Video of Rupert and James Murdoch at the select committee

Guardian has done a great job in posting the video and transcript plus insightful commentary, “Rupert and James Murdoch at the select committee – interactive presentation – Video and text of Rupert and James Murdoch’s appearance before the culture select committee, with commentary from Lisa O’Carroll“

Webcast of Rebekah Brooks, Rupert Murdoch, James Murdoch testifying in front of UK Parliament Committee on Tue 19 July 0730MST/0930EST

FYI. Assuming Canada hasn’t been geo-blocked for viewing by UK Parliament (which I think shouldn’t and I hope wouldn’t). [HT Jeff]

UK Parliament HOC CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT COMMITTEE Tuesday 19 July - Meeting starts on Tuesday 19 July at 2.30pm [7:30am MST , 9:30am EST]

“Phone-hacking Witnesses:

Rebekah Brooks, Chief Executive Officer, News International Ltd, Rupert Murdoch, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, News Corporation, and James Murdoch, Deputy Chief Operating Officer and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, International News Corporation”

Parliamentary Supremacy – Thank you Mr. Speaker

From Maclean’s (emphasis added),

“[Speaker of the House Mr. Peter Milliken's] tenure will be remembered as historic on a number of fronts, but his ruling last year on Afghan detainee documents and his rulings this year on statements made by International Cooperation Minister Bev Oda and the government’s refusal to turn over documents requested by the House will likely be of significant and lasting consequence. Amid much gnashing of teeth over the state of our parliamentary democracy, Mr. Milliken reasserted the power and preeminence of the House of Commons. As a legacy, a Speaker could not ask for much greater.“

Steps to defend Canadian Parliamentary Democracy

When our Parliamentary is being attacked by prime minister stephen harper, it is our duty as Canadians to defend our Parliamentary Democracy.

Steps:

1) Pay attention to news.

2) Get involved.

3) And go to vote at election time.

4) Have a read of Justin Trudeau’s “Find Some Principles“.

5) And for today, read and follow Kady’s liveblog of this roundtable in Ottawa with special guest professors Daniel Weinstock (read this open letter now signed by 200+ professors) and Peter Russell, as well as Canadians Against Prororuging Parliament Facebook group founder Christopher White (see Chris’ draft version of his prepared text here).

Here is an excerpt from Kady’s liveblog, please read her coverage in full and not simply the excerpt here.

*** 10:32 ***

“Over to Christopher White, who starts out by noting that it’s a little odd to be sitting up there alongside constitutional experts with more than a century of public service; a guy who started a Facebook group. Which prompts gentle laughter from the audience, of course; White does, however, express some contentment that his efforts have highlighted the role of new media. He then goes through some of the big issues that keep being raised on the discussion group — voter turnout, in particular — as well as the need for electoral reform. There’s a disconnect, he notes — and to bridge the gap, we need a citizen assembly – like those that took place in BC and Ontario – rather than simply leaving it to people organizing in libraries. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. He also confesses that, despite obediently watching Heritage minutes and perusing online resources, he’s still a little bit fuzzy on exactly how this place works. He suggests some sort of independently-managed, scrupulopusly nonpartisan website that would explain the basics of parliamentary democracy to everyone, rather than forcing people to sift through the “byzantine” (good word, and appropriate too) government website. Oh, come over here and let me tell you about the outrageous continuing absence of online Hansard back to Confederation.”

*** 10:37 ***

“White is going through his list of suggestions — from supporting smaller parties and independent candidates to reducing the number of cabinet ministers to being *just* supportive of someone like him speaking out against Michael Ignatieff, if (when) he merits it. He also has some words for us — we-the-media, that is — and implores us to be clear when we find ourselves obstructed by PMO and the government. (See? Apparently *someone* does want to hear us kvetch!) He ends with a cheery declaration of his love for Canada, and gets an equally cheery round of applause in response. Jennings assures him that just because he’s here doesn’t mean he can’t criticize the Liberals — including past, present and future leaders — and insists that they actually *welcome* dissent. Just ask the media who cover their endless caucus disputes.”

Ask Jim Prentice about Prorogation in Calgary (Feb 1st, 2010)

What happened when minister jim prentice was asked about prorogation?

All see my report, “Environment Minister Jim “Clean Energy Superpower” Prentice harmonizing & aligning with United States policies (with videos)“

Explaining the danger of an unjust and partisan prorogation to Chinese-Canadians

As a steering committee member of the Calgarians Against Proroguing Parliament Facebook group and organizer of the Calgary anit-prorogation rally, and a Canadian with the ability to communicate in Chinese, I felt it was my responsibility to explain to my fellow Chinese-Canadians the danger of an unjust and partisan prorogation (shutdown) of Parliament.

Now, allow me to first sink to mr stephen harper‘s calculating and manipulating level for a moment. stephen harper is a good strategist that has been courting the Chinese votes for years. So it is extremely important to let Chinese-Canadians understand the danger and seriousness of a prime minister that is willing to shutdown Parliament to avoid being held accountable by the Parliament.

The prime minister is accountable to the Parliament, NOT the other way around. harper may be the prime minister, but WE are his BOSS!

The sad irony is that many Chinese left mainland China and Hong Kong where they had no way to hold their governments accountable. In a sad and twisted irony, even the Hong Kong government DID NOT dare to shutdown the Legislative Council to avoid being held accountable by the legislators. In the last few days, some HK legislators have been challenging the rotten core foundation of the Hong Kong political system. And YET the HK Legislative Council is open for business!

It breaks the hearts of many Canadians with Hong Kong and Chinese connections to see our beloved Canada, thanks to stephen harper, is now even LESS democratic than Hong Kong.

The following is a video of the OMNI news report of Jan 23rd, 2010, rally in Calgary (more blog entries about the Calgary and other protests here, here, here, here, and here).

