John Weissenberger: Liberals have perfected the practice of announcing things they will never do |
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John Weissenberger: Liberals have perfected the practice of announcing things they will never do
The policy is always just to make an announcement, and then re-announce later on
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Many quaint expressions have passed from common usage in recent years, like “it’s a free country” or “sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me.” Similarly, “talk is cheap” is something you don’t hear much, at least not in government circles around Ottawa. That may be because the governing Liberals, like many politicians, don’t seem to know the difference between saying you’re going to do something and actually doing it.
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In fact, there’s a certain cunning sophistication in the way governments do nothing. It begins with politically milking every announcement, theatrical staging and requisite media. Press coverage, from the government’s perspective, ideally involves a story announcing the coming announcement, then a story describing the announcement itself, followed by “critical analysis” of the announcement in the comment pages, or by talking heads on unwatchable cable shows. The staging itself can be deceiving, as when Prime Minister Carney, channeling Prince Potemkin, announced a housing initiative at a fake building site.
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