Friday, March 10, 2017

What's Going To Happen To Chris Alexander?


I've loathed Chris Alexander since I'd first heard of his existence, back in 2011. That was when he was first running for office as a Conservative candidate in the riding of Ajax-Pickering. He was saying that torture in Afghanistan wasn't a big issue, even though Afghanistan's entire justice/legal system was rife with abuses from top to bottom.

But, aside from my own misgivings, the meme about him was that he was this "golden boy" diplomat from within Canada's Foreign Affairs Department who brought real ability to his new role as a politician. Obviously, I never saw it and still don't. It seems more likely to me that he was nothing more than a supreme butt-kisser/yes-man who took the position of Canadian Ambassador to Afghanistan because he was determined to make something out of such a hideous job. He was prepared (as so many of his colleagues probably weren't) to turn a blind eye to all the war crimes and other abuses he would (and did) see, and to cheer-lead for whatever brazen hypocrisies the Canadian government of the moment uttered about "the Mission."

Which was why he ignored Richard Colvin's numerous e-mails about how ALL of our detainees were being tortured by their Afghan jailers. He presided over such barbarism and failure for years, and then he parlayed that into a career in politics, eventually rising to become a Cabinet Minister, where he similarly ignored the desperate cries for help of Syrians trying to flee to safe havens after the USA and its allies turned their country into a slaughter-house. Unfortunately for him, this policy of murderous cruelty ended up hurting him when Syrian refugees began washing up dead on the beaches of the Mediterranean in the hundreds as over-crowded, leaking boats they were on sank beneath the waves. And, sadly for Chris, some of them were tiny children, whose parents had tried to apply for refugee status in Canada, and they died during a Canadian federal election. Alexander had to "suspend" his campaigning and go back to Ottawa (ostensibly to "deal" with the crisis, but actually, simply to hide from the media until the storm subsided).

Chris Alexander subsequently lost his seat in that election. And now he is running for leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada. But he isn't doing so well. He's barely registering. He's certain to lose. What then? Back to diplomatic service? Not fucking likely. He's been exposed as a dishonest, partisan rat. A sick joke. (Given his public behaviour, I'm willing to bet Alexander pissed a lot of people off on his way up the ladder.)

Canada is a rich country but we starve our culture. Canadian households spend their money on ordinary things. And Canada's super-rich spend their money on luxury goods and safe investments. That's why former high-ranking politicians often have to take jobs shilling for parasites like the pay-day loan people. Our media is on life-support.

What I'm saying is that the future doesn't look good for ol' Chris Alexander. And I hope it stays that way and he genuinely suffers.

2 comments:

the salamander said...

.. there's lots of toxic garbage left over from the 'Harper Years' .. Some try to view or invent some sort of 'legacy' fable regarding that poisoned era. Perhaps there's a future for Chris Alexander out in the shimmering Alberta christo-political tailings ponds currently being invented by his wholesomeness Jason Kenney. We just don't know. Mayhap that great lady Kellie and the golden boy Chris Alexander can spend their waning weany & mealy political years out there pimping for dilbit for Asia.. and seeking the passage to tidewater (BC) das Harper never discovered.. or maybe they can lead search parties questing for Stephen Harper's lost wife or John Baird

thwap said...

sal,

I was surprised to hear that Jason Kenney might win the leadership of the Alberta PC's. I'd have to eat my words about that call.

I don't know if Kenney would have any wing-nut welfare for Alexander, but the guy will go anywhere for a shot at "fame" and "fortune."

I'm sure the anti-democratic folks at the Glib n' Stale will pay harper to write some stupid platitudes once in a while. To remind his employers that he's still alive and would like something to keep him busy.