Liberal NDP Merger Possibility?

[Flames in 07]

Originally Posted by Leon Kennedy

It would be just like it was in the good old days of Jean Chretien,

You don't work in advertising do you?

[FanIn80]

Jean Chretien was one of the biggest political embarrassments I've ever had the displeasure of witnessing... and that includes George W.

I cringed every time that fool opened his mouth on an international stage.

[Leon Kennedy]

Originally Posted by FanIn80

Not this again.

You can't just add up percentages. A lot of people who voted for either of those three parties would not have voted for a unified party with the other two.

Meanwhile, almost all of the people who voted for the Conservatives would have still voted for them, since the other three joining together would have very little impact on their vote.

In other words, a Conservative majority.

Who would they have voted for then? I'm a left winger, and I sure as hell ain't voting for that fatty Stephen Harper or his party. Are you trying to say that pissed off Liberal or pissed off NDP voters would just stay home and not vote for anyone? They sure as hell wouldn't be voting Conservative!

[Leon Kennedy]

Originally Posted by Flames in 07

You don't work in advertising do you?

Things were good back in the days of Jean. The government didn't have to give out free money and induce an enormous housing bubble in order to keep the economy from collapsing.

[GirlySports]

The Liberals have bashed the NDP for the last 60 years in each election calling them an illegitimate party and a vote for them is a vote in the garbage and now they're going to join forces?

Desperate times.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by FanIn80

Not this again.

You can't just add up percentages. A lot of people who voted for either of those three parties would not have voted for a unified party with the other two.

Meanwhile, almost all of the people who voted for the Conservatives would have still voted for them, since the other three joining together would have very little impact on their vote.

In other words, a Conservative majority.

Is that like you're either a Flames fan or a Canucks fan but if the two teams merged into one you'd be a Leafs fan?

[Flames in 07]

Originally Posted by Leon Kennedy

Who would they have voted for then? I'm a left winger, and I sure as hell ain't voting for that fatty Stephen Harper or his party. Are you trying to say that pissed off Liberal or pissed off NDP voters would just stay home and not vote for anyone? They sure as hell wouldn't be voting Conservative!

He might be implying that some people that have a touch more sophistication than being unconditionally on one side of the spectrum and/or that referring to a political leader as a fatty, may reconsider their vote. IE many liberals are anti union or at least the unionized state Jack would like. Many liberals are liberals because of a social platform, however are neutral in the spectrum (like a lib) or towards the right (like a con) when it comes to economics. With a new set of choices they may determine that economic beliefs are now more important than social ones because a 'democrate' party could pollute a party or country economically.

[Flames in 07]

Originally Posted by Leon Kennedy

Things were good back in the days of Jean. The government didn't have to give out free money and induce an enormous housing bubble in order to keep the economy from collapsing.

You have to be kidding me. The cons created the housing bubble?

Sorry that Harper wrote lots of bad mortgages in the US.

I'll take people who don't need a educational background in economics to become an airchair economist for $1000 Alex. Seriously, I'll take a leap that your a teen or early 20's ... maybe don't decide you don't know everything going on around you quite yet.

Love the left, and the liberals and a coalition, that's cool, but if the basis for doing so is because Harper created or mismanaged a housing bubble .... yikes.

[FanIn80]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

Is that like you're either a Flames fan or a Canucks fan but if the two teams merged into one you'd be a Leafs fan?

That's exactly what it is.

If the we suddenly traded for Kesler, Luongo and Burrows and renamed the team to the Vancouver Flames, the Habs would be my new #1 team in a heartbeat.

If the Liberals joined with the NDP, the fallout would be massive and it would be overnight.

[Leon Kennedy]

When the Liberals lost power in January of 2006 prime was at 3.25% Now it is at .50%.

How can you possibly defend the criticism of the Conservatives for giving out free money to induce a housing bubble and stop the economy from collapsing?

[Leon Kennedy]

Originally Posted by Flames in 07

You have to be kidding me. The cons created the housing bubble?

Sorry that Harper wrote lots of bad mortgages in the US.

I'm not talking about anything to do with the USA. I'm talking about the enormous housing bubble that we here in Canada are in right now. I'm talking about historically low interest rates that the government of Canada has set in order to induce borrowing to staggering degree.

