This budget should pass. The coalition idea, although appealing on many fronts does not have broad base support and, while it would stand for the short term, would harm the Grits for many years to come in the long term.

Plus, the country really does not need another election right now.

Do the right thing Iggy. It really ain’t so bad. And this is one long-time Grit who will support you on it.

In other news… talks broke down between the City and the ATU… yet again.

Bastards.

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

http://www.62percentmajority.ca/

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

http://mnfu.wordpress.com/2008/12/01/stability-in-times-like-these/#comment-303

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukRPhw9Ke_4

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario