Green Party will not run a candidate in Labrador by-election - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

SebC · 03-24-2013, 05:43 PM

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/...yelection.html

Quote:

Federal New Democrats will not heed calls from the Green Party of Canada asking them not to run a candidate in the Labrador riding vacated by former Conservative cabinet minister Peter Penashue.
[...]

Green Party leader Elizabeth May announced on Saturday that the Greens would not be running a candidate in an upcoming Labrador byelection and urged the NDP to follow suit.

Looks like the Green Party learnt their lesson from Calgary Centre.

GP_Matt · 03-24-2013, 07:25 PM

I think the Green's are just saving money for May's re-election campaign.

If the parties won't merge than it doesn't make sense to collaborate on individual elections. Either they are the same or they aren't.

Fire · 03-24-2013, 07:28 PM

Loser talk from a loser party. Not very surprising.

killer_carlson · 03-24-2013, 07:46 PM

I cant see the anti sealing, pro sea shepherd message resonating too well in Labrador, but that is just me.

Jacks · 03-24-2013, 08:55 PM

First they concentrate all their efforts on winning one seat in an election. Now they are concentrating their efforts on getting the Liberals elected. How does May keep her job?

SebC · 03-24-2013, 08:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jacks

First they concentrate all their efforts on winning one seat in an election. Now they are concentrating their efforts on getting the Liberals elected. How does May keep her job?

Because a Liberal win is much better for the Greens (assuming they actually care about the things in their platform) than a Conservative one?

Jacks · 03-24-2013, 09:12 PM

How exactly is it better for the Greens?

It won't even come close to changing the balance of power. Now, if they decided not to run candidates in the next general election where the ABC candidate had a chance then it might make a difference. Of course then there really isn't a reason to have a Green party at all if that is the case. They can just change the name to the May Party and try to keep the Gulf Islands seat. It's not like the Liberals have some great environmental legacy.

SebC · 03-24-2013, 09:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jacks

Of course then there really isn't a reason to have a Green party at all if that is the case.

Agreed!

There's also no reason to have an NDP party. I've said it before and I'll say it again: the NDP would have a government that more closely reflects their policies if they were to simply disband than they'd get by staying on their current course.

Jacks · 03-24-2013, 09:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SebC

There's also no reason to have a Liberal party.

Fyp, for now at least the NDP are the dominant party of the two. Of course, many Liberal voters might find they fit in better with the Cons in that scenario.

c.t.ner · 03-24-2013, 09:18 PM

If I recall the Green candidate in Labrador riding receive ~129 votes in the last election and the difference between the Conservative win and the Liberal candidate was 89 votes.

From a Green's standpoint there really isn't anything to gain from fielding a candidate in the by-election, better to save the resources for bigger battles. But it also works out as Green party has been a lot more receptive to the concept of a one term consolidating of the left-wing vote to switch away from a First Past the post system. If anything this is a symbolic gesture, with zero long term recourse for the party.

Jacks · 03-24-2013, 09:20 PM

I'd be shocked if the Libs don't win that riding regardless.

SebC · 03-24-2013, 09:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jacks

Fyp, for now at least the NDP are the dominant party of the two.

Disband the Liberal party, and the result is interdeterminate (could be Conservative, could be NDP, hard to tell whether this would be an improved outcome for Liberals over the current Conservative majority). Disband the NDP and things instantly get better for NDP supporters.

Jacks · 03-24-2013, 09:25 PM

We'll have to get an NDP supporters opinion on that. Most NDP folks I've met don't like the Liberals either.

GGG · 03-24-2013, 09:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jacks

We'll have to get an NDP supporters opinion on that. Most NDP folks I've met don't like the Liberals either.

Most NDP people I new were really pro jack and his cities agenda. With Mulclair at the helm I think a lot of that drifts back to the libs.

CaptainCrunch · 03-24-2013, 09:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jacks

We'll have to get an NDP supporters opinion on that. Most NDP folks I've met don't like the Liberals either.

The NDP party would like nothing more then to strike the death knell on the Liberal party. Layton hated the liberal Party with a passion as does Mulcair.

The Libs are more of a threat to the NDP then the Cons are.

This whole collaborative running of candidates is just utterly ######ed.

Either run as a national party or run as a regional party.

Personally it makes your party look weaksauce, however May has always been more interested in her personal party and personal fame then the Green Party itself.

She threw her own party under the bus to get elected.

Cowperson · 03-24-2013, 10:14 PM

Sidebar a bit, but this article in the Washington Post today talking about "green" movements lacking diversity and being largely confined to whites might speak to a Green political party's lack of forward progress.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/nation...7ad_story.html

Cowperson

SebC · 03-24-2013, 10:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jacks

We'll have to get an NDP supporters opinion on that. Most NDP folks I've met don't like the Liberals either.

Most NDPer would say that the Liberals are just as bad as the Conservatives, but only because it's the only way to justify their history of throwing their votes away.

GP_Matt · 03-25-2013, 08:24 AM

I find the NDP supporters to be more dedicated and passionate. I don't generally agree with their position but they seem to have some firm positions that they believe are important.

troutman · 03-25-2013, 12:31 PM

Every party will be a Green Party in 10-20 years.

Resolute 14 · 03-25-2013, 12:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jacks

We'll have to get an NDP supporters opinion on that. Most NDP folks I've met don't like the Liberals either.

The truth is, the Liberals, NDP and Conservatives are all quite different. There is no close overlap such that a merger makes sense. The closest, imnsho, is actually Conservative and Liberal, not Liberal and NDP.

Each of the three parties has its hardline supporters that hates the other two. The Liberals' advantage is that being in the middle, they can attract the swing voters from either side if they get their own house in order. I just wonder if golden boy can do it. But I do think the NDP have plateaued if they can't destroy the Liberals, because I doubt many will swing from Conservative to Dipper. So May's blathering is counter productive if the NDP actually wants to become government some day.