As they say on the MasterCard commercial ....'Priceless'
While the mainstream media dutifully reported on the story that he was throwing his hat in the ring, nary a one dared address the elephant in the room, the fact that Beaulieu is an idiot and a racist and an embarrassment to the legitimate sovereignty movement.
Now readers, most sovereigntists that I know are not stupid and dull, and those who are, are likely in the same proportion as federalists who are stupid.
Just because they believe in Quebec independence, doesn't mean they are racists, English haters or xenophobes, all of which describes Mario Beaulieu to a tee.
The kinds of divisive anti-English/ethnic sentiments preached by the Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste were roundly rejected in the last election and you'd think that putting a radical Franco-supremacist at the head of the Bloc Quebecois would be the last thing that a party searching for a reason to survive would do.
And so gentle readers, it is the last thing the Bloc Quebecois will do, Mario Beaulieu will not become the next leader of the Bloc Quebecois and if he does on the off-chance, he will be the last leader of the Bloc Quebecois.
Mr. Beaulieu is quite simply a fantasist, leading a diminishing corps of grey-haired like-minded fanatics, who wish to rewind the clock, to a whiter, more Catholic, French Quebec.
Those days have passed and like it or not, modern Quebec has to face the reality of a multi ethnic, multi-language society, or for a least half the province where such is the case.
For Beaulieu and his followers, the attempt to force Montreal and environs to adopt the language and culture of Herouxville is well-nigh impossible,
For too long, Beaulieu has lived in a make-believe world where he and his coterie of zealots believed that they are somehow relevant, they are not.
While the press amuses itself with coverage of his chicken-little predictions of doom and gloom, nobody really takes him seriously, because quite frankly, he is a caricature.
I remember watching him interviewed by Mario Dumont on television where Dumont could hardly hide his utter disdain and contempt. The same for an interview with Benoit Dutrizac on the radio, both men sovereigntists, but far from unintelligent and definitely smart enough to recognize a buffoon when they see one.
He is interviewed repeatedly to fill the airways, a story much like the dog who bites the man, a curiosity that has viewers interested, not to support him, but rather to marvel at his unbridled zeal and commitment.
How much support does Beaulieu and his movement have?
Not much.
With all the publicity he gets on the news channels he can hardly raise a crowd for a demonstration. His famous protest at the Bell Centre over an English speaking coach garnered no more than 150 followers, this after weeks of free publicity on television.
His other protests usually top off at 200-300 people, a sad commentary of the state of his real support.
I remember reading about one tedious protest where he led about 200 followers on a march over some dreary done-me-wrong issue in Montreal.
200 hundred protesters in all of Montreal!
The next day I read about a small town in the Laurentians which was losing its ATM machine to the outrage of locals, sparking a protest of 250 people, in a town of 1000.
Mario Beaulieu is a curiosity, an amusing jester which the French press is shy to call out because he is such good fun.
His latest effort is to mount public outrage over perceived Quebec-bashing by Anglo-Canadians and turncoat Francophones.
The campaign is given tons and tons of press but enjoys almost zero support in the public.
A well-publicized on-line petition protesting this 'Quebec-bashing' has garnered a mere 5,000 signatures over the last couple of months, compared to a petition demanding that Kijiji stop advertising pets for sale in Quebec, topped 50,000 signatures in a few short days.
As for what Mario Beaulieu is saying, not many are willing to call him out, as I said, he is just too much fun.
But on the dark side, Mario Beaulieu has a long documented track record of hate. His racism is based on language, the technical term, 'linguicism' (not to be confused with a linguist.)
Mario Beaulieu will be the first to tell everyone that he loves Anglos, but as long as they don't speak English in public. He is the first to embrace ethnics, but not if they wear turbans, kippas or hijabs.
But there's no hiding from the past, Beaulieu has demonstrated a visceral hatred of all things not French and there's a wealth of documented evidence, such is the internet age.
He has complained about English churches announcing their services in English.
He has told followers not to shop in 'English' stores like Birks or Jewish stores like 'Reitmans'
He has refused to allow artists to perform in English at the Fete National because the language would polute the French dominance in Quebec.
All the time, reminding us that he is inclusive and open-minded.
He makes up statistics and misinterprets them to suit his fancy.
He makes simple math mistakes and employs the faultiest of logic to get where he wants to go.
He makes linguicist assumptions to jump to racist conclusions, all in an effort to panic Quebecers into supporting his real agenda, sovereignty.
Most of you have seen the two videos below, but for those of you who haven't, watch Mario in action, he is admittedly, quite entertaining, like watching an Rob Ford making a fool of himself.
Beaulieu started off his leadership campaign with this hilarious offering;
"Bloc Québécois MPs should turn over $50,000 of their yearly base salary to support the sovereignty movement, a new Bloc leadership candidate says.I don't know which part is more unlikely, that the BQ will elect 20 members next election or that they'd actually contribute $50,000 of their own money to a lost cause!
If 20 Bloc MPs agreed to such a move, the sovereignty movement would bag $1 million a year to promote the cause and counter much richer and influential federalist lobbies, Mario Beaulieu said.
"I propose taking this money to reinforce independence organizations, to assist in research and developing content, a little like Heritage Canada does and the Canadian Unity Council," Beaulieu said."
Actually, the $50,000 donation is more unlikely, let's just say that separatists are not the most generous of donors to the cause, just look at vigile.net, where the entire fundraising campaign for 2014 has raised a paltry $7,000 from the entire separatist movement.
I remember reading a story that the Laval branch of Beaulieu's SSJB, couldn't even raise $250 for a pamphlet campaign, so good luck with that!
In order to run for leader of the Bloc, Beaulieu has to get 1000 signatures of Bloc québécois members in a least 25 ridings, and raise $15,000 .
Unless Beaulieu is willing to write a cheque from his own pocket, it will never happen.
At any rate readers, you read it here first. Much as I would love to see it happen, the Bloc Quebecois is not that stupid or suicidal to have anything to do with him. Mario Beaulieu shouldn't have quit his day job at the SSJB, there's not much call for an out of work language fanatic.
Most amusing in all this is Beaulieu's unbelievable naivete in believing that other than those few zealots in his organizations, that he has any support in the mainstream.
Believe it or not, I have much too much respect for the sovereigntist movement to believe for a moment that they'd embrace the toxic Mario Beaulieu. It's like the Conservative party putting up Don Cherry to replace Stephen Harper.
Lastly a challenge.....
To Mario Dumont, Benoit Dutrizac, Richard Martineau or anyone in the mainstream media, I challenge you all to allow me to debate Mr. Beaulieu on behalf of those who believe him to be a dangerous fool and racist.
....On any subject, in French and on the date of your choosing, in any forum... my email is above!
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....By the way, readers, for weekend discussion, what did you think of the revelations that defeated PQ members including Pauline Marois the sourpuss Fatima-Houda Pepin destroyed files before turning over their constituency office to their opponents?For me it is is just another delicious helping of shadenfreude, the manifest rage and pain that these losers demonstrated by stripping the office of files, absolutely delightful!
And how about the bombshell that the PQ lied about having obtained legal opinions over the Charter of Values?
Jean Lapierre, Quebec's premier political journalist didn't mince words, saying that the 'PQ lied through it's teeth"
When asked to explain the lie, every Peekist ran for cover, with my favourite quote belonging to Bernard Drainville who told reporters that he couldn't remember! Ha!!!!!
For the rest of the liars, it turned into a circle jerk, with each Pekist referring the matter to the next, in the classic game of 'pass the buck' or perhaps 'musical chairs!'
