Liberals won't run candidate against Green leader

[calculoso]

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNew...hub=TopStories

Stephane Dion has decided not to run a Liberal candidate against Green Party Leader Elizabeth May in the next federal election.

Liberal sources say the move is intended to demonstrate that Dion is different kind of politician -- a man of principle who believes so strongly in the need for environmental sustainability that he's willing to sacrifice partisanship.

Moreover, Liberals hope the pact will restore some lustre to Dion's credentials as an environmental champion, which Harper's Tories have been chipping away at for the past few months. And they hope the endorsement from a credible environmentalist like May will help the Liberals win back votes that drifted to the NDP in the last election.

However, not all Liberals are happy about the move. Privately, some expressed fear that the pact reinforces a slew of negatives for Dion: that he's weak and needs to be propped up by another party, that he's a one-note leader fixated on climate change, that he's abandoned the political centre and is allying himself with a left-wing, one-issue party.

Interesting commentary.

As well, some Liberals are loathe to give up their historic boast that they're a national party that runs candidates in every single riding across the country.

Wasn't this a criticism of the Canadian Alliance way back when? One seat doesn't mean much IMO, but the claim is still there.

Interesting strategy Mr. Dion....

[peter12]

This simply a move to prevent a division of the left in a Conservative cabinet minister's riding. It's better for the Liberals if McKay loses, than if May wins.

[Winsor_Pilates]

Bad move IMO. It's like saying, "she's better then our party members anyway, so let her run"

If they like something the Green party is doing, they should do it to instead of admiring from a distance.

[jolinar of malkshor]

It is more than one seat. From what I am hearing, they are going to decide which ridings not to run in. It may be more like 10 or 20 ridings. The more Dion is the leader of the Liberals the more I am thinking his own party will toss him and Harper will have to do nothing.

[Resolute 14]

Liberal sources say the move is intended to demonstrate that Dion is different kind of politician -- a man of principle who believes so strongly in the need for environmental sustainability that he's willing to sacrifice partisanship.

Anyone dumb enough to fall for this deserves to be disenfranchised. Maybe if Dion hadn't booted one of his party members out for accepting a position that meant working with the Conservative government, he might have had a right to try and make this claim.

[Devils'Advocate]

The Green party is *NOT* a one-issue party. People have gotten that through their heads on the other side of the pond but it's having trouble getting through the skulls of Canadians.

Anyhow, this just speaks to need for proportional representation. To get around the limitations of first-past-the-post the parties are depriving the people in two ridings from voting for the party that they really want to vote for.

Even without the Liberal running, the odds of beating McKay in that riding are 1,000,000,000:1.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by jolinar of malkshor

It is more than one seat. From what I am hearing, they are going to decide which ridings not to run in. It may be more like 10 or 20 ridings. The more Dion is the leader of the Liberals the more I am thinking his own party will toss him and Harper will have to do nothing.

Where are you getting this from? (The 10-20 ridings) Let's not forget that the Reform party never ran candidates in PQ for years and no one out here had a problem with that.

The fact is that this has nothing to do with them being a national party; they were never going to win the riding and they are trying to concentrate the vote in that riding against the conservative. This same thing basically took place in the Calgary-Centre riding with Joe Clark a few years back, although then it was unofficial.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

The Green party is *NOT* a one-issue party. People have gotten that through their heads on the other side of the pond but it's having trouble getting through the skulls of Canadians.

Blame the Greens for that, not the "thick skulled Canadians."

[RedHot25]

Originally Posted by jolinar of malkshor

It is more than one seat. From what I am hearing, they are going to decide which ridings not to run in. It may be more like 10 or 20 ridings.

Originally Posted by Slava

Where are you getting this from? (The 10-20 ridings)

Yah, curiousity too, I haven't heard this either?

Anyways, it will make the riding a bit more interesting - my bet is that the ndp will still run in it - but its going to be quite tough for anybody to beat peter in that riding. But, you never know, that's why they run the races.

[mykalberta]

Interesting spin, the this is directly aimed at the far left hoping that they will vote liberal in a riding they have a chance since the liberals arent running in the GP Leaders riding.

I will give him that, Dion is a different kind of politician.

MYK

[Titan]

The Libs are also in financial trouble. Any cost savings by not running candidates would likely be welcomed.

[Ford Prefect]

Originally Posted by mykalberta

Interesting spin, the this is directly aimed at the far left hoping that they will vote liberal in a riding they have a chance since the liberals arent running in the GP Leaders riding.

I will give him that, Dion is a different kind of politician.

MYK

Are saying the GP is far left? If so, that's not entirely true. They contain elements of both far left and far right policies in their platform. They don't pigeon-hole well like the mainstream parties.

[peter12]

Originally Posted by Slava

Where are you getting this from? (The 10-20 ridings) Let's not forget that the Reform party never ran candidates in PQ for years and no one out here had a problem with that.

The fact is that this has nothing to do with them being a national party; they were never going to win the riding and they are trying to concentrate the vote in that riding against the conservative. This same thing basically took place in the Calgary-Centre riding with Joe Clark a few years back, although then it was unofficial.

Years? I think it was just the one election actually.

[ben voyonsdonc]

From the Toronto Star:

In return, sources say that May will promise not to run a Green candidate against the Liberal leader and will essentially endorse Dion for prime minister.

