Baker off the deep end...again

There have been times I've liked George Baker. There have been times I've gotten a good laugh out of George Baker. There have been times I've respected him and times I thought he might have pushed a point too far. And towards the end of his useful political career, when he finally got appointed to a brief stay in cabinet, where I wondered if his spine vanished like a cheap magic trick.

More often than not since he was appointed to the Senate, I've wondered if they've limited the amount of oxygen that gets pumped into the chambers, which would certainly help explain this story. Where he explains just how tragically misused Atlantic Canadians, and Newfoundland and Labrador in particular, have been and that this continued abuse by Ottawa was going to lead to the creation of a separatist party.

"We can't remain in the Confederation in which we're discriminated against and not respected for the great contributions that we make."

Followed by...

"This should be reason enough to . . . have a Bloc Newfoundland and Labrador running in the next federal election if this keeps up. And a real campaign to get them all elected."

You absolute moron. You complete, delusional, blind, dimwitted fool.

Every election - every goddamn election - some group of halfwits gather at a kitchen table and start spouting off after a couple of dozen Black Horse about how Newfoundland and Labrador would be better off if it left Canada. So they go form a separatist party or an independence party or a nationalist party and manage to get two or three victims to run.

And they're lucky if their families vote for them.

Newfoundlanders do not want independence. What crazed maniac would take a look at the economic and political reality of the current world and decrees "Now is the moment we strike for Newfoundland Independence!"

I swear to God, stuff like this is the reason Mainland Canada makes fun of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians at times. And they're right to do so. We make it too easy sometimes.

The young people of the province, who I'm sure Baker is about as in touch with as he is with reality at this point, do not want independence. I don't know what the hell they want, but I'll bet good money it's not freedom from Canada. That's because they're Canadians. Sure they're Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. But they're also, more importantly in many cases, Canadians.

They like being Canadian. They like the options and opportunities that's involved with being Canadian. It's a bigger world out there and I don't know if Baker is deliberately or delusional oblivious to it, but it is. The notion of Newfoundland independence or a (shudder) Block NL dies a tiny bit every second the province remains in Canada. And thank God for it.

Baker proves once again the theory I've always had about Newfoundland nationalism; the best proof against it is to just look at the politicians we keep electing over the years. Most of them are rogues, fools or both.

You know what, I want Baker recalled. He's managed to achieve something I didn't think was possible, but he is likely too stunned to sit in the Canadian Senate.

Last Five
1. Blue House - Blue Rodeo
2. Julia - The Beatles
3. Red confederatres' red confessions - Hey Rosetta!
4. Long time comin' (live) - Bruce Springsteen
5. My my, hey hey (live) - Neil Young*