Reflections, Observations, and Analyses Pertaining to the Canadian Political Scene
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Linda McQuaig on Neo-Conservative Contempt
There are some columnists whose work I am loathe to miss. For example, over at the Globe, unlike some people I could name, Lawrence Martin writes with precision and integrity, never failing to take to task the endless abuses heaped upon the electorate by the Harper regime.
At the Star, amongst many others, there is Linda McQuaig's monthly reminder of the injustices of a system that exploits the poor and enriches the elite. In her latest piece, entitled Mitt Romney blurts out the truth about neo-conservatism, McQuaig lacerates the self-serving practices and rhetoric of the hugely-entitled while discussing how traditional conservatism has been supplanted over the past 30 years, borrowing an insight from John Kenneth Galbraith when he described this “modern” conservative as engaged in “the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.”
Although using Mitt Romney's recent gaffe revealing his contempt for about half of America's citizens, she also asserts,
Modern conservatism — or neo-conservatism — has infected Canada too, coming to fruition under the Harper majority government, which has intervened aggressively on the side of corporations against working people, and dismantled vital environmental protections in order to enrich energy mega-corporations.
Thought-provoking material from a writer always worth reading.