Gimbol's diatribe and screed

Conservative moment of the week Nov 22 2006

So every talking head is going full drill with Harper's motion tabled in the house and a great many are exclaiming how it historic in that it recognizes Quebec's distinctiveness.

Good for them I say, and keep blowing the sanctimonious horn as long as you like.

As ususal they missed the big picture and are not listening to what Harper has said.

Whether Quebers call themselves nationalist, distinct, special, is moot. The meat of the motion is that it makes it unequivicably clear what Quebec's definition of "nation" does not mean. Harper has as usual thought ahead to where the constitutional game inevitably leads.
Its like a poker game, not a crap shoot.
The players have to determine when to hold and when to fold, but the outset is always the same. Each player places their bid as a dare to the other players to reveal how sure of the cards they hold. Essentially its calling the other players bluff.
The liberals sloppily left this opening for Harper when its Quebec wing pushed for a recognition of Quebec as a nation in the constitution, but then the rest of the party tried to recall the "bet" by letting everyone know they didn't want to go as far as revising the constitution. The equivilent of a player advertising that for the last few games of constitutional poker, they've been "rolling the dice" all along.
With Harpers motion he's basically left the other players to decide if they want to fold or up the ante. For the Bloc they now have to state clearly and unambigously they are not working for anything but full independance, so put away the knife you've held to Canada's throat for so long or use it...by the way did we mention this was a gun fight.
For the liberals its either they offer to go the to a constitutional recognition or they get behind the guy they have spent the last few years demonizing as bad for Canada (remember solders in the streets). The real stickler for them is that their Quebec resolution (which still talks about constitutional "officializing") is going to be voted on and if it gets accepted the only guy that comes out smelling like a rose is Iggy, and the goat will be Dion. They got stuck with a choice of either making the bluff that the party will be offering constitutional ammendments to the Quebec wing, and if they don't they can kiss that support goodbye.

Again so that nobody misses the point of Harper's motion.
Everyone was running for decades (even Trudeau) trying to figure out what it was Quebec wanted to satisfy its desires. Harper has made it clear that it was never up to Canada to tell Quebec why it should remain part of the country, its up to the separtists to prove they have a case, that effectively is calling their bluff.

posted by gimbol @ 4:21 AM