Musings —12.16.2010 11:51 PM
—Um, election?
Sounds like we’re going to get one!
What do you think, folks? Participate in our highly-scientific poll! Vote once, vote often!
Musings —12.16.2010 11:51 PM
—Sounds like we’re going to get one!
What do you think, folks? Participate in our highly-scientific poll! Vote once, vote often!
The NDP supporting a budget filled with corporate tax cuts, $16 billion on untendered fighter jets, and quite possibly austerity measures for cutting the civil service? I would so enjoy seeing this if true.
Gord I have to agree . Last year my predication was that one of the 3 opposition leaders was going to quit and give us 6 months of peace as that party goes through a leadership race .
I was wrong . Its my new predication for this year , I mean with all 3 of these guys over 60 it has to happen at some point .
Jack Layton is the odds on favorite . The NDP doesn’t have a lot of money and I don’t think he wants to quit on election night 4 months from now after losing half of the seats that he has built up.
I think Thomas Mulclair would be the obvious successor as he is known in Quebec and would have a chance to hold on to their gains in Quebec.
My guess is that right after New Years he’ll pull the plug so that it doesn’t look too much like he’s trying to back out of an election . If they have their leadership in August that should get us to the fall before there is a vote .
Here is a story that was posted on the Globe and Mail web site at 9 pm last night .
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ignatieff-set-to-trigger-election-call-in-new-year/article1841549/
I think its safe to say that ” Ignatieff has turned his key “. In the summer of 2009 he turned his key because he thought he had enough support to win an election . Now I think he just wants to resolve things one way or the other and that he is beyond caring what happens .
It would be Iggy’s stupidest move ever to trigger an election in the spring. Does he really want to give Hudak and his PCs that kind of momentum?? Because that’s what it will do…big time.
Stupid why ? Because the Liberals will lose ? I don’t think he cares at this point .
I think Ignatieff would rather lose and then go back to the states rather than wait for people in the party to force him out . His numbers are well below his party’s . He’s been leader for two years now if it hasn’t happened for him by now then its not likely too .
I figure the point of no return for the Liberals to get rid of Ignatieff would be some time in the fall .
That would just give the new leader barely enough time to be known by Canadians .
We need more choices. How about adding:
None of the above: another election now (likely) means another ReformaTory minority and (we can only hope) the end of Harper and Ignatieff.
I’d say Warren kinda covered that in choice #4.
BTW – add in the end of Layton to your list. With all three gone Canadians might start to care about their government again.
Who needs a big spending liberal government when we have a big spending conservative one!
It was a hard choice but I couldn’t choose erection. It would be a boner for any leader to send us to the polls. Please Mr Harper don’t be hard on the people and put us through 30+ days of hell. Enough euphemisms for you?
Our PM, “would he” really do it? Voters have told our leaders a couple of times in the last few years what we want and it isn’t a majority government. Get back to work and pass some legislation, otherwise, in my books you’re a wiener.
From that article – “Barring a total climb-down by Prime Minister Stephen Harper on all of his major priorities, the Liberal Party will oppose the Conservative government?s budget, Michael Ignatieff says, greatly increasing the likelihood of an election call in February or March.
?I have low expectations that there will be anything in the budget? that his party can support, the Liberal Leader declared on Thursday in a year-end interview with The Globe and Mail, ?because I think the differences in political philosophy are very clear.?
So basically, unless the Prime Minister and the Tories totally back down on everything that they want to bring forward, which is absolutley unrealistic and makes no sense considering the current dynamics, Michael Ignatieff thinks that there should be an election? What is the difference between that and his pronouncement in Sudbury last year that Stephen Harper’s days were done?
No, this isn’t Michael Ignatieff suddenly finding a pair, this is him seeing if his stunted pair are less withered than Jack Layton’s because he knows Layton will conveniently contort himself to find a way to support the budget regardless of, as TofKW says, “untendered fighter jets, and quite possibly austerity measures for cutting the civil service”. That isn’t Ignatieff dealing from a position of strength, but him dealing from Jack Layton’s position being somewhat weaker.
And isn’t it rather interesting that Ignatieff is ready to go this route before he even has a chance to see what is in the budget? I thought that this was something he and the Liberals complained was something Layton and the NDP did.
