Of Credibility and Agendas

I've said for a very long time that Harper's agenda isn't what he says it is publicly. In fact, it's pretty clear that he'll go to great lengths not to say what he plans. But, as Evilscientist points out, when the media start discounting the truthiness of your statements, you've got a serious problem:

Some news organizations gave little prominence to her remarks because they simply assumed them to be untrue. But at least one newspaper quoted her in a front-page news story.

Actions speak louder than words any day. Harper's actions scream at us that what he says and what he does are two very, very different things. In today's Herald, we find this little gem on Harper's stance on the death penalty:

The difficulty for Harper is that he leads a party that counts on a core group of supporters for whom reinstating the death penalty remains an important goal.

Gerry Nicholls, former president of the National Citizens Coalition, a conservative think-tank, says Harper is deliberately using the issue of clemency to send a message to this conservative base, without ever intending to bring the death penalty back to Canada.

"The whole capital punishment issue is a strong appeal to the populist wing of the Conservative party - mostly old Reformers," says Nicholls.

"The Conservative government has let conservatives down in a lot of areas and has not acted in true conservative fashion. Many of Harper's policies seem very Liberal, and this is causing some discontent in party ranks.

Ah - the "base" is getting restless. They do not crave power beyond its ability to enable them to impose their agenda upon the rest of Canada.

McTeague says whether Harper is simply sending a message to a wing of his party, or whether he's actually testing the water for a return of the death penalty in Canada under a majority Conservative regime, the party's equivocation on the execution of Canadian citizens is now clear for all to see.

"The proverbial horse had bolted the barn," he says. "The Conservatives have now said they accept capital punishment in certain circumstances."

"It casts a very dark shadow on the Conservative party. And it's another headache Mr. Harper will have to deal with in 2008."

There's a point here for the opposition parties to play on - not only is Harper's government dishonest, its actions speak to an agenda unspoken. Harper and team have lied to Canadians repeatedly - in words and deed, and Canadians are paying for it!

To borrow from the Conservative campaign slogan last election - Canadians Deserve Better Than This.