nhaler

Prime Minister Stephen Harper says he personally favours the death penalty in some instances.

nhaler:

wtftory:

In case you needed more reasons to dislike the guy. At least he has no plans to reinstate it.

Politically, I believe this actually speaks to allegiances with one’s party-platform and/or pluralist perceptions.

That a leader can separate his views from what he regards as the views of the country should be seen as a virtue; IMO, it’s a pretty cheap jab to say it’s “one more reason to dislike [someone]” because they espouse a view which different from yours.

If every politician’s personal feelings on policy were advertised, how many do you think would’ve been elected?

This isn’t about pluralism, it’s about someone advocating judicial murder. Which is scary.

Yes, you’re right. It’s not about pluralism - it’s just an acknowledgment of it. But while that article is about ‘someone advocating judicial murder’, my response was not.

When leaders can be forthright about their own views without necessarily trying to turn them into policies is a day that politics, in general, improves.

What I’m saying has nothing to do with the death penalty. It has nothing to do with Harper. It has to do with leadership. Instead of simply acting as a mouth of the party, or as a cheap, foggy mirror of the national psyche, a leader who isn’t afraid of having his own views and voicing them - while being conscious of their differences - is, I believe, admirable. Regardless of what that opinion is.

It’s something that can’t seem to get permission to exist in politics.

Every day we’re told allow the opinions of others to pass without scrutiny because everyone is entitled to their opinion. Their opinion is free to exist in their heads to no end, but don’t foist it upon me.

Unless you’re a politician. Then you can do that all you want - but it has to be compatible with as many people as possible, and in line with the party’s ‘philosophy’, and when it isn’t - you’re booted out of office, because the expression of ideas is always to be followed by the enforcement of them.

So apparently even our PM isn’t entitled to his opinion.

On another note, I am kind of lol’ing at how he’s basically become a pariah now that this is out - considering just a few hours south of Ottawa, you’d find half of another nation that’s still down on the idea.

Source: wtftory