The Liberals never had to resort to this kind of thing to grow the economy. Under Chretien, Canada experienced positive economic growth in each and every year he was in power. Under Harper? The economy grew 6.1% in the first quarter of 2010. You're telling me that's a stable economy? Who needs a degree in armchair economics, me or you?

[peter12]

The Liberals must be so desperate to even be talking about this. This destroys a 130 year old brand forever and probably guarantees Conservative dominance in federal politics. I love how simple they make the math. Do you really think pro-business Ontarians are ever going to vote for an NDP-Liberal merger? How about soft-sovereigntists in Quebec?

[Leon Kennedy]

Peter, you have to forget about those things. Politicians don't care about things like brand names or integrity. They want power and they'll do anything to get it. Look at where the last election was won by the Conservatives: not Quebec, not even Ontario. It was won in the Lower Mainland of BC. You think the Conservatives would win any seats there next go around if there was a viable united left wing party?

[Iowa_Flames_Fan]

Originally Posted by peter12

The Liberals must be so desperate to even be talking about this. This destroys a 130 year old brand forever and probably guarantees Conservative dominance in federal politics. I love how simple they make the math. Do you really think pro-business Ontarians are ever going to vote for an NDP-Liberal merger? How about soft-sovereigntists in Quebec?

You know, if you substitute "Progressive Conservatives" for Liberals (and change a few details) this was exactly what people were saying before the Reform-Conservative merger a few years back.

Just saying....

In all honesty, anyone who pretends they know what the outcome of something like this would be is kidding themselves. Politics isn't a video game--there aren't "right moves" that always have good results and "wrong ones" that never work. All of these things take place against the backdrop of a dynamic and shifting set of variables that no-one can with any ease predict.

So what say we stop trying to predict the future and just wait for it to happen?

[Stranger]

Nothing like a shot of Jack Layton to help the country tighten its belt and get out of this recession. That man shouldn't be near a position of power.

[Luder]

Originally Posted by Leon Kennedy

In the last federal election, held in October 2008, the Liberals, NDP, and Greens combined for a total of 51.22% of the popular vote nationwide.

The Bloc had 9.98%. The Conservatives had a mere 37.65% - a full fourteen points behind a potential Liberal/NDP/Green coalition.

A united left wing party would be terrible for all you true blue voters in the West. It would be just like it was in the good old days of Jean Chretien, who never had to worry about not getting a majority of seats in the House because the two right wing parties were too busy fighting each other to mount a serious attack on him.

And if the Flames were in the Eastern Conference, we would have been in the playoffs.

[FlamesAddiction]

If the Conservatives made a few changes to try and broaden their appeal to people in the centre, then every election would be anyone's game. Both sides would need to lure the swing voters (which I consider myself to be). The old PC party was able to that before they became "Reformed".

[SebC]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

The Liberals have bashed the NDP for the last 60 years in each election calling them an illegitimate party and a vote for them is a vote in the garbage and now they're going to join forces?

Well either they dispand or they merge... either way the outcome is the same: a united left to match the united right.

Originally Posted by FanIn80

If the Liberals joined with the NDP, the fallout would be massive and it would be overnight.

See here's the funny thing... you guys think the NDP would move the liberals to the left, and liberals would go to the conservatives, well those liberals would move the conservatives to the left too. Ultimately, if a democracy is working efficiently it's the median voter on the left-right spectrum is the one who holds all the power, notwithstanding unholy alliances that leave out the middle, i.e. Conservative-NDP. And a united left would create a more efficient democracy and the parliamentary vote would more accurately reflect the popular vote, which would shift things to the left, whether it's within the conservative party or the new united party takes power.

[FanIn80]

Originally Posted by Iowa_Flames_Fan

So what say we stop trying to predict the future and just wait for it to happen?

Err... isn't that kind of what a discussion board is for? It would get kind of boring if all we did all day was wait for something to happen before discussing it.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by FanIn80

Jean Chretien was one of the biggest political embarrassments I've ever had the displeasure of witnessing... and that includes George W.

I cringed every time that fool opened his mouth on an international stage.

The funny thing about Chretien, is that he is actually highly regarded in many circles for his policies. I posted this in another thread but it's kind of relevant to your comment:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/10254055.stm

Opinions are just opinions though.