OMG. Modern "conservatism" is like a giant Krakken, with tentacles reaching into every aspect of our lives.This is going to be a long and disturbing read. Get comfy. Grab a cup of tea or beverage of your choice. You might need a stiff drink after reading through this. I highly recommend taking the time to read the many articles and threads and blogs that are included. It takes time. But our country is worth an hour or so, isn't it?
At the federal level we have unprecedented dirty tricks from the CPC, trying to topple the Liberal government with continuous made-up scandals...
At the provincial level, here in Alberta, and in other conservative-led provinces, the provincial government is pushing through policies that are aimed at generating profit for their friends rather than for the public good... For-profit healthcare, education, no protests...
At our RM level, our majority right-leaning Councillors just passed a whack of stuff designed to make life better for developers & business owners who don't live here, worse for the people who do live here. They did so over massive objections from residents. This is not democracy
The 3 of 9 councillors who regularly dissent, supporting the residents who elected them instead of developers & business interests, sought legal council on matters which occurred in an in-camera session of council.
For this, they have been sanctioned to the extent that they can't represent their constituents. A provincial court judge ruled the sanctions were vengeful & disproportionate to the offence, and struck down the sanctions. The other 6 of 9 Councillors voted to appeal. This is not democracy.
We have a majority of Councillors in our RM who feel they were elected to make things go smoothly for developers against the wishes of residents. They are working for the developers and businesses, even though we pay the (visible) part of their income. This is conservatism in a fishbowl.
When a little rural municipality council ignores the quality of life wishes of residents who actually live there, in favour of corporations whose CEOs actually live somewhere else, this is a problem.
We elect representatives at every level of government to represent our interests. When they consistently ignore massive outcries from residents, their constituents who pay their salaries, to approve gravel pits and big box stores where they are clearly not wanted or needed (please reference the low occupancy in many of the malls inside Calgary and also at CrossIron Mills and New Horizon - no one needs more malls), to please someone who they are not paid to represent, this is a problem. This is not NIMBYism. We are not talking about opposing something that would be for the public good. Like a drug treatment centre, or a halfway house for teens. No. We are talking about dereliction of duty to constituents and a commitment to outside profiteers who seek to gain from the constituents' loss.
When a little rural municipality council ignores the quality of life wishes of residents who actually live there, in favour of corporations whose CEOs actually live somewhere else, this is a problem.
We elect representatives at every level of government to represent our interests. When they consistently ignore massive outcries from residents, their constituents who pay their salaries, to approve gravel pits and big box stores where they are clearly not wanted or needed (please reference the low occupancy in many of the malls inside Calgary and also at CrossIron Mills and New Horizon - no one needs more malls), to please someone who they are not paid to represent, this is a problem. This is not NIMBYism. We are not talking about opposing something that would be for the public good. Like a drug treatment centre, or a halfway house for teens. No. We are talking about dereliction of duty to constituents and a commitment to outside profiteers who seek to gain from the constituents' loss.
When any party lies about what they are going to do, lies about how awful the other parties are, to win elections, and then goes ahead and does whatever they want over the objections of the people... This is not democracy.
Kenney made promises about not cutting funding for health care & education. Then he turned around & cut funding for health care & education. He's rolled back worker's rights, cut environmental protection, & is in the process of ushering for-profit health care & education
He is pushing kids back to school in a pandemic without any allowance for social distancing, or even a budget for hand sanitizers in school. Just to get the economy running again, because his wealthy patrons are miffed that their cash flow has slowed.
He is driving doctors out of Alberta. This will make it easier to bring in for-profit healthcare. He is allowing more coal mining in some of the most beautiful parts of the province, and giving money to oil & gas companies.
The lack of COVID safety in schools will force parents to decide between health and home-schooling and private schools, thus encouraging a normalization of for-profit education.
Many will have limited choice b/c businesses are opening up & they will have to go back to work or lose their jobs. Little kids can't be left home alone. Either one parent will have to give up their employment to home school, or they will have to choose a private school, or take their chances.
This will disproportionately affect the least affluent/most vulnerable segments of society. And we know Kenney doesn't care. Look at how he handled the outbreak at Cargill. Made excuses for the company.
And nevermind removing protections from LGBTQ2+ youth in schools, when, after the vote to allow schools to out kids for joining a GSA, the UCP caucus celebrated by dancing in the fountain in front of the Legislature...
https://edmontonjournal.com/news/politics/keith-gerein-ucp-had-much-to-celebrate-lots-to-regret-in-gruelling-first-legislative-session
https://edmontonjournal.com/news/politics/keith-gerein-ucp-had-much-to-celebrate-lots-to-regret-in-gruelling-first-legislative-session
Or the UCP closing many, many parks, previously protected areas which are now being used for huge parties and mayhem.
Jason Kenney was elected, despite being under numerous investigations. Housing claims related to supposedly living in his mother's basement in a retirement community that does not allow sublets and many units don't have basements... cbc.ca/news/canada/ca…
Identity theft and election fraud related to his election as leader of the PCs. Then the "dark horse/kamikaze" electoral fraud in the leadership for the merger party UCP. And people elected him anyway.
Then he fired the elections commissioner who was investigating him & fining his people. Now he wants to get rid of the RCMP (who are also investigating him) to set up his own AB police force. Meanwhile, he wants to deputize people to do rural crime watch.
