How is Brian Mulroney viewed today?

[AX10]

How negative is his reputation? Not just among the 'left', but the Nation in general.

[firefox]

1. It must not be a good opinion

There is only one comment up now on this article about Mulrooney, but it is a very strong blast- http://www.medpot.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=25788

[Maple]

2. Every PM is hated while in office

and reviled for a good while afterwards.

Then time and distance makes people see them more objectively.

Lots of things Chretien did made people want Mulroney back.

Lots of things Martin does make people want Chretien back.

Twas ever thus.

[Bassic]

3. You took the words right out of my mouth.

Good lord Maple, that's twice in one day we're agreeing.

[Pab Sungenis]

4. But the question is....

...does anyone, EVER, want Kim Campbell back?

[Maple]

5. LOL sure

during Chretien's era, I heard many people say they should have gone with Campbell.

I've heard former PMs praised in glowing terms, yet villified and hated when in power.

And I've seen PMs from Louis St Laurent on down to today.

A few years down the road and they're ALL saints.

[Spazito]

6. Mulroney is despised by all but a few...

His claim to fame for most is his duet with Reagan singing "When Irish Eyes are Smiling" while both were working at destroying their countries.

[Pierre Trudeau]

7. we still don't like him much...

One should not underestimate the degree to which it's a question of personality. Most Canadians still can't shake their impression of Mulroney as a smug, sleazy, American-ass-kissing prick. Newman's book will do little to alleviate that.

But we must also admit that as PM, he did accomplish quite a lot (the jury's still out on whether those accomplishments were ultimately good for the country or not): the free trade agreement, the GST, the acid rain accord, etc. Also, say what you will about Mulroney, but we certainly can't deny his decisive leadership (the lack of same is the main complaint against Paul Martin). Mulroney did exhibit strong leadership and made a lot of bold decisions... it's just that most of us don't happen to agree with those decisions.

Here's a link to an interesting study (PDF file) where political scientists and historians were asked to rate the Best Prime Minister of the last 50 years:

http://www.irpp.org/po/archive/jun03/macdonald2.pdf

The clear winner, unsurprisingly, is Pearson. But lo and behold, look who's in second place: Brian Mulroney. He is credited as a "transformational" leader. Which is hard to deny: he did change a lot about Canada, like it or not. (Incidentally, Trudeau and St. Laurent are tied for third place. Chretien & Dief are further down the list).

[AX10]

8. But we can agree that Trudeau was good PM too.

The fact is that Mulroney bowed out of the 93' election because people caught onto his shell game. So like the wimp he really is, he let a woman take the fall for him.

[Maple]

9. People also hated Trudeau

He was after all the only known PM to literally give the finger to voters.

[AX10]

10. Do you agree that Steve Harper is a racist SOB?

A right wing extremist and a threat to everything good?

[Maple]

11. Harper is a gift

on a silver platter to the Liberal party.

A useless fool...just like Stockboy was before him.

A separatist, a Bushbot, and a Bible thumper

But at least now he knows how to flip burgers. :D

[AX10]

12. Good to hear. I like Martin.

Not perfect, but I don't want to see any other nations go to the right.

[ironflange]

13. Here's what I think of Mr Mulroney

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=190x6187

[Hand]

14. Good audio joke on the CBC...

Back when Lyin' Brian was still PM, the announcer said, "And now, in honour of his birthday, we present all of Mr. Mulroney's supporters singing 'Happy Birthday'!"

(Thirty seconds of dead air)

:rofl:

[glarius]

15. His main compunction WAS and IS... to toady up to the U.S.A.....He's on

some of the big American corporation boards....I never felt he had Canada's interest as his paramount concern when he was P.M....CAN'T STAND HIM!!!....By the way, he is directly responsible for the demise of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada....an honourable party dating back to the beginnings of our country, until "lyin' Brian" took over....The present incarnation, the Conservative Party of Canada, is a joke, taken over by the far right nuts of Canada...

[dutchdemocrat]

16. Hmm...

Myron Baloney is reviled.


Mulroney has pocketed millions in stock option gains over the past decade.

SNIP

In 1992, following his resignation from the prime minister post, he rejoined the Montreal law firm of Ogilvy Renault as senior partner. He serves as a director of Barrick Gold Corporation, Archer Daniels Midland Company, Cendant Corporation, Trizec Properties Inc., AOL Latin America, Inc., Quebecor Inc., Quebecor World Inc., and Cognicase Inc. He is senior counsellor to Hicks, Muse, Tate and Furst, a global private equity fund. He also serves as Chairman of Forbes Global; Chairman of the International Advisory Board of Barrick Gold , and Chairman of the Latin America and European Strategy Boards of Hicks Muse Tate & Furst.

Mulroney is a member of the International Advisory Councils of Power Corporation of Canada; Bombardier Inc. Aerospace Group - North America; Telesystems Ltd.; China International Trust and Investment Corporation; J. P. Morgan Chase & Co.; Violy, Byorum & Partners, LLC; VS&A Communications Partners III; Independent News and Media, PLC, Dublin, and General Enterprise Management Services Limited, British Virgin Islands. He is also a trustee of the Montreal Heart Institute; Freedom Forum, Arlington, Va.; International Advisory Council of Les Hautes Études Commerciales (HEC) of l'Université de Montréal, and the First Amendment Centre at Vanderbilt University in Nashville.

SNIP

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Mulroney

[glarius]

17. I still gag at the remembrance of Reagan & him singing "When Irish Eyes

are Smiling" in Quebec city in the early nineties....:puke: