Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Gracious To The End

Things move so quickly, one moment you're watching a townhall thinking what a great Prime Minister this man would make, the next you're reading a farewell exit. People can point to faults, blame, but it's also worth recognizing a sincerity and grace, from a man who really was the "happy warrior". A perfect closing thought on this chapter, because in a strange twist of fate, the detached elitist was at his best with average Canadians:

“The only thing, really, to say is this: Everybody always tells you how tough a game politics is and how brutal it is. What they don’t say enough is how incredibly good the Canadian people are to you even when they don’t vote for you,” Mr. Ignatieff told reporters at the same microphone where he has regularly answered media questions as leader of the official opposition.

“And, as we take our leave of politics, I just want to express my enormous gratitude to all the people we met as we went along the road, their kindness, their civility, their sense of humour,” he said. “It was a privilege to serve the Canadian people and we leave politics with a sense of what a privilege it was and what an honour it was.”

Thanks Mr. Ignatieff, this superficial game never really deserved you.

7 comments:

rww said...

And the same right wingers who carry on about how terrible career politicians are will criticize him for his short tenure in politics.

Steve V said...

Just read a piece about how the deficit suddenly won't be slayed like the Cons said in campaign. This is a game for liars and snake oil salesman.

Frankly Canadian said...

I totally agree with you their Steve, "a game for liars and snake oil salesmen". I look at the last three leaders the Liberals had and all three of them were good honest smart and caring individuals who would have really made some great changes in Canada's history, however all three of them succumb to Steven Harpers lying, cheating, and slanderous ways. I can't help but think where Canada would be today with that strong Liberal voice, a world leader on the environment? I also wonder what the next phase of Kyoto would have been without Canada's obstructive behaviour? I think to myself if the native situation would have been better if the Kelowna accord had been able to survive. I wonder if more parents would have both been able to enter the work force because there was adequate daycare space and I wonder how that would have affected our economy. I wonder if our Canadian economy would have been more diversified with that same strong Liberal voice. Yes Liars and cheats is what were left with Harper and Layton, I wonder where we're going from here?

Frankly Canadian said...

Wait a second, as I continue to read the blogs I found the answer to my question here. http://pushedleft.blogspot.com/
Harper continues his crap but only on a world stage now.
But time has run out and Canada is now the only Country not providing important information to UN:

Canada has once again missed an international deadline for submitting an inventory of its greenhouse gas emissions to the United Nations.

While 42 governments, including from earthquakestricken Japan, have submitted their data on emissions of the heat-trapping gases that warm the atmosphere, Canada is the only one behind schedule in reporting to the UN's climate change secretariat as part of its international obligations under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Terry Glavin said...

I rank this as one of the saddest moments in recent Canadian history. The Liberal Party is of course not blameless in any of this, but to see what Canada's political class did with the opportunity Ignatieff presented is to recoil in embarrassment and something approaching shame.

Ignatieff is by no means wrong to praise the common decency of ordinary Canadians and fair play to him for noticing, and he of all people, too, after what has happened. But I can't remember a time when Canadian politics appeared so small, so parochial, so preening and frivolous. Not exactly the conditions that would allow someone like Ignatieff to flourish in politics, to put it delicately.

The thing that disturbs me the most is not Ignatieff's defeat, nor the Liberal debacle at the polls. Something else is going on. It involves the crisis of liberalism, and it involves the ways that Canadians are constantly instructed and hectored to to see their place in the world: to be small and marginal, to hide and withdraw.

I expect Ignatieff will prove far more useful from his place at Massey College. We should all look forward to hearing from him, often.

Steve V said...

FC

That's true, what you say about three men, and also depressing ;)


Terry

Well said. I also agree about the crisis of liberalism.

Dame said...

I am really going to miss Michael.. what a colossal Miss From Canada!

"a game for liars and snake oil salesmen". I look at the last three leaders the Liberals had and all three of them were good honest smart and caring individuals who would have really made some great changes in Canada's history, however all three of them succumb to Steven Harpers lying, cheating, and slanderous ways./well said Frankly Canadian and Steve/....
plus a world class Preacher of the neverland jack....
now watch out how the separatists will " wag the dog" the"" so called NDP"... it is going to be a wild show.