A Warning and a Prediction Confirmed and Re-affirmed

Before I analyse recent events, I want to urge all decent Liberals to
boycott visiting, commenting or even mentioning the names of former
Liberal blogs or bloggers who engage in truly hateful behaviour. It's
the best way to starve them of oxygen. I just read a hyperbolic
sentence buried in a typically hysteric post by a (former) Liberal
(self-)hater which claimed that "as usual, M. Dion was against
Quebec". If we accept this illogic, then we might as well skip the
referendum and get straight to negotiating the terms of separation.
When Cité Libre was founded in 1950, it set out to challenge the
stifling fearful group think afflicting Quebec, to advance positions
through the liberal prism of citizens' well-being rather than that of
mystical nationalism. Now, apparently, there are even Liberals who
care less for citizens' well-being and more for a "mythical Quebec",
an entity with one mind and soul apparently, in the German Romantic
tradition, and as thus, one is against the "mythic Quebec" if one
questions any of the commonly accepted arguments and premises which
make up the flotsam and jetsam of the great mythological flood of
nationalism in which my society is drowning. There is no such thing as
a good or bad Quebecker, only Quebeckers, citizens of Canada residing
in Quebec. Only a bigot can be "against Quebec", only a jingoistic
fool "for Quebec", as these citizens, with a variety of opinions on
all topics, discuss and argue about the nature of the public good and
how best to achieve it in the public square of ideas. When we abandon
our critical faculties and cherish or condemn individuals because
they're "with us or against us", we accept a nationalist logic that
inevitably leads, again in the Romantic tradition, to a people as a
mythical concept, and justifies, even requires, that they have their
own state. It's a load of cobblers, and it always, but always, leads
to disaster. The Enlightenment, the liberal revolution(s), our
ancestors threw off the shackles of superstition which had hitherto
enslaved them to dictators and oligarchies backed by corrupted
churches. All that struggle was for nought, so we could again enslave
ourselves to mythologies? Pace Harold Innis, have we really gone from
benighted peasant to free citizen to benighted (techno-)peasant? If
being a Liberal and a liberal means anything, surely it must mean
placing the citizen at the centre of our ideological framework, rather
than silly mysticism. And if a man disagrees with suffocating
nationalist superstition, or with some of its positions, does that
mean he is against his own society? What nonsense. It is rather the
grand inquisitors of officially approved, politically-correct
nationalist doctrine who undermine their society by restricting the
scope of public expression and starve their their fellow citizens of
the fresh air of healthy debate. Fools and self-interested cowards.
Encore (et encore et encore...) une trahison des clercs.

Anyway. I predicted at the beginning of this little imbroglio that
Carroll might be transferred sideways, but not out, if Dion could help
it, because he's a good man and Dion wouldn't want to give in to
public demands for his head. His enemies would have been smarter to
have gone through the usual channels. But of course, if they were
smart, they wouldn't behave the way they do. QED. (Silly email though
- by this point, should be clear simply can't trust any communication
to be kept private. As I've mentioned before, still a few too many
ratfuckers scurrying in the dark corners of the LPC). Maybe Carroll
will feel he has to completely leave, but I think it's more likely he
stays to help and provide some much needed loyalty to the leader.
Loyalty. Geez, what a concept, eh? Maybe more of us should try it, eh?

In counterpoint, logical, proper and symetrical to punish ratfuckers -
can't leak and undermine and attack with impunity. Sorry Pablo, that
means you, among others.

Good to see some wise old hands coming on board - and these folks are
not known for their tender treatment of ratfuckers. As many predicted,
the ratfuckers overplayed their hand, and Caroll's move actually
presages a much needed housecleaning. No-one can say Dion didn''t try
the open velvet hand. He's been criticised for being too naive, too
open, too understanding. Well, he took people at their word and he
understood the party had no desire for any further anti-democratic,
top-down ratfuckery, and it's against his instincts anyway. He's by
nature very collegial. But now it's time for the iron fist. And having
honestly tried the boy scout method, no-one will be able to blame him
if he brings down the hammer more.

I still think we should vote as we feel on the throne speech, but
given all the turmoil I am more understanding of an abstention,
however staged, to buy time to get the organisation solid. But my
understanding won't last much beyond this vote. And there's a budget
coming shortly...

Vive Stéphane Dion, vive le Parti libéral, et vive le Canada!