Then again, it could be as simple as Ignatieff knowing that after two years his chances are just not getting better and rather than wasting any more time and with the constant status quo, just pushing his chips “all-in” regardless.
re: “And isn?t it rather interesting that Ignatieff is ready to go this route before he even has a chance to see what is in the budget? I thought that this was something he and the Liberals complained was something Layton and the NDP did.”
– well, Mr. Needs More Media Training, that’s largely a function of how carefully his interviews attend to and report his words:
Joan Bryden’s version was:
Ignatieff’s changed message suggests the days of Liberals rolling over on confidence votes just to avoid an election are over. He stopped short of saying Liberals will deliberately try to pull the plug on the government over its next budget, expected in February or March. But he held out little hope it will contain the kinds of measures needed to win Liberal support, such as rolling back corporate tax cuts, halting the fighter jet purchase and investing in family care.
“Mr. Harper never listens to anybody on budgets,” he said.
“I don’t know what we’re going to do about the budget because I need to read it first . . . but I can’t say I’m especially optimistic that he will listen to us.”
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/canada/breakingnews/ignatieff-says-canadians-ready-for-federal-election-liberals-ready-too–112018369.html
er, that should’ve read: “interview-ers”
If Ignatieff thinks that Canadians are thirsting for an election the guy’s even further out of touch than we realize.
I chalk his words up to more bad acting, kind of like leaving in the middle of a bad flick. He’s walking into Harper’s hands.
Like I said , losing an election is a quick and easy way back to Harvard or where ever he wants to go .
I’ve actually aquired a little bit of respect for him in the last year . He’s worked very hard with very little gain and he still wants to go .
If I had a place in the South of France I don’t think I’d be working this hard if I didn’t have to .
Assuming overall support stays reasonably close to what it has been over this last year, I expect a Bloc friendly budget. They have different criteria of course, and needn’t concern themselves with what the ROC thinks of them.
That way all 4 parties in the HOC get something they want, and the show goes on.
No spring election. Either the Bloc vote with the Tories–something they’ve been doing a lot lately–or a few Liberals strangely call in sick to work. Even if Ignatieff believes what he says (which is, of course, always an open question) I wonder how many of his caucus members agree.
I dont especially agree with any of the options either. I love and have always loved the LPC but am rather unimpressed by Ignatieff, and a few of the other headliners of late. I’ve heard that sentiment echoed among fellow grits and cant help but ponder.. If the Liberals are having difficulty holding the attention of their diehard supporters, how exactly do they expect to attract new support to “the big red tent”?
Can we get an option for ” A really good idea, because I think someone with a personality and a backbone should stage a coup and lead the Liberals to victory” ?
get it the F%&K over with…
Oh but Warren, which party will Michael Ignatieff be representing? You must have missed this today
?I?m proud to represent a riding in Etobicoke. The same people who elected Rob Ford elected me,? Ignatieff said in a year-end interview with the Star on Thursday.
http://www.thestar.com/mobile/news/canada/article/908381?ignatieff-has-eye-on-rob-ford-s-voters
The Greens should change their name to something that indicates they’re more than a one-issue party, choose a young-ish, well spoken, telegenic and tech-savvy leader, and progressives of all stripes then let the old centre and centre-left parties rot out and die. Then we have an election.
The GREENs are not just a one issue party they are now a one person show . They are now concentrating soley on getting Eliabeth May and 1 or 2 other people elected .
As a result there has been a huge turnover over of people at the national level and they have half of the members that they had on election day .
Here is a good site here that goes into a lot of what went on in the run up to the convention last year .
http://greencanada.wordpress.com/
I found it interesting that Elizabeth May didn’t run in one of the by-elections as a way of bringing atention to the party . In fact there is no mention of any stories on the internet of her campaigning in any of the ridings .
I think the riding in Winnipeg might have been an interesting choice for her to try to at least raise the profile of her riding .
Any chance that T-Gars from Shawinigan might run again?
Miss the guy!!!!
Predictions:
No election until the Fall of 2012.
Iggy leaves for Harvard this Summer.
Non factor E. May is booted from the Greens and goes back to the States with Iggy.