Lyin' Brian
An investigation carried out recently by the CBC and the Globe & Mail has failed to find any corroboration for statements made by Brian Mulroney when he testified before the House of Commons Ethics Committee in December.
He claimed that, in return for the $300,000 (or $240,000 or whatever) given him by Karlheinz Schreiber, he had lobbied Russia, France and China, on behalf of Thyssen, to buy armoured vehicles to be manufactured by Thyssen at a proposed plant in Nova Scotia. Officials at Thyssen have denied that Mulroney had any connection with them. "It's absolute nonsense", a spokeswoman said. And who would believe that France would consider buying German vehicles when they are a major exporter themselves? "As for selling vehicles to the Russians - forget it", said Christopher Foss of Jane's Defense Weekly, who knows about such things. Mulroney claimed to have lobbied Chinese officals on a trip in 1993 but our ambassador Fred Bild, who was with him the whole time, claims Brian never mentioned it. "I just find it very strange." he said. It should be remembered that Mulroney's own government had placed a ban on selling military equipment to China.
I never liked Mulroney. He is so unctuous, so oily. After he left office in '93 in relative disgrace or at least vast unpopularity, I found it incredible that he would continue to go around the country, all puffed up, apparently believing he was still everyone's darling, or should be. He would have done himself more good had he had the grace to just shut up and stay below the radar for awhile. But grace has never been his forte.
At the Ethics Committee meeting, to say that he put his foot in his mouth would be an understatement. Tommy Douglas once said of Judy LaMarsh that she only opened her mouth to change feet. (Aw shucks, Tommy, I liked Judy!) With Brian, it was more like both feet to the knees. He destroyed whatever reputation he had left. And he pontificated, which made it worse.
Remember the dump Joe Clark movement? The ever-affable Herr Schreiber was the conduit for the money from European Conservatives which was used to unseat poor old Joe, whom I always thought was an ok kind of guy. Large sums were spent on delegates to the convention and they even transported some questionable delegates from Quebec. This sort of foreign interference in our politics stinks to high heaven, and those who promote it are close to being treasonous. How can Mulroney hold his head high?
It should not be forgotten that Brian testified under oath, in 2004, that he never had dealings with Schreiber, except to have coffee. Is Schreiber the type of guy to waste his time on merely coffee? With the info we have now, is that not perjury?
He, like many other politicians, blames "the media" for tarnishing his reputation. His particular bête noire is Stevie Cameron. I read her book On the Take some years back. It painted a picture of the stereotypical nouveaux riches in all their crassness. Two pictures stay in my memory. The first is, of course, the hundred pairs of Gucci shoes. Queried about the veracity of this, she replied that it was closer to two hundred, but one hundred was enough to make the point. Canada's own Imelda Marcos. The second picture that stays in my mind is wife Mila going on "power shopping" trips with friends to Montreal and Manhattan in government limousines.
It so happens that I can use shoes to illustrate the difference between the nouveaux riches and "old money". In the early '50s, Adlai Stevenson was twice a candidate for U.S. President. He was from a wealthy family. As he sat on a platform with his legs crossed, a photographer took a shot from below revealing a large hole in his shoe sole. The photo became famous. He may have worn those old shoes because they were comfortable. Old money sees no need for tawdry display.
Often mentioned in the press and elsewhere was Mulroney's imperial life style. Whereas Mike Pearson could be seen walking the streets of Ottawa, Brian rode in large bullet-proof Cadillacs. Consequently, when Jean Chrétien took office, he pointedly let us know he was riding in a plain Chevrolet, underlining the contrast. (That little Chevy eventually morphed into an impressive Caddy, but that's another story.)
My dislike of Mulroney doesn't necessarily mean I disliked his legislation. The Free Trade Agreement may or may not have been good for Canada - there are too many factors to consider. Our manufacturing base has been in decline, but so has that of the U.S., due to emerging markets and low wages in Asia & elsewhere. The deal, however, gives the U.S. a powerful hand in our economy and our policies, which is worrisome. He was such a U.S. toady. When he stood on a Quebec stage with Ronald Reagan and sang When Irish Eyes are Smiling, I not only wanted to retch, I was embarrassed for my country.
The man was elected twice with large majorities. Maybe the electorate imagined, naively, that free trade would wipe out import duties so that we could buy cars and other goods at U.S. prices. Maybe it was time for a change - "time for a change" has always been a powerful phrase. Maybe Mulroney was a more attractive candidate than John Turner despite Turner's endearing and affectionate patting of women's bums. Who knows? As for the second election victory, I'm at a loss to explain. Let it be.
When he finally crashed, he really crashed and took the Progressive Conservative Party with him. It never recovered and was eventually taken over by the old Reform Party loonies and the neocons who couldn't wait to get rid of that hated word Progressive. And here we are with his legacy.
