Political Doublespeak For Robots and Pinocchios

The passage I refer to is a quote from Dean Del Maestro, the parliamentary secretary for Prime Minister Harper. He is responding to Opposition leader Bob Rae's questioning in the House today (Monday, March 5, 2011).

1. Ensure that the statement includes more clauses and parts of speech than a grade 10 English textbook. Let your meaning seem obvious... But let your statement be impenetrable.

“When will he make those phone records public? Because I believe when those phone records are made public, the Liberal Party will have fingered itself for each and every one of these calls that they allege had taken place.” -Dean Del Mastro, March 5, 2011

2. When taking heat, defer attention of listeners towards opposition:

“When will he make those phone records public?"

3. Do not make a truth-binding statement about reality that might haunt you later on. Avoid doing so by stating a belief, a thought, a suspicion, popular knowledge, etc.:

"Because I believe..."

4. Further cloud your statement by the use of conditionals. "If...then", "when...then", etc.:

"when those phone records are made public, the Liberal Party will have fingered itself..."

5. Any accusation should be shrouded and indirect so as to not backfire. Metaphors, conditionals, ambiguous meanings and insinuations rule supreme here.

"when those phone records are made public, the Liberal Party will have fingered itself for each and every one of these calls that they allege had taken place.”

Note: "will have fingered itself" - This statement suggests that the Liberals will be the ones who had carried out the calls in question. But it in no way explicitly states this. If taken literally, this statement means something entirely different... something entirely unconnected to the question of blame.

See the full news story that this passage appears in: "Tories demand Liberals release call records – but refuse to follow suit" - Gloria Galloway (The Globe and Mail, March 5, 2011)

Throne Speech: Stop Harper

A big respectful shoutout to Brigette DePape, who risked her position as page to the throne to make her voice be heard. It's too bad that she had to break her word to the queen and parliament to do so. Here's to hoping we can find alternate means to better representation in our fine country's governance.

This post is my response to Gloria galloway's article "Senate weighs security overhaul after page’s ‘Stop Harper’".

A quote from this article:

“I don’t have to tell you what would have happened if she had something else inside her jacket instead of a poster,” Mr. Tkachuk said.

The most important point to me, Mr. Tkachuk, is the fact that there was nothing other than a poster inside Ms. DePape's jacket. The fact that this young, politically active Canadian was prepared to sacrifice her position as page to the throne--not to mention her own reputation in future public endeavors--is a testament not only to the will of young Canadians today, but also a testament to the basic values today's young Canadians stand for. But most of all, the fact that she chose such a non-violent method of revolt is testament to the great hope we young Canadians have in continuing our national legacy of peace and liberty.

In the article:

Ms. DePape, who has been working as a page in the Senate for about a year and who was immediately fired from her job after being led out of the chamber by the Sergeant-at-Arms of the House of Commons, said she staged the protest because she believes democracy was not served by the recent election. Mr. Harper’s Conservatives won a majority with just 40 per cent of the popular vote.

Ms. Depape acted on an impulse felt by many after this election: something has gone horribly wrong with the democratic process that we have come to take for granted in our country. She had lost faith in the basic mechanisms we have set up in order to ensure our own fair representation in the governance of Canada. Let me be one of may to tell you: she is not alone in this impulse. Democratic reform was a major issue for many Canadians in the 2011 election. Many feel that the current voting system needs to be reformed, and that proportional representation needs to play a greater role in the outcome of future Canadian elections.

Ms.Depape sacrificed something to stand up for her values and for her country. I for one, will remember her actions as a highlight in the Canadian story of democracy.

It was a clear act of “contempt” for the Parliament that Ms. DePape had sworn to serve, he added.

Let us remember that it was contempt that brought us into the 2011 election in the first place. And let us note that our current leading party went directly from contempt to a majority government. Above all, let us be concerned... if not for who is leading us now, then at least for how we will be able to choose who leads us in the future.

I ask anyone who reads this to learn more about democratic reform, and get active by spreading the word, and contacting your MP about your concerns regarding representation and democratic reform. Tell them that the time for change is now.

Brigette DePape, a hero to some.

A protester holds a sign reading "Stop Harper" is lead from the room as Canada's Governor General David Johnston delivers the Speech from the Throne in the Senate chamber on Parliament Hill in Ottawa June 3, 2011. REUTERS/Chris Wattie