This morning, in hearing the news from Canada, I had flashbacks to 2000 (and 2004) in the US. And it was a dark and disturbing flashback.
Bush came to power on a minority vote. Looking back, 2000 looks more like a minority coup that looted the treasurey and laid siege to nearly every institution of democratic government, be it local, national or international, including the UN, Nato, Social Security and now, the constitution itself. I can't help but wonder if Canada hasn't fallen into the same trap. I have a sinking fealing that things have, again, taken a turn for the worse.
At its core, the modern conservative movement in America doesn't believe in Democracy. They believe in Aristocracy (aided and abetted by religion, making them neo-medieval or Neo-Dark-Age), and they want to prove that Democracy doesn't work.
To make that point they undermine democracy's institutions. Looting the treasury served two purposes: enrichment of the America's Aristocracy and undermining government. Since coming to power, they have not completely solved a single problem and have spawned numerous new ones. And they have laid seige to nearly every institution they never created. (Institutions originally created to solve a problem.) There are reports out now that the Iraq war will cost us $2 trillion. Iraq may do to us what Afganistan did to the Soviets. Thus serving their purpose of undermining democractic government.
Given the darkness of modern conservativism, as it is manifested in America, I find it hard to believe Canadians would hitch their star to the modern conservative movement. Today the U.S is under a virtual dictatorship of fear, secrecy, paranoia, war, multilayered deceit and corporate journalism that serves the beast. Harper's is a minority government, but that's hardly any different than it originally was with Bush when he entered office.
How Canadians could stare into the United States and then vote conservative sufficiently as to bring them into power is beyond me. Perhaps they are thinking: "Hey this is Canada, we are different. We are not the United States." All I can say is we used to say "Hey this is the United States, we are not 1930s Germany, Fascism could never find a home here." Their foot is in the door now. Given an inch...
The Canadians will likely say, "well, Harper is on a short leash," but there will be tremendous pressure, and resources, coming from south of the border to keep the conservatives in power. And as a minority PM, with insufficient local support, he might have to rely on foreign sources of support And like Bush, or even Hitler for that matter, once formally establishment in power, establishment brings with it new resources, levers and means that can serve to keep power in place and undermine the opposition. And, hey, if you don't respect democratic institutions, once in a position of power there's even more you can do to enhance your position while undermining the opposition and democracy along with it.
The Neocon's cannot stomach a successful democracy with strong, successful, socialist institutions that serve to broaden wealth and stabilize democracy and social happyness so close to the U.S. Until now, Canada has undermined their every argument on how to model society. Canada, in short, was an embarrasment to the Neocons. I can't imagine them, with their foot now in the door, not making a full court press to end liberal institutions there.
With the 2000 election of Bush, America unwittingly took its first step to fascism and a dark age of anxiety, fear, secrecy, paranoia, war, torture, intimidation and sensorship. With Harper, Canada may have unwittingly taken its first step towards Anschluss.
Having all that oil up in Alberta doesn't help either. I can imagine that there will follow a divide and conquor campaign, much like the wedge politics they have used to great success here. After a couple of crisis, I can see some kind of overt political intervention from America to protect the conservative western provinces from socialist oppression coming from Canada's eastern, urban socialist movement. I know it sounds absurd, but that's only because its in the future. Back in 2000, the idea of the U.S. being a pariah nation sounded absurd.
Meanwhile, the new Dark Age that Churchill so warned us about in his famous "Finest Hour" speach in 1940, and worked so hard to thwart, continues to spread in the very heart of democracy's birthplace. T'is sad times we're living in: nothing but blood, sweat and tears lay before the proponents of democracy in North America.