Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Which Liberal would make the best Conservative?

I understand that the Liberal caucus has to be feeling alienated from their leadership for not being considered "thinkers" worthy of setting party policy, and I would like to extend an olive branch to those Libs who have had enough. You have options. I know there have to be a lot of Liberals who are not the least bit comfortable with the loud voice with which the failed former NDP Premiers have been bloviating. They may clap in question period, but they aren't clapping on the inside...

The Keith Martin story has always befuddled me. He was a Reform MP in the Conservative right, and he was so upset at the merging with the Tory left that he jumped even further left than the party he objected to merging with. That doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I don't think he's very comfortable over there these days, especially with a major Armed Forces base in his riding. He can't like how failed former NDP Premiers are usurping the Liberal Party with accusation of our military committing war crimes.

So the question is; are you interested in any possible Liberal MPs joining the Conservative Party? Gerry Byrne wants PETA declared a terrorist organization. He shouldn't have a problem making friends in the Tory caucus. None of the above will be an option when this becomes a poll question, for those of you against floor crossing in principle. But I would like to ask you if there is any lost soul on the other side of the aisle that you would welcome into the Tory family? Or is the talent pool too shallow?

Liberal Defections
Tuesday, October 6, 2009, posted by The Iceman

With the rumours today (thank you CBC for letting me know about it) that some Liberal MPs are considering crossing the floor, I decided to look at which individual Liberal MPs are at the greatest risk of losing their seats (based on recent regional polling data). I would welcome a majority without having to fight an election. So here is my list of MPs who have the most to gain by switching parties, or at least the most to lose by staying put. They are ranked in order of vulnerability. 18 seats I have possibly flipping Tory based on the recent Strategic Counsel data.

1. Borys Wrzesnewskyj
2. Bryon Wilfert
3. Mike Ignatieff (somehow I doubt he will defect, but funny his name made the list)
4. Bonnie Crombie
5. Gurbax S. Malhi
6. Anthony Rota
7. Mark Holland
8. Rob Oliphant
9. Paul Szabo
10. Joseph Volpe (the Liberals can keep him)
11. Ken Dryden
12. Michelle Simson
13. Ruby Dhalla
14. Andrew Kania
15. Peter Milliken (he'd make a great Tory)
16. Glen Pearson
17. Keith Martin (I feel like he should be a Tory)
18. Frank Valeriote

PS: The_Iceman said...

Ujal Dosange was left off the list intentionally because I would not accept him into the Conservative party under any circumstances...

13 comments:

  1. Jane Taber today suggested that because MPs were not invited to a Liberal Conference in 1930, that they should not be invited to this one. She said that they are expecting 300 people, and will lose money on the event. How many Liberal MPs bought a $700 ticket? How many tickets are still unsold?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Martin, Milliken, and probably half of those people on the list. I'd take 'em! To get something done around there, I'd take 'em...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Actually, there are some good speakers at the conference, so I think we should listen. I have a huge respect personally for Derek Burney, who was a mentor to us in "our" diplomatic service. His practical judgment is impeccable. The fact that he is showing up at a Liberal-organized Thinker's thing is interesting, so I really want to hear what he has to say. So I do think we should listen in and adopt any of the best ideas for the Conservative agenda. After all, we know that we have a Harper government who are really good at implementation.

    ReplyDelete
  4. The only one on that list I would consider taking is Keith Martin. All the others, don't think so.
    He's for scraping Sec.13 Human Rights Act and reforming our health care system allowing some private services.

    ReplyDelete
  5. There were several Liberals in the last parliament that would have been welcome in the Conservative caucus but they have either retired or were defeated. The only one left worth considering on this list is Keith Martin. I cannot imagine how he could feel comfortable in the Liberal caucus now. He would be doing his country a service by crossing the floor.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Keith Martin would be the only one from my POV and the rest are yesterday's men. I have seen pretty well all of them in action at one time or another and am not impressed.
    The dipper's in the liberal party have nowhere else to go, much the same as Dosanjh and Rae. Those two are a joke, as is the rest of the liberal party. If an election were held now, most of them would not get in again.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I think any MP who crosses the floor in any direction should have to sit as an independent until a riding election, with their intentions known, why they've left their party & why they're aligning themselves with another. Or running independent. Then let their constituents decide.
    Actually, more free thinking independents wouldn't be a bad thing.
    Of course I'm all for floor crossers to the Conservative side, but I still believe they should prove their worth & show their true colours & beliefs as an independent first, & then leave it up to the people who they are supposed to be representing.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Keith Martin barely won his seat with 68 votes last time,
    why should Conservative candidate Troy DeSouza move aside?

    No no, he's made his choice, Keith Martin is a Liberal.

    ReplyDelete
  9. sk blue - Good point. Although, I think it's fine to cross the floor to another party - it makes the intentions known right from the get go. And I supoort it either way - L to C, C to L, L to N, etc...

    The true test of the worth of the switch comes in the subsequent election.

    While I hated Belinda for being a traitor, it certainly made for interesting politics!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Of the names listed I would only consider three. Martin, Milliken and Ignatieff. The rest are better off where they are.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I clicked here because of Keith Martin. As you my know, he was once actually a reform MP before crossing to the liberals.

    He is the only candidate who would make me vote liberal over conservative. The man is educated, thoughtful, intelligent, brings sensible political discourse to the table, and genuinely wants to get things done for Canadians.He is pro-military, Pro-free speech, supports health care reforms that will be best for the patient (he's an M.D., after all). It's indeed a shame he isn't with the conservatives.

    ReplyDelete
  12. You didn't include that Don someone who spoke up for our military guys. I forgot his last name, thought I had read it at your blog. Maybe, at BCBlue's.
    I am not voting until you include his name.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Maria, are you talking about the Liberal interviewed yesterday on Adler Online? He isn't a sitting MP. In the poll I am looking for people who hold a vote in the Commons. 10 crossings = 1 majority without an election.

    ReplyDelete