The majority of Canadians do not want a federal election in 2008. This is the finding of a Harris Decima poll released Jan 24. I tend to agree. Parliament voted for fixed election dates. Canadians see no big push for a quicker election. We voted in a minority government intentionally and unless Harper screws up so badly he can’t keep the confidence of the House – there is no reason for an Election until Nov 2009.
Harper says he still likes the job. I see no overriding reason now why he should not stay in the job. That may change but as of now…Harper has to responsibility so let him govern…as a minority.
Up to now the Liberal party organization has not been in a position to effectively run an election. Now they can. That is no reason to call an election. Lets now see Harper run a real minority government where he has the real risk of defeat if he continues to bully and blunder and bullshit.
Harper says he still likes the job. I see no overriding reason now why he should not stay in the job. That may change but as of now…Harper has to responsibility so let him govern…as a minority.
Up to now the Liberal party organization has not been in a position to effectively run an election. Now they can. That is no reason to call an election. Lets now see Harper run a real minority government where he has the real risk of defeat if he continues to bully and blunder and bullshit.
"There is no reason to call an election"
ReplyDeleteI totally agree. Harper has been doing a tremendous job in governing this country, be it on the Afghanistan issue, the economy, and on the environment.
The only problem of waiting until 2009 for the liberals will be that they CANNOT complain about anything that was done - after all, they can simply vote against the government and bring it down.
Thus, I guess we won't be hearing any criticisms from you Ken.
You will get lots of criticism from me when it is deserved - and praise when that is deserved too.
ReplyDeleteI think Harper has had the luxury of being able to govern like he had a majority - so far. That time has passed. Of course opposition can complain if policy is poorly thought out, impractical or ill-conceived. But political stupidity of a minority government is not enough in itself to push the country into an election. It makes more sense for the country to see how bad a leader Harper is and how ill-equipped he is at anything approaching enlightened statecraft.
I think Dion should bring the government down before Nov 2009 when there is a confidence issue that is non-trivial or the country demands it.
The budget will be trivial. Flaherty has already admitted as much saying no tax cuts and no program changes. Status quo indifference to citizen's needs is hardly good government in today's volatile world. But that is were Harper is headed.
He has no wiggle room to face a recession now either since he has eroded revenues with stupid tax cuts like the GST. He faces further revenue erosion in a declining economy where Ontario and Quebec are already suffering with more to come.
Harper is sitting on a bunch of political powder kegs and he is giving off sparks. I would tend to hand him a lit match before I would call an early election on a trivial matter.
Yeesh.. got some Conservative Kool-Aid drinkers here.. I think ;)
ReplyDeleteYou call concealing the truth from the Canadian people on detainees, while calling your opposition - primarily the Liberals - a bunch of Taliban lovers, and then having your chief spokesperson come out after we only find out in a court case that this they've secretly changed the policy and try to claim the military didn't tell you the policy hadn't changed - trivial?
The Conservatives have misled Parliament and the Canadian people on that issue alone... on THAT issue alone they have shown to be unfit for government, using secrecy tactics that their American Idol in Bush would approve hands down - and also to be incompetent on the file.
They have failed the environment file, they have interfered in the civil servant and fired a supposedly independent regulator because she was trying to do her job while smearing her as a "liberal appointe" as if she knew nothing about the job.
Their one cabinet minister Helena Guergis attacked Iggy and Dion on their Afghan trip with a stupid partisan attack, and breached their security arrangements and jeopardized their safety and the safety of the soldiers they claim to be the only party to support them. All of the above more or less during the Christmas Break!
I'm sorry Ken to disagree, but the Cons. and Deceivin' Stephen have shown themselves unworthy to hold this office, unfit to hold this office.. and the sooner Dion and the Liberals stop fretting about polls, the better. It's time to bring this disgrace of a government down. As for the polls, NO one likes having elections in Canada it seems. The polls showed the same thing before Martin lost his minority govt and the end result was the Harperites got in, despite Canadians grumbling about not wanting an election.
(And, if you want more reasons and more analysis of why we need to put this sorry excuse of a government out of its misery, , check here and here amd here , and here
What Canada needs is a leader as great as George W. Bush. Harper is getting there but not quite. Give him a year or two.
