Dear Leader
How exactly to interpret news that Canada's prime minister has allowed photographs of himself, exclusively, to be arrayed everywhere on the walls of the government lobby of the House of Commons...? To which entry is restricted to those who can display a Commons security pass. Is this a display of insecurity or one of unbridled ego?
Whatever the essence of its display, it represents an unseemly display of self-adoration.
One thinks of North Korea's "dear leaders "Kim il Sung, the father, and Kim Jong il, the son and inheritor of the throne, both vicious tyrants whose portraits appear everywhere on giant billboards, to remind the populace of their undying love and gratitude to the kindly auspices of these ego-driven dictators who permit their citizens death by starvation, while the meagre state treasury is driven toward nuclear ambitions.
And one remembers the ubiquitous likenesses and statuary of Joseph Stalin, before his death. Taking second place to none, throughout the-then U.S.S.R. And the giant representation of Iraq's dictatorial monster which was unceremoniously but triumphantly hauled down, disintegrating the unwholesome metallic version of Saddam Hussein, while he himself was outrunning those who sought his capture.
This is, of course, quite unfair. Stephen Harper is a good and decent man, a stalwart upholder of the rule of law, passionate about leading Canada's course into history, a trustworthy leader of our country, slightly blemished by his unrepentant conservatism. The 'hidden agenda' ascribed to his Conservative government never did materialize, although there have been hints here and there in questionable choices.
More than amply offset by the very good, decent and at times, outstanding choices he has chosen to make on behalf of this country on the world stage, and internally. Everyone makes mistakes, and he does too. Apart from those that affect the country in a deleterious way like closing down funding to needed environmental and human-relations agencies, however, he has performed very well as the leader of a fragile, minority government.
Domestically he needs to amend his relations with the press. And he most certainly should make an effort to restrain his obvious impulse to gratify his sense of self-worth through permitting the posting of adoring photographs. His puzzling choice for a Christmas card portraying him at 24 Sussex admiring photographs of himself in various settings presented the onlooker with a personality conundrum.
The current situation, where it has been reliably reported that photographs of him and himself alone, dominate the House of commons government lobby, is peculiar beyond comprehension. Someone with a sense of caution should have recommended that his portrait, displayed among those of other, previous prime ministers, would have aroused less attention.
Whatever the essence of its display, it represents an unseemly display of self-adoration.
One thinks of North Korea's "dear leaders "Kim il Sung, the father, and Kim Jong il, the son and inheritor of the throne, both vicious tyrants whose portraits appear everywhere on giant billboards, to remind the populace of their undying love and gratitude to the kindly auspices of these ego-driven dictators who permit their citizens death by starvation, while the meagre state treasury is driven toward nuclear ambitions.
And one remembers the ubiquitous likenesses and statuary of Joseph Stalin, before his death. Taking second place to none, throughout the-then U.S.S.R. And the giant representation of Iraq's dictatorial monster which was unceremoniously but triumphantly hauled down, disintegrating the unwholesome metallic version of Saddam Hussein, while he himself was outrunning those who sought his capture.
This is, of course, quite unfair. Stephen Harper is a good and decent man, a stalwart upholder of the rule of law, passionate about leading Canada's course into history, a trustworthy leader of our country, slightly blemished by his unrepentant conservatism. The 'hidden agenda' ascribed to his Conservative government never did materialize, although there have been hints here and there in questionable choices.
More than amply offset by the very good, decent and at times, outstanding choices he has chosen to make on behalf of this country on the world stage, and internally. Everyone makes mistakes, and he does too. Apart from those that affect the country in a deleterious way like closing down funding to needed environmental and human-relations agencies, however, he has performed very well as the leader of a fragile, minority government.
Domestically he needs to amend his relations with the press. And he most certainly should make an effort to restrain his obvious impulse to gratify his sense of self-worth through permitting the posting of adoring photographs. His puzzling choice for a Christmas card portraying him at 24 Sussex admiring photographs of himself in various settings presented the onlooker with a personality conundrum.
The current situation, where it has been reliably reported that photographs of him and himself alone, dominate the House of commons government lobby, is peculiar beyond comprehension. Someone with a sense of caution should have recommended that his portrait, displayed among those of other, previous prime ministers, would have aroused less attention.
Labels: Canada, Social-Cultural Deviations
posted by Pieface @ 9:25 AM
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