Note to opposition: Baird was no saint

By Montreal Simon

I honestly thought that I would never have to write another word about the Con clown John Baird. And it was such a great feeling.

I thought I had said all I needed to say about his shabby political career in this post.

But unfortunately I’m going to have to write another post to register my protest at the way the opposition parties fell over themselves praising him yesterday.

Or all but canonizing him. Making it sound like he was a saint flawed only by his partisan passion, instead of a political thug

After 20 years in politics, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird told the House of Commons that it’s time for him to step down.

Baird stood in the House on Tuesday morning and started his speech by recalling his early years in the Ontario legislature under then Premier Mike Harris.

One who would have the nerve to wax nostalgically about his years in the brutish Harris regime in this outrageous manner:

I was perhaps just a little naive. Driven by ideology, defined by partisanship, at the age of 25,’ Baird began.

‘I quickly learned though to make a difference, to really make a difference, you can’t be defined by partisanship, nor by ideology. You need instead to be defined by your values,’ he said.

When he spent his years in the Harris government going after the poorest people in Ontario like a rabid animal. Even demanding that welfare recipients be drug tested.

He has always been a partisan pitbull whose yapping performances helped turn our parliament into a dog and pony show. Or a fascist circus.

He wouldn’t recognize a Canadian value if it jumped up and bit him.

And the only thing that ever defined him was his fanatical loyalty to the filthy Con cult and its depraved leader Stephen Harper.

Who was all over his faithful flunky today, in a most frightful manner . . .

But what made it even worse, was that so were so many members of the opposition.

Baird was a popular MP, respected and liked by his opposition critics. They would frequently lock horns in the House or at committee but, away from the cameras, his opponents found a receptive ear.

New Democrat foreign affairs critic Paul Dewar, whose Ottawa Centre riding sits next to Baird’s, and international development critic Hélène Laverdière, a former diplomat, were among the first to line up in the House on Tuesday to hug the departing minister.

Hugging him like a teddy bear, and spouting nonsense like this:

Dewar applauded Baird for his work fighting discrimination against gays and lesbians around the world, and for his commitment to fighting sexual violence.

Because let’s be clear, John Baird never lifted a finger to help oppressed LGBT people until the very last moments of his time in office. And when he did it was a pinky finger.

Neither did he ever speak out for gay rights in this country, or do anything to help bullied LGBT children. While serving in a party full of homophobes, and servicing a Prime Minister who has voted against every gay rights bill that has ever been brought before Parliament.

And while we’re at it, I also don’t know who Paul Dewar was speaking about when he said this:

Baird found his best footing as minister of foreign affairs, Dewar said, praising him for co-operating with opposition MPs. ‘As passionate as he can get, as partisan as he can get, and he can, he is also someone who reaches out. He is also someone who understands the importance of getting things done,’ Dewar said.

But it couldn’t have been this minister of foreign affairs . . .

The grovelling stooge of Benjamin Netanyahu’s brutal racist regime.

Who among other shameful things, justified that war criminal’s savage slaughter of Palestinian children…

And did not allow any of the wounded children to be brought to Canada to be treated in our hospitals. Which makes him in my book of Canadian values at least, not much better than a war criminal himself.

And definitely not somebody to be hugged like a teddy bear.

But that’s Ottawa, the incestuous Village on the Rideau. The chummy little place where politicians and the media go around impressing themselves, and sniffing their own farts. And one more reason we need a mighty Stop Harper movement to keep them all honest.

And in that regard, at least now we know why Baird is leaving so suddenly.

Not just because he can see the writing on the wall grave of the Con regime. But because he does want his juicy pension.

By not running in 2015, Baird also qualifies for his pension, under an old rule, at age 55. Parliament increased the qualifying age to 65 years old but that policy only covers those who are elected or re-elected in 2015.

One he will NOT unlike the poor people he once tormented, need to be drug tested to receive.

And that I fervently hope, is the last thing I’ll ever have to say about John Baird.

Except of course Bye Bye Johnny.

And good riddance . . .