The Read International for 12/4/08- Craziness Up North

Photo from Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press, via the CBC

We know about our bitter partisan government problems. And we have documented the tension going on with French government as well. Now up north, there is a whole bunch of drama coming down, and Canada may have its version of George Bush here.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper is feeling the heat, and the people are letting him know about:

Harper was greeted by about 40 chanting supporters, including many Tory staffers, when he arrived at Rideau Hall, the Governor General's residence, at 9:30 a.m. ET. A single anti-Harper demonstrator stood waving a sign reading "Harper Must Go."

Harper and his conservatives are surely in the minority at this point.

The Conservative leader had vowed to use "every legal means" to prevent a Liberal-NDP coalition government from taking power and took to the airwaves late Wednesday to make his case to the public.

In a five-minute, pre-recorded statement Wednesday night, Harper spoke bluntly against the coalition backed by "separatists," saying the federal government must stand unequivocally for keeping the country together in the face of the global economic crisis.

The coalition sprang up after the Tories released an economic statement that was lambasted by the opposition parties.

They accused Harper of doing nothing to address the current economic crisis and slammed what they saw as ideologically driven measures such as the proposed elimination of subsidies for political parties, a three-year ban on the right of civil servants to strike and limits on the ability of women to sue for pay equity.

Harper has since backed down on those contentious issues, but the opposition has pushed forward with the coalition.

The coalition — which would have a 24-member cabinet composed of six NDP and 18 Liberal MPs — has vowed to make an economic stimulus package a priority, proposing a multibillion-dollar plan that would include help for the auto and forestry sectors.

With 77 Liberal MPs and 37 New Democrats, plus the support of 49 Bloc members, the three parties have more seats than the 143 held by the Tories.

Harper has alienated a lot of people with his arrogant and classless attitude. We'll see what happens with this story, as time goes on.

Else where on the CBC:
1. Violence erupts as Israel forces evict settlers from Hebron house
2. It gets worse in Zimbabwe, as they declare a national emergency over their cholera epidemic .
3. King Bhumibol Adulyadej failed to address his country in the midst of Thaland's political crisis. Adulyadej, who is 81, is ill at the moment.

From Al Jazeera:
1. A US Firm is denying labor abuses in Iraq. Sadly, I am skeptical of what that firm stated. Very skeptical.
2. France unveiled a $33 billion stimulus plan (in U.S money).
3. The fool that is Mikheli Saakashvilli still believes that Georgia will be apart of NATO.

From the BBC:
1. Kenya's Prime Minister Raila Odinga thinks it is time for Robert Mugabe to be removed, especially with, as we have mentioned, Zimbabwe's horrible case with its horrible cholera epidemic.
2. And it is just as horrible in Somalia right now, as that country is nearing total famine right now.
3. And because Dmitry Medvedev is such a good puppet (well, maybe in my eyes as well as a few others), Vladmir Putin has stated that he won't seek a reelection to his former job as of now.

The Read International. Stay worldly.