QUICK DISPATCH: PRESTON MANNING GETS IT!
The losses to conservatism in Canada are cultural not political. Preston Manning’s roundtable discussion this weekend shows that he is forward thinking and understands this reality. He is looking at a twenty year time line at best.The Leger poll this weekend with the Liberals at 40% should not shock anyone. It certainly did not shock us. This is not the fault of Stephen Harper and no other leader will save the party in the short run.
What there needs to be is a conserted movement among conservative thinkers to teach and finance academic and cultural institutions at a grass roots level. Many Canadian conservatives fool themselves into remembering the good ‘ole days of Brian Mulroney. Was Mulroney a conservative? Margaret Thatcher didn’t think so. She thought his Progressive Conservative Party placed too much emphasis on the adjective and not enough on the noun. The problem with progressive conservatives is that the only affect they really have is of slowing down the rate at which our society moves left.
When I was growing up in the 80’s the NDP were seen as the ‘wacko-nutter’ party and the Progressive Conservatives the place of serious minded adults. Now it is the opposite. The change is not within the parties itself…it is within the culture. Now that the New Left- the baby boomers- are of age they control the value system…not the wiser WWII generation.
We’ve said it before; any conservative candidate is not just running against Paul Martin or Jack Layton or John Kerry or Hillary Clinton. He/She is running against every blockbuster film that depicts an evil capitalist businessman…every vapid pop star that says the Pope is evil…every Marxist university professor that says Bush is a Nazi. They are running against a culture of John Lennon, Woodstock, Michael Moore and Madonna.
We live in unprecedented times.
The influence of media, academia, television, art, film and music influences people more than they know. Look at America. Bush was voted in because of his values. Has American culture changed? Everything in our culture skews left and has for almost 40 years progressively. By today’s standards, JFK-vehement anti-communist and purveyor of America’s military industrial complex-would be to the right of most conservatives.
Do not negate the influence that popular culture has had on Western political culture. Popular culture doesn’t just reflect the people…it forms and manipulates them.
The battle is fought there…not at the election booth. Be aware of what media you consume, how it affects you. We are constantly told what food affects our bodies; culture affects our minds and soul.
The good news…there is a slight shift. America knows this. Germany is beginning to know this. Preston Manning knows this. Listen to him. People are fed up with the New Left. Most people are fed up with political correctness, same-sex marriage, Hollywood preaching, bad healthcare in decrepit rooms, biased news and poor education. The New Left knows this. They know that they have awakened a sleeping giant in the West. That is why they are getting more and more hysterical. That is why they are flailing and allowing the Cindy Sheehan’s and Michael Moore's of the world to represent them.
As for Canada…don’t abandon your values. Don’t be afraid. This is the test. Remember…how people vote is one thing…what they value is another. On that level there are more on your side than you know. That is ultimately what matters. That is your ace.
The next election has already been fought and decided. Keep your eyes on the long term. Remember the Liberals never used to be as left and morally bankrupt as they now are…they changed and forced change within the culture. The NDP used to be a morally conservative Christian party that helped the poor and farmers…they changed.
The culture can change. Laws can change. People can change. That is the one thing that should comfort you. That is the one constant.
History teaches that.
posted by Nicol DuMoulin @ 10:51 AM
16 Comments:
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There is enough conservative crap pushed on us already. Vacant TV like FoxNews is an example. We need less of this Republican garbage, not more.
If you think the US is so great...what are you doing here?
Isn't it amazing the level of abuse these Liberal-Left types
descend to. They can't even debate properly.
It shows the bankrupcy of their ideas (or lack thereof) and the fact that they are terried of
honest Conservatism. They know the game is up.
As you say Michael Moore and Cindy Sheehan only exposes their desperation.
Anonymous,
I would love to debate you. Next time leave your name. It would give you a tad more credibility.
Fog,
Yes, I agree. I have no problem with dissent and I encourage it. I just wish some of the left could learn to respond without resorting to vulgarity and hysteria. It hurts their argument when they try to say they are 'enlightened' and 'sophisticated'. Thanks for your comment.
Well done. Along with settling in for the long haul, we should also reexamine the history of the left and understand how they achieved their control of the schools, media and city councils. There could be some valuable lessons for the right.
As a Canadian and as a member of society I love to be in the position to to be able to help others less fortunate as I.
But...
To take money (TAXES) from the working poor in this country and give it to the 'rich' dictators in Africa and the NDP calls that aid?
give me break.
This is not a Canadian value, rewarding criminals for oppressong the people in those countries.
That is what will happen with the aid money that the NDP negotiated in the 5 Billion buyoff.
If....
The liberals ever hold their promise and actually honour that agreement.
The NDP these days is all about the downtown Toronto agenda.
Anonymous,
Yes, while the cultural institutions are still under control of the left it will be increasingly difficult for conservatism to get a foothold. Thanks for the comment.
NDP Nadine,
Thanks. Europe was great. I will write some more about it when I get the time.
I find it interesting how many people think that the party needs more of the Red Tory types to get elected when it was this brand of conservatism that fissured the party to begin with.
A flip side to this is that the NDP could easily get elected also if they kept their fiscal policies but changed their views on SSM and abortion. I know many Evangelicals and Catholics who would gladly vote for Jack Layton if he changed his views on these issues.
