Saturday, July 2, 2011

Mansur Counsels Harper to Find His Inner Burke

Salim Mansur wants Stephen Harper to buck up and act, well, more like a real conservative:
For conservatives, as government became bigger and more intrusive in the affairs of the people, freedom and tradition of the people who founded Canada and built it have been diminished.
It is not tradition conservatives defend nostalgically. It is diminution of individual freedom with the expansion of government oversight — the pall, for instance, cast over freedom of speech as the “mother” of all freedom — that weakens, even nullifies, the partnership [Edmund] Burke wrote about.
If Harper listens again to his inner voice and acts to defend principles he once so admirably defended, he could rise to true greatness without drums and whistles, and Canada will be served better by his government.
Hear, hear. Years ago, before he rose to highest office, Harper once described our "human rights" commissions--a huge expansion of (supposedly arm's length) government oversight if they ever was one (or, to be more accurate, 14)--as "totalitarianism." And so they are--still. As such, one would think that ratcheting back the Commissars' power would be a Harper priority. It's not. And one has the sense that in all likelihood it won't ever be one.

1 comment:

Carlos Perera said...

We have the same problem here in the U. S. with the Republicans. They talk a great "limited government" game when they are trying to shore up their base of support during elections, but as soon as they are comfortably ensconced in office they begn to "reach across the aisle." Then they equivocate like used car or real estate salesmen, when confronted with their campaign promises. How does Lord Acton's famous aphorism begin? "Power tends to corrupt . . . ?