According to Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, someone has been doing a little redecorating in the House of Commons - specifically in the area behind those curtains behind the government’s MP seats known as the ‘government lobby’ (there’s a corresponding ‘opposition lobby’ on the other side).
This area is usually restricted to MPs, guest speakers, policy advisers and (presumably) lobbyists, and May has been back there a few times over the years under various governments. The walls used to be decorated with an assortment of photos and paintings of landscapes, the Queen and past Prime Ministers.
Today, every one of those pictures has been replaced. I’ll give you one guess.
Every available wall space had a large colour photo of Stephen Harper. Stephen Harper at Alert. Stephen Harper in fire fighter gear. Stephen Harper at his desk. Stephen Harper meeting the Dalai Lama. Even the photo of the Queen showed her in the company of Stephen Harper. None were great photos. None were more than enlarged snapshots in colour. They didn’t feel like art.
The student with me said it was the same in Langevin Block, the Prime ministers Office. Photos of Stephen Harper everywhere.
She describes the sight as leaving her "chilled to the bone".
Me too.
(H/T to Kady O'Malley)
UPDATE: The Ottawa Citizen (bless 'em) has picked up this story. They have reactions from various MPs, but failed to get an official comment: "A press aide to Mr. Harper said he would get back with an explanation, but didn't."
Quel surprise.
I attribute most of this to Harper's fascination with Joseph Stalin- I mean it :)
ReplyDeleteFrankly, I'm not surprised by that. I'm surprised that he hasn't erected large portraits of himself on the grounds of Parliament Hill
ReplyDeleteHow could he do a thing like that. Who in hell does he think he is? Very important is he, and more so than the Queen?
ReplyDeleteNarcissistic Personality Disorder
ReplyDelete"A pattern of traits and behaviours which signify infatuation and obsession with one's self to the exclusion of all others and the egotistic and ruthless pursuit of one's gratification, dominance and ambition."
http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/12-20-2001-8293.asp
Someone needs to post before and after photos of this. I'm fairly confident finding before photos shouldn't be too hard considering I remember seeing the paintings of previous prime ministers when I was there a decade ago, and some of the people who were with me had cameras.
ReplyDeleteAnd after pictures should be reasonably easy to get as well. Showing that to Canadians would chill them to the bone. Hell, it's a news story that would be front page for weeks.
By your own admission they are pictures of the Prime Minister with other dignitaries he's met.
ReplyDeleteNothing wrong with that.
What really chills me to the bone is the thought of Dion ever becoming Prime Minister after he suggested we raid Pakistan to root out the Taliban.
There would be nothing wrong with the pictures IF they were pictures of Prime Ministers WITH dignitaries with Harper - and not just Harper himself.
ReplyDeleteYour comment about Dion wanting to invade Pakistan is just silly.
Have you read the original French version of what he said? Or do you prefer to just say it the way you want to in Englsih?