Many of the 'social conservatives' -although I disagree with the term- are also fiscal liberals who agree with the eradication of third world debt, helping the poor etc.
Perhaps the NDP should consider this?
I disagree that the NDP stands up for all Canadians. No party does. They appeal to their base. All else is rhetoric. As such the NDP speaks to the smallest amount of Canadians and the 'budget' that the NDP fought for and its benefits will actually never come into play. All Layton did was prop up the corrupt Liberals for the end of the session. That money will never be seen.
As for the NDP and religion...let me rephrase... they are vehemently hostile to any faith that does not put the beliefs of 'the party' first. I have met NDP'ers that have said the most vile, hateful things towards Evangelicals and Catholics in particular. To say that the NDP is for rural types is also not correct. Most of the NDP'rs I know are very well-to-do urban types and look down their nose at rural or religious folks as 'stupid', 'ignorant' and 'unenlightened'.
I am not saying this is true of you (you seem very nice) but it is true of many of the NDP'rs I know.
I read their blogs, I read Rabble.ca. They say some nasty, viscious things on that site. Ironically enough most of my friends are NDP/Liberal and I can't say it enough...the NDP friends reserve a special place of hatred-ninth circle of hell type hatred-for Evangelicals and Catholics. It takes very little to set them off on a rant. One of them told me he felt 'oppressed' because he had to walk past a Catholic church on his way to U of T every morning.
As for SSM. Some in the gay community are still talking about it and already preparing the next go-round of Charter challenges. Bourassa has said his goal is not equality but destroying the 'toxic' Catholic faith. That's not me saying that...that's him. One poor Toronto man was evicted from his co-op apartment for putting up a sign that said he believed marriage was a man and woman. Now after 25 years he is homeless. Does he not count?
As for Hollywood, culture influences us in ways we don't know. This is not saying people are stupid. It is saying it is more subtle than that. Look at how people's tolerance for graphic violence and sex has increased. How they have fewer problems exposing it to children. It does effect us. To assume it doesn't allows it to.
Thanks for your comment. Your views are always welcome.
Nick,
I agree and disagree with your point. I agree that most of the money would most likely be misused and fall into the wrong and corrupt hands but I do believe we have to try.
The West cannot allow the people of Africa to keep starving. We also cannot allow this issue to be co-opted by the left. It is bigger than that.
The Liberals won't keep the agreement because the fine print-doesn't allow for it. Everyone but Layton seemed to realize this. When it is renegged the media will take Martin's side.
Thanks for your comments.
Compostking,
I do not know how many problems the CPC may of may not have at a regional level.
I do maintain that the issue is much greater than just leadership as both Chretien and Martin are poor leaders with no charisma.
Sadly I also believe it will be many more years before we see another conservative party leading Canada.
This is not defeatism...just an honest look at the situation. I also agree that after Harper goes (whenever that may be) there is noone on the horizon to replace him.
Thanks for the comment.
We needed the united party in 2003 because the Libs needed to be knocked off their high horse. For sure it was impossible for the Conservatives to even win a minority gov but the Liberals needed to come back down to earth. Harper has done all he can for the new party and is now a liability. Not because he really is, but because he has been crucified by the media, which ignores on-going scandals and sleaze in the Liberal party and in the PMO itself.
The next 4 years will probably be led by a majority Liberal government, enough time for the Tories to regroup and build a far superior party than the Liberals. By 2010-11, Canadians should be ready for change and the Conservatives have to be ready.
Anonymous,
I agree that we will most likely have a Liberal majority in the next election. I think the best conservatives can do is put a concentrated effort into getting individual candidates elected who will help the party.
Thanks for the comments.
James,
Thank you for your kind words.
The political scene in Canada will not change until the culture changes and when the culture changes by then it won't matter which party you elect as this will become the new centre.
These things happen in cycles. I believe there is the beginning of change. People are fed up with the New Left. Even my Liberal friends are sick and tired of the types of culture Canada produces. Sadly though, they are still not sick enough that they want the culture to change to something 'conservative'.
I do agree that the next 15-20 years will be very stiffling for many Christians and conservatives in Canada.
Please drop by again.
NDP Nadine, what are you smoking? The NDP stands up for no one except for leftist activist groups. The NDP is a far cry from the days of the CCF and early NDP. It used to be a party of farmers, the social gospel and labour unions, during a time when unions were actually relevant.
Now it's a Toronto-Danforth-centric party of leftist social engineering wackos and socialist labour unions. It's the party of Jack Layton, Buzz Hargrove, Svend Robinson, Bob Rae. I doubt JS Woodsworth and Tommy Douglas and the early preachers of the social gospel or rural CCF activists would be impressed how the NDP has been "jack"ed to the far left on social issues. Do you think Tommy would be happy how Jack treated Bev Desjarlais for voting her conscience on SSM? What do you think a traditional NDP supporter in rural Saskatchewan or Manitoba will think of that?
And do you honestly think the "better balanced budget" Jack negotiated to get some attention will actually benefit Canadians? It won't see the light of day.
Hey Nicol,
I'm going through WarRoom withdrawl!!! New post soon???
S.A.
Yes, there will certainly be a new post soon.
Hopefully by the end of today. I did not realize how many fires I had to put out when I got back from my trip. Thank you for checking in though and sorry for my tardiness.
All the best!
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