BARKING, BUT WON'T HUNT:

Dogs are howling but nobody hears (Ted Byfield, 7/23/06, Calgary Sun)

The surest sign a society may truly be changing comes when it's discovered its old, tried and true incantations don't work any more.

I saw a lot of this back in the '60s, when frantic citations about "the traditional Canadian home and family," about our "reputation for sound government" and about our "moderation" were repeatedly uttered, but seemingly nowhere heard.

I saw it again in the '90s when the Klein government took office in Alberta and began sizable cuts in welfare and other provincial services. The usual pitiful photos appeared, with heart-rending stories attached, and everybody waited for Ralph to back down. He didn't. The media hype no longer worked.

I saw it again in the mid-'90s when big cuts to the CBC began, and the "Friends of Canadian Broadcasting" ran the customary full-page ads with the customary 500 or so names (Pierre Berton, Margaret Atwood and Patrick Watson in the lead), appealing for restoration of the traditionally big CBC budget. The silence in response was deafening.

Obviously, nobody but those within the CBC circle gave a damn. She might take a long time dying, but seemingly old Mother Corp was doomed.

Finally, and amusingly, I saw it again last week when Harper declared support for Israel, and implicitly for the Bush government.

Funny how a domestic terror threat focusses the mind.

Posted by Orrin Judd at July 23, 2006 8:37 AM