[Canada] Canadian Politics Redux

[Josephus]

CC...let's just leave it like this.

Say you and I are leaders of political parties. Say you lead party A and I lead Party B. Our parties have very little in common. WE are at opposite ends of the spectrum. I like squares, you like circles.  Now you say you are going to table a budget and you want my support. I say, "I doubt that can happen but look, if you throw in A, B and C, maybe I will."

But you, instead, only give me B-partially. That's not part of the deal. Yes, as you say, I didn't get everything. Why should I support you? I don't agree with you on anything else, but because you give me B, I should suddenly support you? You want me to support you. Give me what I want and I will.

You didn't.

Is Layton forcing the election? Depends on your point of view. The cynic in me thinks that the Cons. knew Layton wouldn't go for this (but offered a nice watered down version so that people like you think that Layton was wrong); and they actually want an election themselves, without seeming to want one; believing they stand a chance, not unjustifiably, of winning a majority.

That said, i agree with you, the NDP is not going to do well this election. I'm probably not voting for them so I don't care either.

[Admiral Yi]

Nah, he was an academic in the US for years. You know, he had some career and academic success and went to where the best opportunities were. According to the attack ad, that makes him suspect.

I think in Apartheid South Africa they called that "the chicken run."  :

[Neil]

Well, stop stealing islands then.

What I meant by that was not "the Danish part of the family" but "it's my family, which part isn't relevant."

Of course it is.  Just because they let you in doesn't mean they have to let everyone you know in.  Especially when your wife's family comes from our most powerful enemy, which is known to make extremely heavy use of spies via immigrants.

[viper37]

What's the basis for the attack ad? 

Canadians are touchy about Americans. 
It used to be Harper=American=Bad.  Now, the Conservatives Strikes Back.  Ignatieff=American=Just as bad.

It's just like in the US when the Republicans paint the Democrats as being Canadians.  The other country is always evil and we should not importe their strange ways in our lands

[Neil]

He's the leader of an opposition party, that's what he's suppose to do. If Harper wants to in power, he should bend.

Except Harper's likely going to win this election, and we're going to be in the same boat a year from now.  Ever election the opposition subjects us to will only strengthen Harper's hand.

[viper37]

He wanted ending the federal sales tax on home heating fuels and restoring the home energy retrofit tax incentive, he got only the latter.

that one, you have to admit is quite silly.

First, the NDP blames the government for not doing enough (doing nothing actually) to fight global warming.
Then, it wants a tax credit on heating oil, wich means he wants more pollution instead of pushing people and corporations toward other sources of energy. 

Plus, the NDP was favorable to a carbon tax, as proposed by Dion.  Now it wants to lower tax on an highly polluting source of energy.  Can you say flip flop?

[Grey Fox]

Yep.

Stupid Liberal party. Get your shit straight, so we can avoid a majority cons ffs.

[dps]

What's the basis for the attack ad? 

Canadians are touchy about Americans. 
It used to be Harper=American=Bad.  Now, the Conservatives Strikes Back.  Ignatieff=American=Just as bad.

It's just like in the US when the Republicans paint the Democrats as being Canadians.  The other country is always evil and we should not importe their strange ways in our lands

I don't think I've ever heard Republicans call Democrats Canadians.  They used to call them Russkies a lot, but now they also call some of them (OK, really just one of them) Nigerian or Indonesian as well.

[Barrister]

CC...let's just leave it like this.

Say you and I are leaders of political parties. Say you lead party A and I lead Party B. Our parties have very little in common. WE are at opposite ends of the spectrum. I like squares, you like circles.  Now you say you are going to table a budget and you want my support. I say, "I doubt that can happen but look, if you throw in A, B and C, maybe I will."

But you, instead, only give me B-partially. That's not part of the deal. Yes, as you say, I didn't get everything. Why should I support you? I don't agree with you on anything else, but because you give me B, I should suddenly support you? You want me to support you. Give me what I want and I will.

You didn't.

Is Layton forcing the election? Depends on your point of view. The cynic in me thinks that the Cons. knew Layton wouldn't go for this (but offered a nice watered down version so that people like you think that Layton was wrong); and they actually want an election themselves, without seeming to want one; believing they stand a chance, not unjustifiably, of winning a majority.

That said, i agree with you, the NDP is not going to do well this election. I'm probably not voting for them so I don't care either.

In negotiating, you always have to ask yourself what is the alternative to a negotiated settlement.

For the NDP, the alternative is to get destroyed in an election.

So yes, I would imagine that the NDP should take a few partial successes, declare it a win and call it a day.

But whatever - it's not like I'm personally afraid of an election.  Elections are fun.  I just regret my vote will be in Alberta, not somewhere useful like Yukon.

[Josephus]

If you move to Neil's riding you can try prevent the NDP from winning there, BB.

[viper37]

I don't think I've ever heard Republicans call Democrats Canadians.  They used to call them Russkies a lot, but now they also call some of them (OK, really just one of them) Nigerian or Indonesian as well.

they usually say they want to mimick Canada.
Bush did it in his 2000 campaigne ("He wants Canada!"  -shock&horror from the crowd ) and the Tea Partyers/GOP are also using that line for the health care reform.

[viper37]

But whatever - it's not like I'm personally afraid of an election.  Elections are fun.  I just regret my vote will be in Alberta, not somewhere useful like Yukon.

If my MP sends me 8 pre-recorded phone message asking me to vote for him, not only will I not vote for him, but I swear I'll destroy every single phones in campaign hq with a baseball bat until there are only tiny pieces left.

[Neil]

If you move to Neil's riding you can try prevent the NDP from winning there, BB.

He's farther south I believe.

At any rate, the Liberals will take the NDP out of my riding with a split vote, allowing the Tories to win again.  The only reason the NDP won is because Dion was so terrible and the local candidate so lackluster.

[crazy canuck]

He's the leader of an opposition party, that's what he's suppose to do. If Harper wants to in power, he should bend.

If your theory of minority government budgets was correct we would go to the polls everytime the finance minister didnt give the opposition parties everything they wanted.

If layton wants to call all the shots he needs to win a majority government and of course that will never happen.

[crazy canuck]

If Jacobs real beef is that the conservatives are running attack adds then he should vote for the party that runs no attack adds.  I think he will find himself without a vote.

That's not my beef. My beef is that the ad was insipid and that it was everywhere. It was annoying.

I don't have a vote anyhow, not a citizen 

I was right.  You find yourself without a vote.