So the Liberals under Stephane Dion have decided to support Harper's Throne Speech. They have avoided taking a principled stand to protect Canada by opposing the decimation of Kyoto and the diminution of the power of the federal government.
How have they done this? Through the use of an amendment which couples an amendment on the Kyoto Accord with one on the Afghanistan project. The Kyoto amendment has teeth.
The Afghanistan amendment calls on the government to announce that the military action of Canada will cease in 2009. This one was inserted to ensure that the NDP would side with the government and reject the Liberal amendment.
Apparently, then the Liberals can meekly abstain from voting regarding the Throne Speech, thus ensuring that it passes!
How low can one sink.
Why did Dion not reject the Throne Speech in an open, above board, principled way, rather than resort to such silly tactics?
The Cat is deeply disappointed.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
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16 comments:
Not only with no benchmarks but the Grits had to force the Dippers into repealing the taxes on income trust and large corporate tax cuts.
Sponsored by the tag team duo of Dion and Iggy. Not to count the others trumpeting it in the Liberal caucus.
I would expect the Liberals and particularly Dion, to find their approval ratings down by up to 7% or 8% in the next few polls. Trying to frame the decision to support Harper's Throne Speech as a way to avoid another election "which voters do not want" has no traction.
The NDP should hold firm in the polls - they at least have argued against the Throne Speech in a principled way.
The Bloc should continue their freefall.
Of course, what if Layton voted for the Liberal amendment? The Bloc, NDP and LPC could pass it, and at least Layton would have nailed Harper to continue with Kyoto ...
A 7 to 8 per cent drop for the Grits will move them to the low 20s. This is worse than John Turner category. Expect people to rip up their Grit membership cards and Layton to form the Official Opposition.
Can Layton swallow the end of the Afghanistan mission by 2009? The corporate tax cuts and the income trust tax repeal are killers for them.
Shows who Dion is pointing the guns at.
Are you aware the majority of the liberal caucus supports this move? It was Dion who wanted an election but after listening to his caucus he decided not to do so.
Can you imagine what might have happened if he went ahead with the election against the wishes of the majority of his caucus?
Are you aware that most media pundits said that the government should not be turfed over the TS?
I understand the disappointment, but I really do not believe the liberals will drop 7-8 points in the polls.
Mushroom, people seldom vote for gutless wonders.
And Harper is firmly in control of his party and the agenda in Parliament, so he will most likely not give voters good reasons for turfing him out.
This move by the Liberals has, in my opinion, moved the Tories into majority turf.
I agree, Curiousity Cat. This will shift opinion to majority territory for the Conservatives.
It doesn't matter whether Dion wanted to go and his caucus didn't, after all ... all that matters is the outcome.
I get the impression that Dion no longer controls the Liberal party.
After the throne speech it was Ignatieff who spoke for the Liberals. The Dion speech was so terrible it must have been written by Ignatieff. He is following the advice given by Ignatieff that Canadians do not want an election etc.etc. and garbage about being responsible--responsible by letting the Conservatives pass their agenda.
So what will the Liberals do swallow the Omnibus Crime Bill all
claiming that they are tough on crime? The Liberals have no place to go but down. The Conservatives had it right. Dion is a laughing stock.
http://kencan7.blogspot.com
There is no hope that Layton will go along with a liberal ammendment. He smells blood and he wants your vote.
Dion should have pulled the trigger on principle, because, well, now it appears he has none. I think most Canadians will see it that way.
Would you prefere an increased conservative majority?
The Tories are much weaker than most commentators think. Despite confusion and fighting amongst Liberals, a good economy, a tight muzzle on his MPs, Harper is unable to reach majority territory .... yet.
Liberals are strong in BC and Ontario, weak (almost non-existent) in Quebec and good in Maritimes.
Harper needs a breakthrough in Quebec plus more votes in Ontario, to win a majority government.
If there was an election soon, Harper would not win that majority, unless the Libs ran as pathetic an election as they did last time.
But with every passing month, the Tories are getting stronger. And the voters are being beguiled into thinking that they are "safe".
The leopard is hiding its spots well, and acting like a normal member of the Canadian pack....
Therein lies the danger for the Liberals, and for Canada.
"But with every passing month, the Tories are getting stronger."
This I can agree with
"And the voters are being beguiled into thinking that they are "safe".
The leopard is hiding its spots well, and acting like a normal member of the Canadian pack...."
*Sigh* Not the "Hidden Agenda" again... Surely it has become obvious that Harper knows full well that this country can only be governed from the center, and that while the Liberals are tacking to the left (unwisely IMO), he is gradually pulling that center a bit to the right? Social Conservatism will never sell in Canada. Harper knows this. His goal is a more decentralized federation, a less activist federal government and a strong law and order agenda. I have to say I do not see any compelling competing vision from the Liberals. WTF is up with that anyway, wasn't Dion supposed to be a policy wonk?
I can say with absolute certainty that the Liberals do NOT care if Canadians don't want another election.It's ALL about the Liberals NOT being ready, NOT having a platform, NOT having a director of the Quebec wing, NOT having a Quebec lieutenant, and most of all NOT having a LEADER.
Cat, I woudl have thought, you're being a Liberal and all that you would live in a constant state of disappointment. It never ceases to amaze me that anyone could ever again put any faith ins such a morally, and ethically bankrupt party as the Liberals. What more will it take? Another AdScam? Antoher HRDC boondoggle (remember that 1 Billion in unaccounted for and or improperly spent job creation funds). Another Stripper Gate? Another Gub Registry? Another YOJA? The list is endless. The party and it's leaders will say and do anything to achieve and retain power. Not because they have an ethos that will drive them towards crafting a better country, but because they LIKE power, and all it's trappings.
Anonymous,you obviously do not know many Liberals.
They are the salt of the earth, moral people with keen concern for Canada and their fellow Canadians.
Plus a proud history of building this country into the great country it is, and, hopefully, will remain, despite Harper's plans to diminish it.
Sorry. Liberals are not strong in BC. Conservatives and NDP are.
Sorry. Liberals are not strong in Ontario, more 905 ridings will go against them.
Sorry. Conservatives vs Bloc in non-Montréal Québec will be a battleground with seats flowing away from the BQ.
Atlantic Canada. Might be some Liberal news there.
Prairie Canada. Not much change.
The Harper Government is close enough to a majority to sniff the air and say "yeah!".
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