And a video of the Calgary rally,

Calgarians Against Proroguing Parliament Rally (Jan 23rd, 2010) video

Calgarians Against Proroguing Parliament Rally (Jan 23rd, 2010) protesting stephen harper trampling our Democratic Institution & unjustly shutting down Parliament for partisan reason to avoid accountability to Parliament.

I will write a longer blog entry later.

The 26 Steps: People Power Rises in Hong Kong (and lessons for Canadians re prorogation of Parliament)

I’ve read and am reflecting on my friend Daisann’s insightful report, “The 26 Steps: People Power Rises in Hong Kong“. Although the issues are widely different, I think there are lessons and strategies applicable to Canadians’ anit-prorogation rally across Canada and in Calgary.

Here is a brief excerpt from “The 26 Steps“,

“These students marched around and around the Legislative Council building for hours. It was the most moving part of this multi-dimensional demonstration. Slowly and deliberately, like monks in Vipassana meditation, they made their way forward to the beat of a loud drum. Every 26 steps they halted in unison, and fell prostrate to the ground in silence.

Why 26 steps? Because the 67 billion dollar railway link to China’s high-speed railway network that the Hong Kong government wants to, um, railroad through the legislature would extend exactly 26 kilometers. That’s 2.57 billion taxpayer dollars per kilometer. At a time when the wealth gap between rich and poor in Hong Kong is one of the greatest in the world, the government wants to build a project that would cost the equivalent of taking 10,000 from the pockets of each Hong Kong citizen.”

[...] And they know this: when democracy fails [...] you have to take matters into your own hands.

P.S. It is ironical that even the farcically elected chief executive of Hong Kong dare NOT to shutdown the legislature (nor such power exist for him to do so).

It is funny in Canada, our Prime Minister is such a chess master that he felt he could simply outmaneuver Canadians (twice), shutdown democracy, and we won’t care nor do anything to challenge him. For the sake of Canada, I hope Prime Minister Harper is wrong.

Calgarians/Canadians Against Proroguing Parliament (Economist: Harper goes prorogue & Canada without Parliament – Halted in mid-debate)

Here is a photo my hand-delivered letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s office. I’ve included the text here for the record.

Jan 7, 2010

Dear Prime Minister Stephen Harper,

I am deeply saddened as a Canadian, as a Calgarian, and as someone living in your riding for years to see you’ve chosen to suspend democracy and Parliament (prorogue Parliament).

As a trained economist and as Prime Minister of Canada, I trust you are a reader of the internationally respected and independent “The Economist“. Let me quote from its Jan 7th article “Canada without Parliament – Halted in mid-debate” (emphasis added),

“THE timing said everything. Stephen Harper, the prime minister, chose December 30th, the day five Canadians were killed in Afghanistan and when the public and the media were further distracted by the announcement of the country’s all-important Olympic ice-hockey team, to let his spokesman reveal that Parliament would remain closed until March 3rd, instead of returning as usual, after its Christmas break, in the last week of January.”

I have highlighted various parts of The Economist article and attached to this letter with added notes for your reading pleasure.

As a Calgarian and Canadian, I see it as my duty and responsibility to rally on 23rd January, 2010 alongside my fellow Canadians from sea to sea to protest your action to prorogue the Parliament.

Allow me to quote “The  Economist” once more,

“The danger in allowing the prime minister to end discussion any time he chooses is that it makes Parliament accountable to him rather than the other way around. […]

Whether Mr Harper gets away with his innovative use of prime ministerial powers depends largely on whether the protest spreads and can be sustained until Parliament reconvenes in March. Mr Harper is doubtless counting on the Winter Olympics to reinforce Canadians’ familiar political complacency. But he has given the opposition, which is divided and fumbling, an opportunity. It is now up to it to show that Canada cannot afford a part-time Parliament that sits only at the prime minister’s pleasure.“

For the sake of democracy and our shared love of Canada, I hope Canadians will rise up to protest and to rally until you realize you were wrong.

Mr. Prime Minister, you’ve exercised your power, at all cost, to shutdown the Parliament. It leaves me no choice but to protest and rally along my fellow Canadians on 23rd January, 2010 and take necessary and sustaining peaceful actions until our democracy is restored.

Yours truly,

Kempton Lam

Calgary, SW

P.S. I hope you will forgive me in not able to spend more time in writing a more forceful and better-crafted letter as I do have others things to attend to.

[rewrite -- P.S. I hope you will forgive me in not able to spend more time in writing a more forceful and better-crafted letter as I do have to work, unlike you and your privileged colleagues can prorogue your work.]

P.P.S. I’ve also enclosed a highlighted copy of The Economist’s “Harper goes prorogue – Parliamentary scrutiny may be tedious, but democracies cannot afford to dispense with it” for your reading pleasure.

***

Jan 24th Update (not part of my letter):

I enclosed the “Harper goes prorogue” article and highlighted it. Including this section,

“CANADIAN ministers, it seems, are a bunch of Gerald Fords. Like the American president, who could not walk and chew gum at the same time, they cannot, apparently, cope with Parliament’s deliberations while dealing with the country’s economic troubles and the challenge of hosting the Winter Olympic games. This was the argument put forward by the spokesman for Stephen Harper, the Conservative prime minister, after his boss on December 30th abruptly suspended, or “prorogued”, Canada’s Parliament until March 3rd.”

Jan 9th Update (not part of my letter):

Concerned Canadians: Please join the anti-prorogation Facebook group.

Calgary rally: Please also join Calgarians Against Proroguing Parliament where Calgarians are organizing a rally on Jan 23rd, 2010 together with Canadians from across the country.

Links to rallies in other Canadian cities: See this Facebook event