Trudeau's Decision

[dewline]

I am not happy. He was pressured, cornered, whatever verb that invokes the concept of coercion.

No, he has not been perfect. There are choices he made that I am unhappy with to this day.

There's still good and kind works in need of doing, though, and now those works are going to be more difficult to get done. The good works already done over these past five years, of course, are now at greater risk of being undone.

The current leadership of my own party helped make this mess inescapable. I'm not happy with that either...

Comments

[sabotabby]

I'm in a fuck 'em all mood.

[dewline]

I don't doubt that. At all.

A lot of informed citizens feeling that way right now, looks like...

[thewayne]

No leader is perfect. There's lots of things that Obama and Biden did that I'm not happy about. But compared to the things that Bush or 45 did, 'tis but a drop in the bucket.

Aside from being pressured, I tend to agree that he just didn't want to put up with any of 47's shit.

[spiralsheep]

I mean, the powers soon to be in the US are already trying to frame the British Prime Minister as a child-rape enabler (amongst other people, including several tireless campaigners who have consistently been on the good side - unlike TPSTBitUS).

Trudeau has a family.

[dewline]

Which means he can be framed for anything horrible that's arranged for their future. Among other options. Doesn't it?

[spiralsheep]

He can be propagandised against in mass-distribution media, for free, by Musk, as has always been true to a lesser extent by Murdoch so we already know where this is going... but not how far.

Canada is a tougher place to protect politicians physically than our small island, and they can't be protected from emotional and psychological and reputational damage &c.

Smearing someone into untouchability and trauma is, as you point out, merely a very effective first step.

(Sorry, I know this is awful to consider but forewarned is... forewarned.)

[spiralsheep]

And, of course, Trump and Musk have previously made it clear that they believe their own families are expendable. Musk has even said it's why he made sure to have so many kids.

[flamingsword]

That doesn’t surprise me but it’s still fucking horrifying.

[spiralsheep]

Bearing in mind Musk's repeatedly stated goal is personal immortality (via multiple routes, flesh and tech), if I was biologically compatible with him then I'd be keeping the transplantable bits of my body as far away from Musk's reach as possible.

/grim (sorry)

[dewline]

Damn right.

[thewayne]

Yeah, I read about that today.  Leon Muskbrat is an amazing example of a frat boy who really needs his mouth sewn shut and his toys taken away from him.

[ghostpuppet]

My PSW and I were chatting about Trudeau and Trump. It's a right awful mess. :(

[dianora]

I've been watching the propaganda machine destroy this man for a while now and wondered how on earth the Liberals have not been countering it. They let the far right frame the discussion. Jacques Ellul is right. Elections are no longer won by the competent but by the political party who can afford the most propaganda. Those that own the media control the propaganda.

[dianora]

I have already commented but an article (Opinion piece) showed up yesterday that is apropos.

https://www.nationalobserver.com/2025/01/13/opinion/trudeau-resignation-right-wing-propaganda-coup

I could see the propaganda attacks happening but unfortunately the Liberals never countered the framing. This brings up the spectre of what Jacques Ellul argued:
"What happens when a political party stops acting more or less haphazardly, starts to make systematic propaganda, and instead of trying to win votes at election time begins to mobilize public opinion in a more permanent fashion?' - Jacques Ellul *Propaganda*

[dewline]

The systematic, permanent disinfo/propaganda campaign by the Conservatives and their media proxies is definitely a part of what caused this mess. It started with Harper and it's never really stopped.