Conservatives (CPC)

Fool me once, shame on me, fool me twice…

“Hypocrisy can afford to be magnificent in its promises, for never intending to go beyond promise, it costs nothing.” – Edmund Burke
Promises vs. ‘political speeches:’ Tories’ honesty questioned on support for injured veterans, Matthew Coutts, Yahoo News, Dec. 3, 2014

…A group of veterans known as the Equitas Society have launched a class-action lawsuit suggesting that the benefits paid out under the New Veterans Charter is inadequate, and does not live up to promises the government had previously made…

…the government had unsuccessfully tried to have the B.C. Supreme Court reject the lawsuit and is now appealing the case to the B.C. Court of Appeal, claiming promises made to veterans were not to be taken as gospel.

In a written submission, government lawyers argued that “these statements were political speeches not intended as commitments or solemn commitments.”

Take a moment to ruminate on that comment, on what it confesses, and then try to take politics seriously ever again.

The Conservative government made speeches – political speeches – promising support to Canada’s war veterans. And those speeches were intended to curry favour from military families and supporters. But not intended to be taken seriously in any particular way.

Essentially, anything we are promised in a politician’s effort to form government is not legal tender. It’s an empty promise. A purposeful white lie, or at least no indication of truth…

7 replies »

  1. http://www.news1130.com/2015/09/14/feds-post-surprise-1-9-billion-surplus/

    I call bullshit on this. Any person I speak with are all worse off than they were 8-10 years ago. Since Stevie and Co. have been in charge, there is less for education, healthcare, infrastructure, but lots for golden pensions for bureaucrats etc. We may pay less “personal income tax”, but we are paying a hell of a lot more for everything else. Have you don comparisons of your household bills, grocery bills, going to and form work costs? Unfricking believable.

    Just like the headline of this article says: Fool me once, shame on me, fool me twice …

    We know the HarperCons will do anything to win, even cheat. (robocalls for one)

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  2. Those who do not read history are doomed to repeat the same mistakes. Canada Post, the Vets, political ignorance, corruption and arrogance are just but some of the issues which may lead to a 2 seat rump after the next election. Gods, especially those who think they are gods, soon disappoint and are rewarded thus. Mulroney's tenure lead to a two seat rump and so may Herr Harper.

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  3. In other words its o.k. to lie to the citizens of the country.

    Evil Eye, the B.C. Lieberals are experts. This post is about the federal Conservatives and they do it better than anyone.

    Canada had a tradition of supporting Veterans who were injured. The cons then changed the game rules so they wouldn't have to make good. What the Veterans sustained were work place injures. If they worked anywhere else and sustained these types of injuries, their pensions and care would be much better.

    The “promises” to Veterans were more than just political promises. It was a “deal”. Now it may have been verbal, but back in the early 1970's a “wheeler dealer/business type” in B.C. made a “deal” with another person and shook hands on it. One party tried to back out, saying it was not a legal agreement. The judge ruled that in their line of work a hand shake and the spoke agreement was just as good as a “legal written document” or some such words. The up shot was, the judge rules the “handshake agreement” was just as legally binding upon the parties as any legal document drawn up by corporate lawyers.

    In the case of the Veterans, it has been “custom” for a country to take care of their injured Vets. Like do we remember Shaughnessy Hospital. It at one time was the Veterans hospital. That is where Veterans received their health care, Hong Kong survivors went there for yearly check ups, some every 6 months. Some Vets lived there because of the extent of their injures following WW II.

    The disgusting arguments the con lawyers are currently making, just might get tossed out of court. It maybe politics, but “custom”, “tradition” etc. have all been upheld in court. For decades First Nations' oral history was not taken into consideration. Things have changed.

    The Veterans could win this case. They could get a judge who really thinks ones word should be good enough in matters such as this. It could be argued these “promises” went beyond the scope of “election” promises but rather a binding agreement by a government to its military as they marched off to war. The question may be asked, would these military personnel gone to war had they know the government would not honour the “agreement” which was in place for decades.

    I hope the Vets wipe the floor with these bastards. I hope it cost the cons the election. In all of this the cons may have forgotten their base is conservative and the country's duty to its military might count for something. They may not vote for another party, but they might just sit at home come next election day.

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  4. Political speak.

    🙂 Anything a politician says is a lie.
    🙂 A promise is something to be forgotten.
    🙂 An election is something to cheat at.
    🙂 Political friends are to be rewarded.

    The Liberals do this very well.

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  5. Remember that the Federal Government went to the Supreme Court of Canada in order to have it in law that politicians promises cannot be construed as a contract. In other words, it is completely legal for them to lie through their teeth in order to get elected, and don't have to follow through on a damn thing (other than improving benefits for politicians, of course!) They have taken to this legalized lying like a duck to water, and the conservatives have raised it to a high art.

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  6. Even when they are government and say they are going to do something, like build some ships in BC shipyards they are full of bs. I think they tell so many lies they don't know what is the truth any more. I sure hope the message about how the harpocans are screwing our veterans resonates with the voters next year. The Americans honor there vets, our government uses them and abuses them. Every Royal Canadian Legion in this country should put out the word on this band of liers. The only votes the conservatives should get in the next election is there own. Earlier I called them harpocans, what I should have called them is Heartlesscans

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