Thursday, May 3, 2007

Degenerate Commons

Many have noted that lately the level of debate in the House of Commons has degenerated into a slugde pit of partisan hackery and name-calling. While some may say that Question Period has long been devoid of meaningful discourse, most agree that we are nearing new lows with the current cast of characters.


The latest person to notice is veteran White House correspondant Helen Thomas. For those who don't know about her, she is a truly remarkable individual. Having covered the White House for United Press International since the Kennedy administration, Ms. Thomas has seen a lot of politics. You can read about her here.
Thomas is in Canada to help mark Press Freedom Day, and she makes an important observation:
"It's déjà vu all over again," Thomas said of the Conservatives' attacks on their critics, explaining that it's a standard Bush technique to question the patriotism or values of his detractors. "I wouldn't think that would happen in Canada," she said in an interview yesterday.

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