I guess I just don’t pay that close attention to the news on a consistant basis….

A Conservative MP by the name of Gurmant Grewel made national headlines with a tape of the ruling party offering to buy his allegiance in a very important House vote on the budget. Grewel, a member of the opposition, was at the front of an army of Conservatives, accusing the government of deceipt and corruption, of being incapable of honesty in governing. This went on for about a week if I recall correctly, and then the tapes of these offers were examined, and proved to be horrible fakes.

Conservative Party leader spins things;

Conservative Leader Stephen Harper said he doesn’t regret backing Grewal:

“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with blowing the whistle and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with somebody trying to bribe you. What’s wrong is if you take the bribe, and he didn’t.”

Harper, who was interviewed immediately following Martin, did say it was regretful that “the incorrect tape was posted on our website.”

Grewal went on stress leave after the tape incident.

So, it’s okay to blow the whistle by faking tapes and faking bribe offers.

CBC agrees the tapes were editted

John Dooher, a forensic audio engineer hired by CBC News, said Thursday there is a “crude” edit and something “amiss” about a section of tapes made by the B.C. member of Parliament.

Are these simple edits, or cut and paste conversations? Yes, I know this all happened at the beginning of the month, but I’ve only been peripherally aware of the story; I knew of the tapes, but not that they were now being questioned officially. I questioned the story’s newsworthiness initially because this isn’t so much a bribe issue as a straight ahead political issue; people are often in politics for simple self-interest, and what’s wrong with recruiting members?

Ah well, it’s a good thing that the Conservative party is so upstanding and knows how to be honest, hmm?