What does endorsing Dion do for the other 200+ Green candidates who are going against Liberals? In a parliamentary FPTP system, doesn't that mean that she is actually endorsing the Liberal Party to become government? I think it is awfully short-sighted and naive to make this move -- it undercuts her ability to attack the Libs and will push some potential Green voters into the hands of the Liberal Party.


May's real message to Canadians is: "Vote for me in Central Nova...vote for the Liberals everywhere else." That is shameful and unbecoming of a "national" party leader. As a party leader, she should be fighting for the election of every single one of her candidates. If I was a Green candidate in Calgary Southwest, I would be mighty upset that my leader would rather see a Liberal take out Stephen Harper than me.

Having the Conservatives responsible for the environment is like having a wolf responsible for the sheep. They don't care about the environment...in fact many Conservatives don't even believe that global warming exists or is a real problem caused by human beings. The Liberals are the kind of shepherd who takes a nap or gets distracted by shiny objects and whose incompetence and indifference allows the sheep to be eaten by the wolf anyways.
Dion has done nothing more for the environment than wear green and name his dog "Kyoto". If that makes him a great environment minister and a great potential Prime Minister in Elizabeth May's eyes, she clearly has a significant lack of judgment and is undeserving of being a federal leader.

[mykalberta]

Originally Posted by Ford Prefect

Are saying the GP is far left? If so, that's not entirely true. They contain elements of both far left and far right policies in their platform. They don't pigeon-hole well like the mainstream parties.

Yes I believe they are far left,

From the 2006 platform

Vision:

Frist 2 paragraphs

[We are socially responsible and inclusive. That means: health, not just health care, lessening financial obstacles for post-secondary students, affordable housing, working with Aboriginal communities to improve well-being and self-governance, properly funding arts and culture, supporting immigrant communities]

[We are environmentally sensitive and innovative. That means: promoting energy conservation, and the conservation of wildlife, habitats, and natural ecosystems, shifting to a green economy, building mass transit and transportation systems that make ecological and social sense, reducing greenhouse gases and achieving Kyoto targets and moving beyond. We believe that those who pollute should pay the full cost of remediation and any damages arising from their recklessness. We have a strong vision for a sustainable society, one that respects all citizens and the natural environment that sustains us]

Last 2 paragraphs

[We are sound financial managers. We know that the full-cost of many activities is not always found in the financial bottom line, we believe in living within our means, we know that Canada’s changing demographic reality will place greater burdens on our society, and we know that reducing poverty rates will benefit all Canadians]

[
We are democratically representative. That means: adopting a proportional representative electoral system, renewing our political institutions, restoring people's trust in government, and connecting with community groups and citizen-based movements that are giving us the progressive tools of a more accountable and participatory society.

We can build healthy communities and a healthy country. And together, we can again inspire Canadians]

First and last 2 paragraphs included because they are always the most important in a paper.

Yes I would call them far left. People who believe that they can live within budget and still implement the Kyoto Protocol by passing full costs to pollutors while funding environmental and social responsibility are very very left because they are smoking so much weed it has clouded their frontal lobe. That or they are habitual liars.

Sounds alot like NDP and Liberals jazzed up with a new name.

MYK

[Ford Prefect]

Originally Posted by mykalberta

Yes I believe they are far left,

From the 2006 platform

Vision:

Frist 2 paragraphs ...

MYK

They absolutely have far left elements in their platform. But they also have far right elements, such as their policies on justice and correction system reform, as well a lot of their fiscal policies. That's the way I see the party at least. I also think that's why they're never going to go anywhere in Canada. They're too far left for the right, and too far right for the left. And since they have such extreme left and right policies, they can't/won't be viewed as centrist either.

[brownie]

It'll be very hard to beat Mackay in that riding.His Dad had a strong following and so does Peter.

[calculoso]

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

The Green party is *NOT* a one-issue party. People have gotten that through their heads on the other side of the pond but it's having trouble getting through the skulls of Canadians.

I have a tough time taking the party seriously.

When you have a Green Party Member from BC who proudly admits that he stood up and cheered when the Twin Towers went down (reference on Rutherford this morning, looking for a link), it's hard to do that.

[calculoso]

Found link:
http://vancouver.24hrs.ca/News/2007/...01819-sun.html

"When I saw the first tower cascade down into that enormous plume of dust and paper, there was a little voice inside me that said, 'Yeah!' When the second tower came down the same way, that little voice said, 'Beautiful!' When the visage of the Pentagon appeared on the TV with a gaping and smoking hole in its side, that little voice had nearly taken me over, and I felt an urge to pump my fist in the air," wrote Potvin.

Potvin went onto add, "Let's face facts. If the news on the morning of Sept. 11 was that 3,000 Tanzanians or Burmese had been killed, they wouldn't have broken in on regularly scheduled programming, or cancelled football games, and there'd be no conversation about it the next day.

and four years later:

"There's a lot of sentences there that could be stripped of their context and be pretty damning. I guess I could do the slippery thing and say I'll go home and read it or I could also give you a wishy-washy answer. But, listen, man, I've got to be honest with you. I totally endorse that. I want to caution you, though. I endorse it in its totality."

[MarchHare]

A lot of what Potvin said is nonsense, but sadly, he's right on the money with this part:

Let's face facts. If the news on the morning of Sept. 11 was that 3,000 Tanzanians or Burmese had been killed, they wouldn't have broken in on regularly scheduled programming, or cancelled football games, and there'd be no conversation about it the next day.