He claimed that, in return for the $300,000 (or $240,000 or whatever) given him by Karlheinz Schreiber, he had lobbied Russia, France and China, on behalf of Thyssen, to buy armoured vehicles to be manufactured by Thyssen at a proposed plant in Nova Scotia. Officials at Thyssen have denied that Mulroney had any connection with them. "It's absolute nonsense", a spokeswoman said. And who would believe that France would consider buying German vehicles when they are a major exporter themselves? "As for selling vehicles to the Russians - forget it", said Christopher Foss of Jane's Defense Weekly, who knows about such things. Mulroney claimed to have lobbied Chinese officals on a trip in 1993 but our ambassador Fred Bild, who was with him the whole time, claims Brian never mentioned it. "I just find it very strange." he said. It should be remembered that Mulroney's own government had placed a ban on selling military equipment to China.
I never liked Mulroney. He is so unctuous, so oily. After he left office in '93 in relative disgrace or at least vast unpopularity, I found it incredible that he would continue to go around the country, all puffed up, apparently believing he was still everyone's darling, or should be. He would have done himself more good had he had the grace to just shut up and stay below the radar for awhile. But grace has never been his forte.
At the Ethics Committee meeting, to say that he put his foot in his mouth would be an understatement. Tommy Douglas once said of Judy LaMarsh that she only opened her mouth to change feet. (Aw shucks, Tommy, I liked Judy!) With Brian, it was more like both feet to the knees. He destroyed whatever reputation he had left. And he pontificated, which made it worse.
Remember the dump Joe Clark movement? The ever-affable Herr Schreiber was the conduit for the money from European Conservatives which was used to unseat poor old Joe, whom I always thought was an ok kind of guy. Large sums were spent on delegates to the convention and they even transported some questionable delegates from Quebec. This sort of foreign interference in our politics stinks to high heaven, and those who promote it are close to being treasonous. How can Mulroney hold his head high?
It should not be forgotten that Brian testified under oath, in 2004, that he never had dealings with Schreiber, except to have coffee. Is Schreiber the type of guy to waste his time on merely coffee? With the info we have now, is that not perjury?
He, like many other politicians, blames "the media" for tarnishing his reputation. His particular bête noire is Stevie Cameron. I read her book On the Take some years back. It painted a picture of the stereotypical nouveaux riches in all their crassness. Two pictures stay in my memory. The first is, of course, the hundred pairs of Gucci shoes. Queried about the veracity of this, she replied that it was closer to two hundred, but one hundred was enough to make the point. Canada's own Imelda Marcos. The second picture that stays in my mind is wife Mila going on "power shopping" trips with friends to Montreal and Manhattan in government limousines.
It so happens that I can use shoes to illustrate the difference between the nouveaux riches and "old money". In the early '50s, Adlai Stevenson was twice a candidate for U.S. President. He was from a wealthy family. As he sat on a platform with his legs crossed, a photographer took a shot from below revealing a large hole in his shoe sole. The photo became famous. He may have worn those old shoes because they were comfortable. Old money sees no need for tawdry display.
Often mentioned in the press and elsewhere was Mulroney's imperial life style. Whereas Mike Pearson could be seen walking the streets of Ottawa, Brian rode in large bullet-proof Cadillacs. Consequently, when Jean Chrétien took office, he pointedly let us know he was riding in a plain Chevrolet, underlining the contrast. (That little Chevy eventually morphed into an impressive Caddy, but that's another story.)
My dislike of Mulroney doesn't necessarily mean I disliked his legislation. The Free Trade Agreement may or may not have been good for Canada - there are too many factors to consider. Our manufacturing base has been in decline, but so has that of the U.S., due to emerging markets and low wages in Asia & elsewhere. The deal, however, gives the U.S. a powerful hand in our economy and our policies, which is worrisome. He was such a U.S. toady. When he stood on a Quebec stage with Ronald Reagan and sang When Irish Eyes are Smiling, I not only wanted to retch, I was embarrassed for my country.
The man was elected twice with large majorities. Maybe the electorate imagined, naively, that free trade would wipe out import duties so that we could buy cars and other goods at U.S. prices. Maybe it was time for a change - "time for a change" has always been a powerful phrase. Maybe Mulroney was a more attractive candidate than John Turner despite Turner's endearing and affectionate patting of women's bums. Who knows? As for the second election victory, I'm at a loss to explain. Let it be.
When he finally crashed, he really crashed and took the Progressive Conservative Party with him. It never recovered and was eventually taken over by the old Reform Party loonies and the neocons who couldn't wait to get rid of that hated word Progressive. And here we are with his legacy.
posted by puzzled @ 1:06 PM
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