Although rural crime watch/neighbourhood watch already exists. So, what extra powers will these deputies have and what sort of people would apply? Read the comments.
Perhaps the UCP was inspired by this:
https://www.kgun9.com/news/local-news/new-pinal-county-sheriff-citizens-posse-program-allows-residents-to-be-deputized
At the federal level, the CPC is bent on destroying the Liberal government and they will stop at nothing to do it. They make stuff up. They take situations where there is no scandal, and spin it to make it a news-time-hoarding huge deal.
https://www.kgun9.com/news/local-news/new-pinal-county-sheriff-citizens-posse-program-allows-residents-to-be-deputized
At the federal level, the CPC is bent on destroying the Liberal government and they will stop at nothing to do it. They make stuff up. They take situations where there is no scandal, and spin it to make it a news-time-hoarding huge deal.
Examples follow...
The deep intrigue over the black-face scandal. It's long but well worth reading:
SNC was an office disagreement. Not a capital crime, no matter what the CPC might have urged.
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The swingset fiasco... The Trudeaus did a nice thing. They bought a swingset for the Harrington Lake property owned by all Canadians and the CPC tried to crucify the PM for it.
The CPC will stop at nothing to discredit a government who is actually concerned about Canadians. Why? Why would a party, elected to represent some Canadians, actually be working against the best interests of Canadians? And why, RIGHT NOW? (critical blog post to understanding all of this)
https://thecailleach.blogspot.com/2020/08/why-rush-is-conservative-panic-driving.html
When our elected officials do not act in our best interests, when they side with external powers over what the constituents who pay their salaries want in their communities to maintain or improve their quality of life, democracy is on life support.
We are seeing it at all levels of government. Money trumps loyalty to the electorate. Adherence to a corporatist and sometimes evangelical ideology is crushing Canadianism.
The vast majority of us want to see human rights for all. The vast majority of us are concerned about the environment. The vast majority of us want to see workers have rights and not be abused by employers. The vast majority of us want a society where health care and education are a publicly administered right for everyone. The vast majority of us want to live in a country where people are not left behind, where poverty is eradicated, where addiction and mental illness are treated as health issues, not legal issues. The vast majority of us want the police to stop beating and killing people. The vast majority of us want to live in a society where the colour of your skin, or how you worship (or if you do not worship), or your sexual orientation/gender, or heritage, or socioeconomic status do not determine whether you are worthy of public services, human rights, equality and equitable treatment.
So, why are the conservatives so hell-bent on pushing for exactly what we do not want? Because we are not important to them. To them, we are "human capital", to be used up in the wealth creation machinery of corporatism.
We are seeing it at all levels of government. Money trumps loyalty to the electorate. Adherence to a corporatist and sometimes evangelical ideology is crushing Canadianism.
The vast majority of us want to see human rights for all. The vast majority of us are concerned about the environment. The vast majority of us want to see workers have rights and not be abused by employers. The vast majority of us want a society where health care and education are a publicly administered right for everyone. The vast majority of us want to live in a country where people are not left behind, where poverty is eradicated, where addiction and mental illness are treated as health issues, not legal issues. The vast majority of us want the police to stop beating and killing people. The vast majority of us want to live in a society where the colour of your skin, or how you worship (or if you do not worship), or your sexual orientation/gender, or heritage, or socioeconomic status do not determine whether you are worthy of public services, human rights, equality and equitable treatment.
So, why are the conservatives so hell-bent on pushing for exactly what we do not want? Because we are not important to them. To them, we are "human capital", to be used up in the wealth creation machinery of corporatism.
We are not human capital. We are human beings. We do not exist to make others richer. We all, ALL, deserve the dignity of having a place to rest our heads, safe, and out of the elements. We all deserve to not starve. Canada is a very wealthy country, compared to most. No one should be homeless or hungry.
Back in March, when everything shut down, some governments paid for hotel rooms for the homeless, to save them from the close confines of homeless shelters. Not Jason Kenny and the UCP. Nope. They ordered that homeless people be sheltered in gymnasiums, convention centres, and church basements, on cots.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/housing-homeless-hotels-calgary-1.5516736
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/housing-homeless-hotels-calgary-1.5516736
Presumably, because the UCP see people experiencing homelessness as having "lower human capital". In other words, they are not worth any care or compassion or dignity. Fuck you, Jason Kenney. These are people. They are no less deserving of respect and dignity than your cronies with their Rolex watches and bespoke suits. So, fuck you, and fuck the conservatives who don't give a damn about regular people, and also, fuck the corporatist despots who want to run our lives and use our bodies to make them richer.
Please, the rest of Canada, recognise that what the UCP is doing is just the tip of the iceberg of modern conservatism's goals. The CPC and their provincial cousins are not your parents' or grandparents' conservatives. These are ruthless people who seek election but not to work for you or your neighbours. They are working for external powers. Just like the Councillors in my RM.
Please, the rest of Canada, recognise that what the UCP is doing is just the tip of the iceberg of modern conservatism's goals. The CPC and their provincial cousins are not your parents' or grandparents' conservatives. These are ruthless people who seek election but not to work for you or your neighbours. They are working for external powers. Just like the Councillors in my RM.
