JOHN CHUCKMAN COMMENT: CANADA'S UPCOMING ELECTION AND JUSTIN TRUDEAU - POLITICS AND IDEALS - NEEDED QUALITIES FOR GOOD LEADERSHIP - SERVING TRUMP AND COMPANY - DIFFICULTIES AROUND CLIMATE CHANGE - PROBLEM WITH CARBON TAX - TRUDEAU'S WEAKNESSES APPARENT LONG BEFORE HIS ELECTION - GREAT LIBERAL TRADITIONS LOST UNDER HIS GOVERNMENT

John Chuckman


COMMENTS POSTED TO AN ARTICLE BY AARON WHERRY IN THE CBC NEWS


“Why Justin Trudeau's main foe in 2019 is the Justin Trudeau of 2015

"A leader who frames every issue around ideals can expect blowback when he can't - or won't - live up to them"



That's certainly true, but "ideals" can be much over-rated.

After all, some of the worst actors in world history had strong ideals.

What's needed in an admirable leader is not so much "ideals" as a sense of decency, sound pragmatic judgment, commitment to fairness and justice, and dedication to principles of human and democratic rights.

Those are qualities where Trudeau has often failed despite having "ideals."

I am very sad the other major parties have not offered us good alternatives. It is a truly barren election.

But I just would never cast a vote for this man who effectively has supported all the major policies of Trump and Company - from support for bloody Saudi Arabia and trying to overturn an elected government in Venezuela to Russophobia and insanely-destructive activities around China.

A very foolish man, I think.

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Response to a comment about Trudeau’s carbon tax:

I very much care about our environment, but I tend to agree with you that the carbon tax is something of a scam.

We know there is climate change for sure, but we do not yet know just what is driving it.

There are a number of scientific theories, from a changed level of solar radiation to small changes in our orbit.

Pretty hard to do convincing controlled experiments on a matter so huge as the entire planet, and controlled experiments are one of the hallmarks of genuine science.

Creating big, costly programs for something you do not understand is not my idea of good leadership. I just do not see it as even very smart. It's a bit like Gwyneth Paltrow selling her Goop products.

And it is stylish, like giant corporations putting images of pink bows for breast cancer on their packaging.

There are many other important environmental matters on which we could focus until we do understand climate change better, including ones we largely ignore.

And even if we discover to a certainty that carbon is the driver of climate change, a solution may well be beyond us. Adaptation is how our ancestors for two hundred thousand years dealt with climate changes, of which there have been many.

Of course, such taxes are very attractive to deficit-prone politicians like Trudeau, ones with "ideals" to brag about too.

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Response to a comment:

I won't go so far as you do in claiming a prediction, but I very much sensed and feared Trudeau's lack of depth and ability. It was long apparent.

His father was a great national leader. Gifted. Justin simply did not inherit that set of qualities. Such is the throw of the genetic dice.

And I suspect Justin, the drama teacher and snowboard coach, long knew that, which explains his early reluctance to enter politics, but it becomes hard to say no when important people keep begging you to do something. We all have egos and like being flattered.

They did win, the Trudeau name and smile defeating a much-disliked Stephen Harper, but in a larger sense they lost.

They lost something precious for a Liberal Party which has given us a number of fine leaders.

Our cringing service to Trump and Company under Trudeau marks a terrible loss of 20th century Liberal traditions, things for which the world admired us, and especially those of Justin's own father.