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The Harper Matrix
Jan. 12th, 2012 12:57 pmhttp://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/john-ibbitson/same-sex-stumble-feeds-conspiracy-theories-on-harper-agenda/article2300080/
So, the latest scandal to hit the pages for the Harper government involves a Department of Justice lawyer arguing in a same-sex divorce case that the lesbian couple's marriage is not valid because the home residences of both women: Florida and England respectively, does not recognize same-sex marriages. Predictably, this quickly ripped through the internet, and now Harper is forced to play the communications bob and weave, claiming that he was not briefed regarding the case and that it is the actions of a single lawyer, and not representative of his government's willingness to re-open the same sex marriage issue.
Steve-O's problem is two-fold. First, outside of money matters, most Canadian's east of Regina and west of Calgary don't trust him. They see him just itching to start a culture war to bring in American values to counter Canadian tolerance. Second, Harper's obsessively micro-managing leadership style means that he protests of ignorance are sounding hollow and flat.
The issue that he faces isn't the court case, and for same-sex couples who have married in Canada, the position that illegality in their home countries dictates Canadian law is so facile that a first year law student could beat it. Canada happily issues all manner of legal rights to foriegn visitors and immigrants that are not mirrored in their country of origin.
But for Harper and his majority government, this is the first sign that the Prime Minister does not have the whiphand that he used to with his caucus and appointees. Feeling secure behind the thin walls of their majority, the culture warriors who Harper has sheltered but isolated for their votes are coming to a fore. Conservative MP Stephen Woodworth has already stressed his plan to bring forward a motion on abortion, demanding that the current legal definition of a child is insufficient when considering modern medicine's ability to monitor pregnancy. This back door run at the legality of abortion is exactly the kind of bogeyman that Harper's done his best to keep behind closed doors in his party, and now, he's lost the carrot of the majority to muzzle them. They won their majority, and now they mean to use it for their pet causes.
Caught between opposing forces, Harper is getting closer to a dangerous choice: jettison his socially conservative hardlines for a broader coalition and risk the split of his base, or guard his base and risk alienating the voters that brought him a majority in the first place? Either way, the first cracks that I predicted are starting to appear.
So, the latest scandal to hit the pages for the Harper government involves a Department of Justice lawyer arguing in a same-sex divorce case that the lesbian couple's marriage is not valid because the home residences of both women: Florida and England respectively, does not recognize same-sex marriages. Predictably, this quickly ripped through the internet, and now Harper is forced to play the communications bob and weave, claiming that he was not briefed regarding the case and that it is the actions of a single lawyer, and not representative of his government's willingness to re-open the same sex marriage issue.
Steve-O's problem is two-fold. First, outside of money matters, most Canadian's east of Regina and west of Calgary don't trust him. They see him just itching to start a culture war to bring in American values to counter Canadian tolerance. Second, Harper's obsessively micro-managing leadership style means that he protests of ignorance are sounding hollow and flat.
The issue that he faces isn't the court case, and for same-sex couples who have married in Canada, the position that illegality in their home countries dictates Canadian law is so facile that a first year law student could beat it. Canada happily issues all manner of legal rights to foriegn visitors and immigrants that are not mirrored in their country of origin.
But for Harper and his majority government, this is the first sign that the Prime Minister does not have the whiphand that he used to with his caucus and appointees. Feeling secure behind the thin walls of their majority, the culture warriors who Harper has sheltered but isolated for their votes are coming to a fore. Conservative MP Stephen Woodworth has already stressed his plan to bring forward a motion on abortion, demanding that the current legal definition of a child is insufficient when considering modern medicine's ability to monitor pregnancy. This back door run at the legality of abortion is exactly the kind of bogeyman that Harper's done his best to keep behind closed doors in his party, and now, he's lost the carrot of the majority to muzzle them. They won their majority, and now they mean to use it for their pet causes.
Caught between opposing forces, Harper is getting closer to a dangerous choice: jettison his socially conservative hardlines for a broader coalition and risk the split of his base, or guard his base and risk alienating the voters that brought him a majority in the first place? Either way, the first cracks that I predicted are starting to appear.
