The Globe and Mail's Jeffrey Simpson on the Conservative government's reflex to attack its critics when under criticism.

From The Globe and Mail: (published Friday, Nov. 20)

Stephen Harper's Conservatives just cannot help themselves. They carry on for a while sticking to a carefully controlled message, appearing reasonable and sensible. Then, the temptation for ferocious partisanship gets the better of them.

This temptation is deeply ingrained in the Harper party. It shows itself in the Conservatives' propaganda attack machine, in which opposition leaders' physical mannerisms are mocked and patriotism is impugned. It is displayed with how Conservative MPs use their mailing privileges, as in the recent outrageous mail-outs playing politics in the Jewish community against the Liberals.

It is revealed almost daily in the Commons and beyond in the ad hominem partisan attacks on previous Liberal governments. But, most starkly, it appears in the verbal muggings given anyone – even civil servants – who dare get in the way of the government's massive, well-financed and all-pervasive spin machine. ...

This week, however, the partisanship descended even lower with the assault on the integrity and motives of diplomat Richard Colvin.

Significantly, for those who paid careful attention to substance rather than bombast, in all the sound and fury from the government and former military personnel, no one actually contradicted a single thing in Mr. Colvin's testimony. ...

The attack script written this week for Conservative MPs by the Prime Minister's Office and party research office impugn Mr. Colvin for a) wanting to assist the Taliban, b) undermining the morale of the Armed Forces, and c) making recruitment difficult.

These are the classic responses of politicians whose government, and the military it supposedly directed, are engaged now in a massive campaign against someone who reported what he saw, tried to alert his superiors to danger, but found that plausible deniability and professions of ignorance were the preferred elements of the endless spin campaign that characterizes everything this government does.

And, as Mr. Colvin (a career diplomat with top security clearance) is learning, anyone who gets in this government's way or does not reflect the dictates of its spin machine will be targeted, diminished and, if possible, crushed.

The Harper party loved whistleblowers when in opposition. They even ran a high-profile one as a Conservative candidate (Note: And how is Allan Cutler doing these days? - BD). But when the whistle is blown against the Conservatives, no one actually contradicts the whistleblower's sworn evidence, they just attack and spin.

From the Nov. 20 G&M: Tories work to undermine diplomat who blew whistle on torture

A Nov. 19 CP story at CTV.ca: Bureaucrats and critics often face wrath of Tories

On Nov. 9, CTV News's Craig Oliver penned the following about spin:

The world of politics in Ottawa these days has been taken over by "message track."

By that, I mean a technique by which government media minders provide politicians with lines to justify government policy. And these phrases are then memorized and repeated robot-like, ad nauseam, in the belief that if the public hears them often enough they will take them as being the facts of the matter.

My guess is if you run into a cabinet minister any time soon and ask even about the weather, the answer would be: "We provided 6 million doses of vaccine to the provinces this week alone." The question is irrelevant. It is only a springboard to the approved party line by the politicians.