Canadian Politics Thread

[crazy canuck]

So it looks like Iggy has decided he wants some attention and so he is threatening to take us to the polls this Fall.

He has now completely lost any hope of gaining my vote.  Does anyone actually believe there is a reason to go to the polls now other then to give Iggy a shot at becoming PM before the economy improves and Harper's government stands to become more popular.

He already backed down on the EI issue.  What issue could he possibility take us to the polls on that has arisen since then?

Hell at this point the NDP look like a more rationale alternative.

[Jacob]

I'm not too fussed about the timing of an election, election strategy being what it is.

Is timing the election such a big issue that it overrides any other concerns, or where you always inclined against Iggy and this is just the last straw?

[crazy canuck]

I'm not too fussed about the timing of an election, election strategy being what it is.

Is timing the election such a big issue that it overrides any other concerns, or where you always inclined against Iggy and this is just the last straw?

Its not so much the timing as the fact that there is no issue to fight over.  I dont mind politicians being crafty  - in fact I would be disappointed if they were not.  But this isnt crafty.  This is desperation.

I had high hopes for Iggy.  I thought he would be an intellectual powerhouse who would raise the level of political debate and bring fundamental issues of government to the fore.  That is after all why he said he left his ivory tower to enter the bear pit of politics.  But he has been a complete disappointment.  He does not appear to have any innovative ideas.  I suppose this is very much a last straw thing for me.

[Grey Fox]

BQ needs more MPs anyway.

[Josephus]

Let's not blame Iggy. This election, if there will be one, will be Harper's fault as much as Iggy.

Let's not forget: Harper did not have to call an election last fall. He was early. He thought he could win a majority. He wanted an election before the Recession. Talk about desperation.

When he failed and the opposition called him on it, he went crying to mommy and refused to open Parliament. Mommy finally called the opposition and said.."Give him a chance."

So they did.

It's been a year. Iggy is only doing what oppositiion parties of any minority gov't in democracy do.

He's trying to topple the gov't.

That's really what he's paid to do.

As far as not having any innovative ideas. You're talking about Harper as well, right? I'll be bipartisan here. Neither Iggy nor Harper have done anything particularly innovative in the past nine months.

[saskganesh]

barring unforseen events, it really doesn't matter. the next government will be a minority government. Harper has been moving a bit left, Iggy is positioned a bit right, so there will be no substantial change in government policy, no matter who is elected.

mark me as unenthused.

[Neil]

So it looks like Iggy has decided he wants some attention and so he is threatening to take us to the polls this Fall.

They've been talking shit like this for the last month or so.

So long as Harper is still polling so much better than Ignatieff, it's all talk.  If the economy starts to improve, Ignatieff will probably go back to the US before the numbers get within range.

[BuddhaRhubarb]

barring unforseen events, it really doesn't matter. the next government will be a minority government. Harper has been moving a bit left, Iggy is positioned a bit right, so there will be no substantial change in government policy, no matter who is elected.

mark me as unenthused.

:metoo:
I'm on the unenthused wagon

[Monoriu]

This thread prompted me to check something which I have never bothered to do before.

To qualify to vote, you must have been residing outside Canada for less than five consecutive years immediately before making the application.

Reference: Paragraph 222(1)(b), Canada Elections Act

[citizen k]

Mono, according to Wen Jiabao you'll be able to have this kind of thread (discussing national multi-party politics) in twenty years. 

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/09/29/chinese.premier.transcript/#cnnSTCText

[crazy canuck]

barring unforseen events, it really doesn't matter. the next government will be a minority government. Mark me as unenthused.

Which makes this all utterly pointless.

[Josephus]

I'm not yet fully convinced this will happen yet.

even the NDP are keeping their options open and hinting they may yet make a deal with the devil, or Harper or whatever.

[crazy canuck]

He wanted an election before the Recession. Talk about desperation.

Are you reading off your latest NDP mailer?   I suppose it was nice of the NDP to suggest that Harper was the one man in the world who saw all this coming.  We would be crazy not to keep someone with that kind of economic insight in power.

When he failed and the opposition called him on it, he went crying to mommy and refused to open Parliament. Mommy finally called the opposition and said.."Give him a chance."

Now I know you are reading off NDP propaganda.  Dion, having bungled the last election made foolish deal with the BQ and Layten went along because it was the only chance in the history of this Country to get an Federal NDP member into cabinet.  Harper outmaneuvered them which caused Dion to have to step down in complete disgrace ushering in Iggy without even a vote by the Libs.

Score one for Harper and a big defeat for the Libs.

It's been a year. Iggy is only doing what oppositiion parties of any minority gov't in democracy do.

Exactly.  Whereas he promised he was something new and innovative.  Instead he is the same old style Liberal who thinks he should be elected because he is a Liberal.

He's trying to topple the gov't.

No he's not.  He had the chance to do that over the EI issue.  Your political memory is very short.  Remember how Iggy backed down on that one too.  Remember how the media started calling him the new Dion?  Remember how he had to retreat to obscurity for a couple months until everyone forgot about that.

That's really what he's paid to do.

He is paid to bring the Liberals back to power.  If he keeps this up he is going to get a pink slip.

As far as not having any innovative ideas. You're talking about Harper as well, right? I'll be bipartisan here. Neither Iggy nor Harper have done anything particularly innovative in the past nine months.

No I am pretty sure I was only talking about Iggy but nice try at a deflection.  If you want to talk about Harper.  Sure.  He brought in an independant observer of the budget process who is responsible to Parliament and not the ruling party.  This comes immediately to mind given the budget debacle we just experienced in BC and the fact that the provincial NDP here are holding Harper's "innovative policy" up as something that should be done in this province. 

[crazy canuck]

I'm not yet fully convinced this will happen yet.

even the NDP are keeping their options open and hinting they may yet make a deal with the devil, or Harper or whatever.

The NDP come out of this looking reasonable.

If they keep this up they might even form opposition next time.

[Josephus]

I'm pretty sure Harper's economic advisers told him that the economy was heading for a downslide. The Economist, for one, was warning of it last summer. So I am quite convinced that Harper did call the election a year before necessary because he was worried about what a potential economic downfall could do.

But that said, I agree that if Iggy calls an election he's completley off his mark. Most Canadians do not want one yet. Nor do I think, he's got the support of enough people to actually win. But I dont' think Iggy would get his pink slip yet. The Liberals are still short of money and they can't afford another leadership race.

All I was saying, though, is we shouldn't be surprised. Minority governments tend to fall. It's the nature of the system. We'll see what the NDP does.