Coalition Deal To Topple Minority Tory Govt- [Update Parliament Prorogued until Jan]

[C_Rush]

I'm just glad the GG took the wisest course of action for the good of the country and will let cooler heads prevail for now.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Bobblehead

Yeah, I think I posted that I think the "coalition" should have backed down as soon as the political funding issue was removed.

Show the CPC that you won't be bullied the way you were in the last session, and let them get down to work.

That hasn't happened, we have a Chamber filled with monkeys all throwing their own feces, and hopefully the time off will make them recognize that each and every one of them stink.

For me, the political funding issue isn't even the major issue. Getting rid of the right to strike for civil servants, and halting wage increases (including the pay equity program that is trying to establish equal pay for equal work among genders) comes off as being anti-working class and anti-woman.

The real problem here is that every minority government in the past has enjoyed the support from at least one other party. After Harpers misjudgement of the other parties solitude on those issues, I wonder if he will ever get that support. Without it, the government can't work. I'm with those who hope that suspending parliament will allow cooler heads to prevail and that Harper can earn back some support, but I'm not optimisitc.

If we have another election with the same results, then what? If the Conservatives still can't get support from any opposition parties, I don't see how there is any other option than a coalition. Maybe those crazy Euros have it right and coalitions are the way to go? It would be nice though if the party with the most seats (in this case, the Conservatives) were the ones to build the coalition.

[flamesfever]

Originally Posted by malcolmk14

The only way I really see this going now, is a non-confidence vote followed by an election, or the coalition backing off and starting to work with the conservatives.

If GG Jean thought this coalition had any legitimacy, she would've allowed them to proceed with the December 8 non-confidence vote.

I think the GG did the right thing by shutting down Parliament, to give time for things to cool down.

I think her response to the Coalition should be, either start working with the Conservatives or I will call an election. That should make them think twice.

I think Stephen Harper should throw the Liberals an olive branch, and start articulating as to why his party's economic policies are what's best for the Country. Surely there's enough right of centre Liberals to side with him in a non-confidence vote.

[octothorp]

I'm optimistic that Harper saying that all parties were responsible for the situation in parliament as a sign that he's ready to work with the other parties rather than antagonizing them. Now what we need to see is some sign from the Liberals and NDP (or even just the Liberals) that they're willing to do the same. I think that there are a lot of people within the Liberal Party who are humble enough to make this work and smart enough to realize how important it is to them, but I'm not sure that at the leadership level, there's much potential for bipartisanship.

On the one hand, I'm glad that the proroguing will be a chance for everyone involved to take a step back, listen to their constituents, and then get to work. But I worry a little that it sets a precedent that any government, faced with a non-confidence vote, will now simply prorogue parliament.

[FanIn80]

http://watch.ctv.ca/news/latest/parl...ed/#clip118617
http://watch.ctv.ca/news/latest/parl...ed/#clip118620
http://watch.ctv.ca/news/latest/parl...ed/#clip118624

This is the Prime Minister that I voted for.

[The Goon]

Who updated the title of this thread? It's prorogued, not parogued.

[RougeUnderoos]

Originally Posted by malcolmk14

I'd say despite his early mistake, Harper dominated the rest of this entire situation quite thoroughly.

Domination indeed.

1. Make a serious judgement error
2. Get slapped in the face immediately
3. Have a bunch of people call for your job
4. Go to the boss's house on Thursday afternoon to plead your case
5. Pray you'll be able to get your job back some time in January

Hmm. Sounds kind of familiar.

[malcolmk14]

Well, that's the end of Stephane Dion's career.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servl.../politics/home

Harper 1
Dion 0

[Boblobla]

This is a serious non-nonsense mace...

http://calgary.ctv.ca/servlet/an/loc...ub=CalgaryHome

[Kerplunk]

Originally Posted by Bertuzzied

what is up with that font? it's as bad as Dion's camcordered speech. hehe

At least I can understand the font. Dion, on the other hand.....