ReplyDelete"I'm sorry Ken to disagree, but the Cons. and Deceivin' Stephen have shown themselves unworthy to hold this office, unfit to hold this office.. and the sooner Dion and the Liberals stop fretting about polls, the better. It's time to bring this disgrace of a government down. As for the polls, NO one likes having elections in Canada it seems."
ReplyDeleteKen, it looks like you might be in the minority of liberals in your thoughts!! Here is a prime example similar to Scott Tribe's thinking. You say the budget will be trivial so the liberals will not vote against it. Yet, at the same time, you trash everything the government has done on the economy. How can one take these criticisms seriously? If it's so bad, simply vote down the government. ....or else Dion is just making decisions according to the polls which indicate his leadership numbers are below Jack Layton.
I feel sorry for you Ken. You hate the way the current government is governing - but, at the same time, your leader is governing by the polls and will not vote down the government. Thus, you have to come up with some logical argument to justify your leader's decision to sit on his hands. You deserve better.
ReplyDeleteDon't feel sorry for me eric. I am a self autonomous citizen. I think government is there to do collectively for "us" what I can't do for myself. I also see the government role as doing those things that can be done better on a community/socital scale than by individuals.
ReplyDeleteElections are contests to many partisans, and people like Mr. Harper. They, like him, think it is all about getting POWER. When they should be seen as all about reflecting and deciding upon the needs of the society. Of course we have to judge the various party platforms as to how that can best be done for the common good.
My logical argument is not about an opposition leader sitting in his hands. My logical argument is can the current Prime Minister of a minority government be seen as capable of proposing and implementing policy that serves the greater good?
Does he have the strength of character to do it all with integrity, honesty and accountability?
My answer about Mr. Harper is no he does not have these attributes. There is lots of evidence to support that perception.
The next election should not just be about defeating Mr. Harper - he is doing that quite effectively already himself. It should be about providing a forum to determine who is best able at serving the priority needs of our society in economic, environmental and social justice terms.
Dion clearly wants to take that approach to an election. I personally support going to an election early. If Dion’s going to the polls is merely to defeat Harper I think Canadians will continue to turn off and only return another minority government. It might be Liberal but so what - nothing meaningful will have been decided.
I am happy to go to an election sooner than later because I am a partisan. Citizens see it differently. They are looking for a leader they can trust to govern responsibly and effectively on issues that matter to them. They want a leader with the necessary personal character qualities that makes them worthy of a consent to govern. Mr. Harper, not unlike Mr. Mulroney, is showing some serious deficiencies in these aspects.
Yes Ken, Harper is all about getting POWER but the liberals are not (I suggest this includes the Sponsorship Scandal - you try to justify it as saying it helped keep Quebec in Canada).
ReplyDeleteAgain, you say that Harper does not have integrity and is a liar. If so, he does not deserve to be the PM and the liberals should immediately bring down the government. But they are not. Why?
"I personally support going to an election early...I am happy to go to an election sooner than later because I am a partisan. "
Read the title of your post...geesh.
eric - you like so many Harper-Cons - think an election is about party politics. That is a very small part of it. It is about citizens deciding how they want to be governed and by whom and to what ends.
ReplyDeleteMy post title reflects the POV of a citizen and that I think is worthy of respect. As a partsan I am all for getting it on but that is not necessarily the best way to serve the desires of the people in this country. If the poll saying the country wants an election next year not now, that has to be a concern to partisans.
Harper should try to govern in a minority and the face of an opposition who could bring him down and even defeat him.
The sponsorship scandel was a textbook case of lack of integrity and respect for the role and responsibility of government. BUT no wrong doing was found against any politians according to Gomery's report.
Party volunteers only in Montreal and some very senior bureaucrats screwed up.
The administration was intimidated by the PMO but not by the PM and they ignored the rules and did not do their jobs. That is how the frauds were facilitated...not perpetrated by administration and officials in the PMO.
With Harper firing Linda Keen he is intimidating the administration even more so. He can only expect more screw ups in the government as a result.
Harper does not know how to run a human endeavour, like a government, in ways that respects human beings...including his own Cabinet and Caucus...he intimidates them too.
Elections belong to the voters...not to the parties, nor the leaders nor the candidates. You Cons just don't get that! You think it is about you!