Tim Murray by

Is Bernier heading in the right direction?

I

"Let my people go!" — Moses (Exodus 5:1)

"Don't tread on me!" — Virginia militiamen, American War of Independence

"Liberty, Equality, Fraternity!" — Maxime Robespierre

"Quit India!" — Ghandi

"Patria o Muerte!" (Homeland or Death!) — Fidel Castro (1959)

"Maître Chez Nous!" (Masters in Our Own House!) — Jean Lesage, Quebec's Quiet Revolution

"Wir sind das Volk!" (We Are The People!) — East German demonstrators (1989)

"End Supply Management!" — Maxime Bernier

n war and politics — that is war by other means — it is common knowledge that the outcome of a pivotal battle can hinge on a battle cry that galvanizes emotions. Men gripped by panic or paralysis can suddenly be made to cast it aside, rise up and charge the enemy. A battle cry is like a trumpet call, music which has the capacity to tap into the brain's secretion of dopamine and natural opioids that help block our perception of fatigue, fear or pain. Slogans and battle cries can increase confidence and filter out distractions. They concentrate the mind. They enable combatants to sweep away confusion and doubt, and focus on the objective, which is victory. Victory, after all, is the only metric of success in political, commercial or military competition. Victory, not truth. Slogans are gross simplifications. So what? They turn our cranks.It is manifestly true that many if not most elections are won and lost by slogans. The candidate or party that can succinctly summarize majority opinion in a short memorable phrase and repeat it incessantly has a very good chance of success. Especially if the "battle cry" can engage and motivate supporters and instil confidence.So in that regard, I thought it useful to put Maxime Bernier's inspirational call to action in the context of some other famous rallying cries. In chronological order:and now, in 2018Now I ask you, as a patriotic Canadian, are these stirring words not the words to make one lay down his life for the cause? Are these not the kind of words that prompted our troops to leap out of their trenches and charge German machine guns at Vimy? I don't know about you, but when I heard those words I was ready to storm the gates of HELL just to clear a path for Maxime Bernier. For years and years I have looked for a leader who could cut through all the crap and identify the one major problem which afflicts this country. A problem that dwarfs all other things. Including too much diversity.But as if that wasn't enough, Mad Max said another thing that made me want to get off my seat, holler for joy and rush off to the bank to buy a money gram for his campaign. Bernier said — are you ready for this — that if he formed the government, he would reduce Canada's annual stratospheric immigration intake by 20%! Did you hear that? Twenty percent. Wow. Just imagine the enormous impact that would have on the housing crisis, homelessness, unemployment, urban sprawl, farmland loss, water shortages, the cost of living... I can't even begin to comprehend it. And instead of having the highest per capita immigration intake in the world, tied with Australia, we would slip all the way down to number two. From the ridiculous and outrageous to the (slightly) less ridiculous and outrageous.No one is more pleased than I about this turn of events. Too long I've been the cynic. Too long have I given up on politics — and politicians. Well, the nightmare is over now, and I can finally live with hope again. End Supply Management! To the barricades!Seriously Max, 250,000? Are you kidding me? I know, it's a start, but...Are you really that afraid of what the CBC is going to call you? Do feel that you must pass their test of what is or is not acceptable in Canadian politics? Come on Max, you know better than that. Who are you going to believe, Andrew Coyne — or Angus Reid, which found that most Canadians have had a belly full of the government's immigration and refugee policy? Take a chance and lend your voice to them and their concerns. Do that, and I promise you, you won't need the CBC or the centrist "swing" voters that pundits and panellists regard as necessary to "win over". One in three registered voters traditionally stay home on election night. They are yours for the taking, Max. All you need to do is represent them.