Comments on: Parliament needs leadership, not partisanship http://blog.gokeith.ca/2008/08/parliament-needs-more-leadership-and-less-partisanship/ The Blog of Dr. Keith Martin, Liberal MP for Esquimalt - Juan de Fuca Tue, 11 May 2010 19:57:20 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: jeff http://blog.gokeith.ca/2008/08/parliament-needs-more-leadership-and-less-partisanship/comment-page-1/#comment-16 jeff Thu, 04 Sep 2008 22:15:54 +0000 http://blog.gokeith.ca/?p=31#comment-16 I don't like Harper. He's too mechanical and looks like he can't be trusted. I don’t like Harper. He’s too mechanical and looks like he can’t be trusted.

]]> By: jamie http://blog.gokeith.ca/2008/08/parliament-needs-more-leadership-and-less-partisanship/comment-page-1/#comment-15 jamie Tue, 26 Aug 2008 17:05:15 +0000 http://blog.gokeith.ca/?p=31#comment-15 "The general modus operandi of the Prime Minister is for him to make positive announcements and funnel bad news and uncertain policies through his ministers. However, if the wheels come off the policy, ministers take the fall leaving the Prime Minister unscathed. Mr. Harper uses his ministers as scapegoats, mere canon fodder in the political game. He has never demonstrated any interest in capitalizing on their talents or their ideas." I'm reminded of the 5th century Athenian statesman Pericles, who, although he was the leader of the great Greek city during its 'golden age' and brought many improvements and important laws to the city, was also (some would argue) responsible for its ultimate loss to Sparta during the Peloponnesian War. Pericles refused to alter his war strategies, which turned out to be quite ill-planned and resulted in a plague throughout the whole city of Athens. More generally, he wooed the Athenians with promises of opulent festivals, public land, a more even distribution of wealth, and tax plans that would get money from more wealthy citizens. All the while, he was becoming more of a dictator and less of a leader of a democracy (technically, he was the 'strategos', kind of the chief general). Some ancient sources, like Thucydides, praised him for being charismatic and manipulative, but others, like Plato, pointed out his tendency to put on a good public face while simultaneously turning the Athenian people into ill-prepared, avaricious sloths. Are we witnessing this metamorphosis in our Prime Minister right now? “The general modus operandi of the Prime Minister is for him to make positive announcements and funnel bad news and uncertain policies through his ministers. However, if the wheels come off the policy, ministers take the fall leaving the Prime Minister unscathed. Mr. Harper uses his ministers as scapegoats, mere canon fodder in the political game. He has never demonstrated any interest in capitalizing on their talents or their ideas.”

I’m reminded of the 5th century Athenian statesman Pericles, who, although he was the leader of the great Greek city during its ‘golden age’ and brought many improvements and important laws to the city, was also (some would argue) responsible for its ultimate loss to Sparta during the Peloponnesian War. Pericles refused to alter his war strategies, which turned out to be quite ill-planned and resulted in a plague throughout the whole city of Athens.

More generally, he wooed the Athenians with promises of opulent festivals, public land, a more even distribution of wealth, and tax plans that would get money from more wealthy citizens. All the while, he was becoming more of a dictator and less of a leader of a democracy (technically, he was the ‘strategos’, kind of the chief general). Some ancient sources, like Thucydides, praised him for being charismatic and manipulative, but others, like Plato, pointed out his tendency to put on a good public face while simultaneously turning the Athenian people into ill-prepared, avaricious sloths.

Are we witnessing this metamorphosis in our Prime Minister right now?

]]> By: visualator http://blog.gokeith.ca/2008/08/parliament-needs-more-leadership-and-less-partisanship/comment-page-1/#comment-14 visualator Fri, 22 Aug 2008 18:33:33 +0000 http://blog.gokeith.ca/?p=31#comment-14 Shows Harper is a really bad manager. A good manager inspires others, encourages and nurtures subordinates to one day take over the reigns. But the way Harper is, his party is doomed to fail when he goes, so he can say 'Look how good I was'. It is a technique used by paranoid dictators and oligarchs. When will his MPs revolt? Shows Harper is a really bad manager. A good manager inspires others, encourages and nurtures subordinates to one day take over the reigns. But the way Harper is, his party is doomed to fail when he goes, so he can say ‘Look how good I was’. It is a technique used by paranoid dictators and oligarchs.

When will his MPs revolt?

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