Terahertz

Garth Turner’s Sheeple

As a physicist, it's always nice to sum things up with a formula. Garth Turner's recent book, Sheeple, can be quickly summed up as follows:

He ran and won as a Conservative who naively believed Stephen Harper's 2006 team was vastly different from its Reform Party roots and had dropped all the SoCon baggage. He promised middle-class tax cuts and an open an honest government, which would be connected to his constituents through his blog.

He quickly discovered that dissent isn't tolerated in the HarperCons and was ousted from his caucus within a year of joining it.

He paints a noble picture of his actions, standing against the hypocrisy of his party.

And for the most part I admire him for it.

While I likely disagree with some of his stances, overall we need more Garth Turner's in this landscape.

Unfortunately, he misses part of his tale, and leaves his flank open to being by being himself a hypocrite.

Throughout the book he stands by his attack of the Conservatives for appointing David Emerson (elected a Liberal) to Cabinet shortly after the election, and for further appointing the unelected senator Martin Fortier as well.

He was passionately against floor crossers and demanded that they face the electorate before trading brands.

He continues to vigorously slam opportunistic MPs who seek cabinet positions and power over representing their constituents.

But then, as a complete contradiction, he recounts briefly his time in the Dion shadow cabinet, without so much as a peep to his reasoning for that switch.

If one were looking to attack Mr. Turner, they might ask why he abandoned his principles and may even accuse him of political opportunism in seeking a seat in Dion's shadow cabinet.

But nevertheless, Turner exposes the dark side of Harper's "New Government" and its ties to the Religious Right and the extreme control being wielded by the PMO and countless unelected beaurocrats.

For anyone who thinks voting Conservative means sending an independent voice to Ottawa, this book is for you.