[browna]

Originally Posted by Boblobla

This is a serious non-nonsense mace...

http://calgary.ctv.ca/servlet/an/loc...ub=CalgaryHome

I had to do a double take...I thought that was Layton with the mace, and either he'd become a Parlimentry Page, or was stealing it, jilted because it was promised to him in the Seperatist coalition agreement.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by Boblobla

This is a serious non-nonsense mace...

http://calgary.ctv.ca/servlet/an/loc...ub=CalgaryHome

Yeah, that would really hurt!

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by octothorp

I'm optimistic that Harper saying that all parties were responsible for the situation in parliament as a sign that he's ready to work with the other parties rather than antagonizing them. .

Yes, that is a good sign. Obviously the 2 hours spent with Michaelle Jean were worth while.

[FanIn80]

Originally Posted by browna

I had to do a double take...I thought that was Layton with the mace, and either he'd become a Parlimentry Page, or was stealing it, jilted because it was promised to him in the Seperatist coalition agreement.

Haha, I thought the same thing.

[kermitology]

Originally Posted by malcolmk14

Well, that's the end of Stephane Dion's career.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servl.../politics/home

Harper 1
Dion 0

Reading this lends credibility to Wookie's e-mail.

[Bobblehead]

Top story on Economist.com

http://www.economist.com/world/unite...tures_box_main

Interesting hearing the world point of view.

[Jade]

Originally Posted by kermitology

Reading this lends credibility to Wookie's e-mail.

It does, although it seems like the main party line is still to support the coalition no matter what.

Meanwhile, the Liberals continued to insist publicly yesterday that they will remain together in support of the coalition although some admitted a few of their MPs are feeling heat from some of their constituents. Still, they believe it would be dangerous to retreat now.
"I don't believe a word the Prime Minister says any more," said Toronto Liberal MP Bob Rae.

I think someone needs to explain to Rae that while he may not have liked the proposed policies, the ones who have been lying are the liberals, who said they would not form a coalition with the NDP.

[Fozzie_DeBear]

Originally Posted by Bobblehead

Top story on Economist.com

http://www.economist.com/world/unite...tures_box_main

Interesting hearing the world point of view.

I was wondering when this would get picked up...the Economist had decent coverage of the Canadian election since we were the first major economy to have an election since the siht hit the fan

Ummm...I'll have to ask the Economist why this article is filed under the United States section

[vicphoenix13]

Harper made a huge political blunder by acting like he has a majority government. You don't go around saying that you intend to remove funding for political parties when your in a minority government. That just made the Liberals and NDP hungry to overthrow Harper. Didn't he realize that those parties were already behind financially? What Harper should have done is work to develop a consensus with the Liberals for a couple years. Then, he might have been able to win over enough support for a majority in a 2010 election.

[Jade]

Originally Posted by vicphoenix13

Harper made a huge political blunder by acting like he has a majority government. You don't go around saying that you intend to remove funding for political parties when your in a minority government. That just made the Liberals and NDP hungry to overthrow Harper. Didn't he realize that those parties were already behind financially? What Harper should have done is work to develop a consensus with the Liberals for a couple years. Then, he might have been able to win over enough support for a majority in a 2010 election.

Actually you do. It's the whole ridiculous political posturing that they always do. One party comes out with some policy that the others will absolutly hate. The other parties freak out, and yell about how ridiculous it is. First party softens a bit, making a big show of their conscessions, other parties still complain, but lighten up, whole thing goes back and forth with everyone preening like peacocks, and they meet somewhere in the middle, not far from where they would have started if they didn't try to put on such a show. It's kind of like contract talks for arbitration in hockey. Each side starts with totally ridiculous and unreasonable numbers, and in the end they agree to something barely off from what they both wanted. It ends up looking over the top, but it's how things have always been done. This time however, when the conservatives made the big show about their conscessions, the liberals and NDP decided they weren't done preening, and this whole mess started. The biggest thing that went wrong here was the weakness in Dion as a leader allowed him to get swept away in his fantasies of actually being accepted as a political leader, which hinged on being PM. He was given the opportunity and he grabbed it, not caring how much he had to conceed to do so.