03.21.2021 02:27 PM

This week’s Sparky: live from the CPC convention!

18 Comments

  1. Steve Teller says:

    With all due respect, WK – and I know it is fun to think this is Barney-gate 2.0 – please have a look at the totality of the proposal that was rejected.

    The phrasing of “climate change is real” was only a small part of it. The problematic part was that the proposal targeted the energy sector, rather than addressing climate change and environmental concerns overall.

    The current Conservative Party policy document already calls out climate change and the environment in a number of places. This is publicly available on the CPC website:
    https://cpcassets.conservative.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/15090948/9f7f204744e7480.pdf

    See in particular policy 53.

  2. dour, sullen, and unsmiling political hack says:

    Incredibly stupid. The Conservative Party deserves to lose three elections in a row because of this…. On the other hand, 19 million Canadians will cast a ballot in the next election. Not a single one of them will change their mind because of some obscure, silly theatrics at a policy convention.

    • Ronald O'Dowd says:

      DSAUPH,

      That sound you hear is serial Liberal orgasms…

      Anyway, IMHO, the party has to do a permanent spring cleaning at the riding level. Start by changing all the paid regional and provincial party organizers. Then clean out the riding executives that are virtually under the control of special interest groups and we all know who those groups are. Frankly, those people belong in the PPC which is a truer reflection of their delusional and destructive mindset. If O’Toole does all of the above, we’re still in serious contention for the next election. If Erin, read DeLorey, doesn’t move the needle on most of these then going into the next election is already an epic fail, period. So, what are you guys and gals going to do about this? Tick, tock. Tick, tock.

      • dour, sullen, and unsmiling political hack says:

        I’m also a little concerned the “Just Erin” stuff is getting a little overplayed. OK we get it… he’s not a celebrity like PM Zoolander. However, they need to make that more of an *implied, incendiary* message, not the centerpiece of the campaign. No one is going to get excited about a guy because he’s ultra normal. You don’t sell cars *only* by telling people how affordable they are. I remember Dalton McGuinty 2003 – that guy was boring as f&%k but his normalcy was well configured as a friendly guy who will unite people rather than pick stupid fights with unions every week – because that’s what normal leaders do. So, O’Toole’s team needs to start talking about why a normal leader is better. What day to day headaches are going to be alleviated for Joe and Jane frontporch if crazytown Justin is removed?

      • Ronald O'Dowd says:

        Scot,

        I guess it was good for you.

        I’m so fucking pissed off I could bite straight through nails…how could the riding associations be THIS stupid???

        • The Doctor says:

          If you’ve ever belonged to a political party at the riding level (I once did, for years), you can totally understand why something this stupid and self-destructive could happen. Political parties are innately inbred and inward-looking.

  3. Gilbert says:

    Climate change is not the top issue for Canadians. It’s the economy. People are ready for a change. The PM needs to go.

    • The Doctor says:

      I seem to recall that polling from the last federal election indicated that climate change was right up there when urban and suburban voters were asked what they considered to be the most important issues. And I say that as someone who is not particularly climate change-obsessed.

      My sense is that this will hurt the CPC precisely with the demographic that they need to make some inroads with in order to have a hope of forming government.

      • Ronald O'Dowd says:

        Doc,

        You bet it will in the 416, 905 and elsewhere unless O’Toole takes the party to the woodshed. If he needs help, all he has to do is call David Stockman! LOL.

      • dour, sullen, and unsmiling political hack says:

        Yes, polling probably does show that climate change is right up there as a big issue. The same poll will tell you that most voters prefer an elected Head of State…. Look a little deeper…. 9.9 of 10 of those voters probably think we already have an elected head of state… 9.9 of 10 of those voters haven’t the foggiest idea of what can actually be done about climate change or how to distinguish one party’s platform from another’s. So, no, climate change will probably never be real election issue in Canada…. ever. Any party wasting their time on that issue might as well light their war chest on fire.

        • The Doctor says:

          I think it’s a very difficult thing to translate into hard predictions about voting behaviour. Actual voting behaviour is an incredibly difficult thing to predict and quantify. Even for a very politically engaged, self-aware person, what actually motivated your voting decision? We’re all subject to all kinds of cognitive biases etc.

          That said, I think the climate change thing is more of a problem for the Tories in the area of expanding versus limiting your potential universe of voters. And in the all-important area of perceptions. I’m inclined to agree with you that climate change may not be top-of-mind and may not be a huge direct mover or motivator of votes, but I am willing to bet that it feed this perception among a large chunk of urban, suburban, educated and moderate voters that the Tories are out of touch, not sufficiently progressive, anti-environment etc. It leads a certain number of those voters to not even consider voting CPC on that basis.

        • Ronald O'Dowd says:

          DSAUPK,

          I agree with your argument. I think it’s bang on except…to use an Americanism, climate change is like Mom and apple pie. It’s a feel good issue that most people like. So, damned right, most people haven’t got the foggiest as regards plans and especially details but they instinctively think they will feel good if they vote for a party that is at least perceived as being on the right side, whether they are actually on the right track or not. That’s why we in the CPC still have to be on the right side even if our own policies are not as ambitious or robust as those of the Liberals, or especially the NDP.

          • dour, sullen, and unsmiling political hack says:

            CPC should just do what everyone else does. Throw some ads up there with polar bears and trees and rivers and shit with some sad piano music. Flash up a few stats. Place the other party’s logo with a backsplash of pollution / smoke stacks / maybe a tire fire. Add some really extra sad piano music. Then do a shot with the leader chatting with some young ethnic people outdoors pretending like he can do something. Use some upbeat, happy piano music. Thats all it takes… and the voters will think CPC is for the environment just like PM Blackface.

          • To their credit the Liberals did more then use pretty words. They imposed a carbon tax that was extreamly controversial and contributed to them losing thier majority and the victory of Conservatives at the provincial level.

          • Well Darwin, I’d say it isn’t too much of a stretch to say that Chief Justice Wagner speaks for both of us:

            “Climate change is real. It is caused by greenhouse gas emissions resulting from human activities, and it poses a grave threat to humanity’s future,” Wagner wrote.

            “The evidence clearly shows that establishing minimum national standards of GHG price stringency to reduce GHG emissions is of concern for Canada as a whole. This matter is critical to our response to an existential threat to human life,” Wagner wrote.

            “As a result, it readily passes the threshold test and warrants consideration as a possible matter of national concern.”

            ‘Nuff said.

    • Ronald O'Dowd says:

      Scot,

      Didn’t you get the memo about how governments and central banks cook the books on actual growth and projections, inflation, unemployment and other statistics? So, at the very least take these projections with a grain of salt.

  4. PhilinLondon says:

    In London before AmBev we had a saying “these people couldn’t organize a piss-up at Labatt’s. Is it a coincidence their biggest brand was Blue?

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