It is official; the Liberal Party is not going to force an election over the budget. Mike claims that Canadians have been busy speaking to him that they don't want an election, they want an alternative government. Basically the people who have his ear would like him to usurp the government, but without having to fight one of those pesky elections. He says that he will vote against the budget, but not force an election? So are a few MPs going to stay home from work when you vote, or does that mean he'll instruct Jack Layton to vote in favour of the budget?
He may be clueless, but he's not an idiot. If the people in the Liberal party pushing an election are those ambitious for his job, then it probably isn't the time to go. Rosemary Barton insists that there are indeed a number of Liberals pushing hard for an election right now, and it is hard to see anyone other than Bob Rae benefitting in the Liberal party from a snap election. If there is an election and the Liberals lose, then Bob Rae can get that one on one leadership convention he was denied last year.
It is an awkward position to oppose a budget and allow it to pass. I seem to recall Stephane Dion using a similar strategy in the past. Will the opposition ensure proper budget passage by abstaining? We aren't exactly sure, but precedence has established that it is not popular to strongly oppose something but abstain from showing up to work to vote against it. So how will he show up to vote against it without defeating the legislation? I suppose you'll have to tune to find out!
I would like to run a webpoll, but before I do I'd like to collect some feedback. With Ignatieff pushing back the immediacy of an election; if he were to release a new book before the next election, what do you think it would be called? You could go with "The Sovereign" or "Sleeping with one eye open" or "Yes Sir" etc etc...
"I've been positive, I've been helpful, and I've made lots of good suggestions"
-Mike Ignatieff
I take his carefully and today often repeated phrase "Canadians don't want an election - they want an alternative" to mean that the coalition is alive and well and just biding its time.
ReplyDeleteAs soon as the three amigos (Iggy, Layton and Duceppe) can change the rules of prorogation they will once again stage a coup.
There can be no other meaning. Ignatieff did not say " Canadians want us to make THIS parliament work" - He said they want "an alternative government. In other words, HIM and the Liberals without the bother, expence and effort of an election.
There is no other way to take the meaning of his statement.
I am agitated that the Liberal "Canada at 150" thinkers conference might distract from the "Canada at 200" symposium that I have planned for the same weekend!
ReplyDeleteI'm with Anony @ 5:54 pm, it was eerie the way he said it and with his paparazzi in tow,he was relishing in another of his moments of true arrogance and narcissism. The guy is a nut bar in the way he knows NOTHING but speaks as though no one is nearly smart enough to recognise his complete incompetence and inadequacies. He couldn't run a community centre let alone a country.
ReplyDeleteThe vote will be extremely telling. Whipping your MP's to be wimps is not being a leader, it is being a cowardice, loudmouthed but ineffective puppet.
Not an idiot? I've said that before and then he tried to call an election about nothing.
ReplyDeleteHeard John McCallum going on about how this is the worst budget ever, an abomination, etc., etc. but we aren't going to vote against it. Ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteAnd Iggy reminds me of Obama with his true arrogance and narcissism. I think Iggy loves his job because he has the spotlight but he doesn't have to do any real work so why call an election.
Let's be very clear where Iffy stands (are you listening Dippers?)
ReplyDeleteIffy would ONLY join a coalition if he LOSES...
'Compromise,' not coalition
Ignatieff insists he won't join forces with Bloc, NDP if Liberals win minority in next vote
Sept 2009
..."Let me be very clear – the Liberal party would not agree to a coalition. In January we did not support a coalition and we do not support a coalition today or tomorrow," Ignatieff said yesterday.
...However, when asked whether he excluded a coalition with the opposition parties if the result of an election were another Conservative minority, Ignatieff called it a hypothetical question he didn't "like."
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/694750
I'll be very interested to read the opposition proposed prorogation legislation. Just how much power will they strip from the Governor General while the iron is hot? They have already declared their intent to reduce the GG's responsibilities.
ReplyDeleteIf they can alter the structure, does that change any of the generally accepted laws regarding how the opposition may attain power in a minority Parliament?
He couldn't run a hot dog stand.
ReplyDeleteSyncro
Chantel just echoed my comment re iggy, not/maybe vote for the budget. After all the crying about mps wanting to get back to work, crying about prorogations, then telling his mps to miss work on a very important vote. Hypocritical. Regardless of what he says, the coalition is alive and well. The problem for iggy is Layton is more popular as a leader than he is, and would probably demand to be PM.
ReplyDeleteIf they change the rules for the GG are they so stupid that a liberal/coalition government would be bound by those rules.
The PM said he will not entertain any changes.
Crazy talk. They already tried to take the government without an election. Its not happening but the coalition is. They think it was the Bloc that poisoned it but they are wrong. Its essentially a 2 party system and the bloc is irrelevant. The Liberals will shrink to nothing on this path. That is why we must remind them that the coalition is there. -that its majority or PM Layton.
ReplyDeleteI liked the budget. Coyne was complaining that they weren't cutting enough spending in the near term, while Amanda Lang suggested that the cuts to bureaucratic spending may be impossible (tactically if not legally). I would have liked it if there were steeper spending cuts from an ideological point of view, but as a pragmatist I acknowledge that it is difficult to administer fiscal restraint on public sector unions. They are a very sensitive bunch who look for any excuse to unleash "work to rule".
ReplyDelete"Canadians don't want an election"
ReplyDeleteTranslation - "We couldn't win an election if one were called so we'll say that Canadians don't want one."
"They want an alternative"
Translation - "I was promised I'd be(coalition) Prime Minister if I came back to(coalition) this country, and I'm getting pretty annoyed(coalition) that I'm not. So, instead of lowering(coalition) myself, and being subjected to the will(coalition) of the common folk, I will grudgingly try to form a consensus(coalition) with the other opposition parties. And together(but mostly me), we will right the ship and get this country(where am I again?) back on track. BUT NO COALITION."
I don't buy that line about "coalition." I *do* think that Iggy *knows* that Canadians don't believe he's ready to be PM -- because he hasn't got anything concrete down as an election platform.
ReplyDeleteI also know something else: the one time when Canadians *could* accept a coalition would be the aftermath of an election, and then only if the Bloc were neutralized as a factor. For that to happen, the Liberals and the NDP combined would have to be more than the Tories and Bloc combined.
If the Liberals were portrayed as negotiating with the BQ -- well, that's it. No GG would accept a governing arrangement where the popular will is not considered as a factor, and popular will would not tolerate the BQ with the reigns of power. You could argue legal niceties all you want (as the progressives are wont to do) but popular will is one of those unwritten things that can't simply be shoved aside.
Iggy knows this. He also knows that unless he's perceived as a stronger or better leader than Dion, a coalition isn't going to happen -- too many people got burned last time. And that perception isn't happening now, is it?
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=wall&gid=345612490687
ReplyDeleteJoin up. Liberal hypocrisy is annoying.