Paranoia or the Prerogative of Political Nobility?
Well, it's an apt question at this point. Canadians have a Prime Minister in Stephen Harper who appears to act decisively and with conviction. And he sees no need to explain any of his decisions or actions, although he has permitted the House of Commons to 'debate' and vote on issues such as the presence in Afghanistan of the Canadian military. On the other hand, despite that he agreed to air the matter in the House and put it to a vote to reflect Parliamentary concensus, he also made it clear beforehand that no matter what the outcome his government would proceed to augment the deployment of Canadian troops and to extend the mission.Fact is, this man does not like to be trifled with. He is, after all, the Prime Minister of Canada. And before that he was Stephen Harper, a self-assured Reform-Alliance champion, ready, willing and very able to out-Conservative any party that Canada had heretofore encountered. A foxily clever man, albeit one socially awkward in public display, he knew enough to bide his time, realizing that the Liberal government was handily on its way to a well-deserved self-destruction.
So when the new Conservative party was elected to a minority government he kept a tight rein on his cadre of Conservatives, tight enough to maintain a discipline that held only the leader could speak to the press, all others to remain mute. No sense in upsetting the apple-cart, when the point of the exercise was to mute the all-too-obvious suspicion of the general electorate respecting his 'true' agenda. Mr. Harper, in the short three months-plus of his minority government initially acted in a manner which might seem counter to his government's longevity, but like all politicians he knows how short the electorate's memory is with respect to some issues. On the other hand, he made some bold and long overdue decisions which could only have the effect of burnishing a lustreless governmental image, decisions which reflected very nicely on his fledgling government and on Canada.
Ahah! but observers also know that Mr. Harper brooks no opposition to his decision-making. When his plans are foiled he snorts his disgust and falls back to the behaviour of a spoiled adolescent, blaming the outcome on partisan opposition politics (and what else is new in government?) and bad, really bad press. Yes, the press. The news media has it in for conservatives in general, and Stephen Harper in particular. Or so he would have it. Avid readers of the news might think otherwise; indeed that he has enjoyed a kind of press honeymoon.
Prime Minister Harper has declared an undeclared war on the Parliamentary Press Corps. That group of media reporters located handily to the House of Commons for the very particular purpose of reporting on the goings-on within the House, as well as Parliamentarians' and the Prime Minister's take on important matters of governance, interaction with the Provinces, and international affairs. The public at large, after all, does have a stake in the outcome of government actions and decisions. The reading public at large wishes to read as extensively and as deliberately detailed as possible decisions and outcomes which impact on their lives as Canadians.
There is, therefore, an obligation on the part of Parliamentarians and the Prime Minister to communicate with the people of Canada via the press corps. The Prime Minister feels that the traditional press corps scrums where reporters hurl spontaneous questions at Cabinet Ministers and at the Prime Minister is uncivil, just as he feels ad hoc press conferences are uselessly invasive. This Prime Minister has done his level best to outfox the press corps at every step, and to deny them access to information, newsworthy or otherwise.
The Parliamentary Press Corps is nonplussed. This is, after all, the Canadian way. Uncomfortable though it has been for the Prime Minister's predecessors they have submitted to the process in the name of participatory democracy. The Prime Minister's Office and his press secretary have other ideas. They wish to establish a list of reporters and from that list individuals can be selected to question the Prime Minister, politely and with decorum established in the process. Something like, say, what happens at a Presidential news conference at the White House.
Will it fly? The Prime Minister is paranoid about the type of press he receives. The press corps feels they are fair and neutral, irrespective of whether they are personally liberal or conservative in orientation. Prime Minister Harper is feeling pretty cocky these days, in any event. Recent polls have indicated that were an election to be called today his government would be voted back in with a majority. Which is what his minority-government pussy-footing is all about, in any event. He has even promised, given a hint of how positively he intends to govern with a majority government. And then, look out Canada.
This is one stubborn, some might say, egotistical man. His adversaries are no less so. But don't we depend upon them, and I for one am cheering them on.
posted by Pieface @ Thursday, May 25, 2006
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