Ouch, now that's cold. It was not a statement by Ezra Levant or a Blogging Tory, but rather a floor crossing Dipper. It is unlikely that Lise St Denis intended to offend her former NDP colleagues when she made that statement as her explanation for defecting to the Liberals, but that's still a low blow when it comes from your own side. What's frightening for the NDP is how many other MPs or NDP voters are thinking the exact same thing? Once the mourning period has passed and the Dippers begin evaluating their situation more pragmatically, they're gonna start to see that life after Jack will not be smooth sailing, especially in Quebec. Polling has already started to indicate that Dipper support has been slipping in Quebec since Jack's passing, where their remarkable gains were based on the cult of his personality.
How many of the NDP's 4.5 million voters actually voted for Jack Layton instead of the NDP? More than a few, and clearly this is on the minds of the MPs now sitting parliament. The last time the NDP fought an election without Jack was 2000, when they had a little over 1 million votes (ergo 3 out of 4 current NDP voters only decided to "go orange" after Jack became leader). Outside of Quebec the NDP has a more established party infrastructure to fall back on, but in la belle province, not so much. They made rapid gains in a short period of time because Jack Layton was such a likable guy and he dominated Gilles Duceppe in the French debates. Anyone who looks at the cast of characters now running to replace Layton can understand why Dippers have cause for concern. There are no Jack Laytons in that field. Good luck with Brian Topp.
We'll see if Lise is required to learn the national anthem before officially becoming a Liberal...
"How many of the NDP's 4.5 million voters actually voted for Jack Layton instead of the NDP?"
ReplyDeleteMy estimate is 3.5 million voted for Jack,the other million were diehard Dippers who'd vote NDP even if ALL their candidates were dead.
I hope the NDP rise was a one-time only phenomenon,and they slip back to third where they should be.
I would much rather have a Liberal Party rejuvenated and in Opposition than see the Country possibly run by the radicals who infest the NDP.
There are soft socialists in the NDP,but there is also a hard core of outright communists,who would destroy this Country if they ever get their hands on the reins.Imagine Libby Davies as Environment Minister,for instance.
Let's cheer this Dipper flood-crosser,and hope there are many more to come.
Indeed , thieves before commies , yep , great options , eh .
ReplyDeleteThe Now Dead Party achieved its apotheosis in Quebec, not in the West, sort of like the Bolshevik revolution that didn't happened as expected in Western Europe but in Russian (thanks to Germany and Lenin). It will achieve its downfall in the next election.
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