His Master's Voice

Now here’s a question…

Back in March 2003, did Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper plagiarize a speech made by Australian PM John Howard two days previously?

Both speeches were made at a crucial time, when each of the former British domininions was justifying participation in the invasion of Iraq

‘Harper as Plagiarizer’ is the thesis of this rather clever video put together by the Liberal Party of Canada:

But there’s at least one other plausible hypothesis.

Perhaps BOTH Prime Ministers were reading texts drafted by the SAME third party?

Some comments below the YouTube copy of Stephen Harper copies Australian Prime Minister John Howard make this suggestion. One speculates Howard and Harper read scripts prepared in the White House.

It’s conceivable. But more likely, I think, that all the colluding  ‘Anglo-Saxon’ national leaders – from London to Ottawa, Washington to Canberra – were following the same direction.

If cantral casting wasn’t actually located in Tel Aviv, it might as well have been.