Conservatives To Slash Federal Funding of Political Parties [Update-CPC backs down]

[Blaster86]

Originally Posted by Calgaryborn

The Conservatives did run their election campaign on being physically conservative and I don't think the voting public are going to be impressed with the coalition's excuse for grabbing power.

No they didn't. They didn't even have a platform until a week or two before. They ran this election on "OMG DON'T VOTE FOR DION! HE'S LIKE, NOT GOOD AND STUFF!"

Also LOL and Alberta separating over the CPC being pushed out of power.

[transplant99]

They didn't even have a platform until a week or two before.

Larf.

they knew exactly when they were going to call an election...and I assure you they had their platform decided and ready to roll long befoe the call was made. Whether you decided to believe it or not.

[Calgaryborn]

Originally Posted by Blaster86

No they didn't. They didn't even have a platform until a week or two before. They ran this election on "OMG DON'T VOTE FOR DION! HE'S LIKE, NOT GOOD AND STUFF!"

Also LOL and Alberta separating over the CPC being pushed out of power.

What you seen as no plan was in fact a lack of a goodie bag.

[driveway]

Interesting that CP rejoiced so much over the election of left-leaning Barack Obama in the United States, but is terrified of left-leaning Liberals and NDP's gaining power again in Canada.

FWIW, I think the move on the part of the Conservatives to attempt to hamstring other political parties by removing the subsidy is a) stupid and b) bad for Canadian politics. It's good that there are several viable parties in this country. How many people voted Green to give them that $1.95?

Harper used up the willingness of Canadian to tolerate an election. If he brings another one on himself, or loses power to a coaliton of opposition parties because of this idiotic political posturing, he deserves what he gets.

[Blaster86]

Originally Posted by transplant99

Larf.

they knew exactly when they were going to call an election...and I assure you they had their platform decided and ready to roll long befoe the call was made. Whether you decided to believe it or not.

I should rephrase. They didn't focus on their platform until about two weeks to go.

[Ford Prefect]

Originally Posted by Blaster86

I should rephrase. They didn't focus on their platform until about two weeks to go.

That is totally not what you said in your previous post. Revisionist history much? Sorry ... don't mean to be a hard ass, but I can't let you get away with completely changing what you initially said without calling you on it.

[Blaster86]

Originally Posted by Ford Prefect

That is totally not what you said in your previous post. Revisionist history much? Sorry ... don't mean to be a hard ass, but I can't let you get away with completely changing what you initially said without calling you on it.

Eh. No it's not what I said and it was stupid of me to say "no platform" since they'd have to be half way ######ed not to go in without a platform. It was a very bad choice of words. I should have said they didn't focus or bring attention to their platform, instead trying to make the election about who was leading and not what they were going to do as a party while leading.

[getbak]

Originally Posted by driveway

It's good that there are several viable parties in this country.

Is a party really viable if it relies on taxpayer handouts to survive?

If anything, the public money further entrenches the established parties at the expense of grassroots startups because you don't receive any of the public money until you've already run an election and received at least 2% of the popular vote.

[C_Rush]

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

The NDP gained 8 seats. It is usually good to understand what you are talking about before posting.

By my count, NDP won 7 seats, so take your own advice.

Given that the Conservatives have utterly failed in trying to govern reasonably, it is the duty of the other parties to try to work together to see if they can do better. And I am sure they can given that a barrel full of monkeys could do better.

Really??? I think the fact Conservatives gained seats demonstrates that voters thought they were doing a good enough job to keep going. Don't let your own political biases blind you.

Which Eastern parties are in shambles? The Liberals are picking a new leader which is bound to increase their fortunes. They are in a financial bind right now, which the weasely Conservatives tried to take advantage of and bankrupt them. But what is the other party in trouble? The NDP are on the rise and increasing in popularity and are on solid financial ground. Were you referring to the Bloc? They seem to have done quite well this last election and Duceppe is doing quite well as leader.

the Liberals are basically bankrupt right now, which is why they're up in arms about the bill to end public financing of parties. They're headed for their 2nd leadership battle in as many years because Dion was unelectable and lost a significant number of seats under his leadership. That's shambles if you ask me.

NDP are and will always be a small regional party without the wherewithal to actually govern the country. They have only small financial resources, again why they're up in arms about the bill. I will say that Jack Layton is a decent politician but ultimately unelectable as PM. It's sad that his best chance at holding a top federal governing position is by circumventing the clearly stated will and desire of the Canadian electorate who gave Conservatives the mandate to govern.

As for the Bloc, who cares????

[FlamesAllTheWay]

Originally Posted by driveway

Interesting that CP rejoiced so much over the election of left-leaning Barack Obama in the United States, but is terrified of left-leaning Liberals and NDP's gaining power again in Canada.

"Left-leaning" means two completely different things in Canadian and American politics. If I had to guess, I would put every major political party in Canada far left of the Democratic Party in the USA, except for the CPC. Even then I'd say the CPC is still left of the Democrats, just not by as much.

Just sayin'

[C_Rush]

^^^ I agree.

[photon]

Originally Posted by C_Rush

the Liberals are basically bankrupt right now, which is why they're up in arms about the bill to end public financing of parties. They're headed for their 2nd leadership battle in as many years because Dion was unelectable and lost a significant number of seats under his leadership. That's shambles if you ask me.

And that's probably why Harper thought they could get what they tried through.. The Liberals are wounded and wouldn't risk another election which they couldn't afford to fight.

Harper probably figured this was win-win.. gets through, kicks the other parties when they're down. Doesn't get through, go back to the polls with a Liberal party that can't even match the last election they ran, they only need 10 more seats to get a majority.

Maybe he thought he could get another election without having to get his hands dirty?

[Devils'Advocate]

Originally Posted by C_Rush

By my count, NDP won 7 seats, so take your own advice.

My source:
http://www.mapleleafweb.com/features...ts-and-summary

I'd love to see your source.

I think the fact Conservatives gained seats demonstrates that voters thought they were doing a good enough job to keep going. Don't let your own political biases blind you.

As per my original message, I was referring to this post-election session. Canada gave the Conservatives a minority meaning they wanted the Conservatives to work with the other parties to find moderate solutions to our problems... work together to find middle ground that they can agree on. And instead, right out of the gate, Harper's "reach across the aisle" was to slap everyone.

[Thunderball]

Originally Posted by FlamesAllTheWay

"Left-leaning" means two completely different things in Canadian and American politics. If I had to guess, I would put every major political party in Canada far left of the Democratic Party in the USA, except for the CPC. Even then I'd say the CPC is still left of the Democrats, just not by as much.

Just sayin'

Precisely. When you line the two up, Obama is probably more "right wing" than Harper, not a whole lot... but still.

The Liberals, NDP and Bloc would be seen as Liberal Socialist extremists in the US.

[C_Rush]

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

My source:
http://www.mapleleafweb.com/features...ts-and-summary

I'd love to see your source.



As per my original message, I was referring to this post-election session. Canada gave the Conservatives a minority meaning they wanted the Conservatives to work with the other parties to find moderate solutions to our problems... work together to find middle ground that they can agree on. And instead, right out of the gate, Harper's "reach across the aisle" was to slap everyone.

My source:

http://www.sfu.ca/~aheard/elections/standings.html

Your source gives the NDP 29 seats at dissolution, mine has them with 30 seats. This CBC article credits the NDP with a 7 seat gain:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canadavotes/s...wednesday.html

My sources back my claim, so I'll stick with them, thanks very much.

As per the original discussion, the voters gave the Conservatives a mandate to govern. For the opposition parties to make an end run around that is denying the voters the right to be represented by the government they chose, and that stinks of sour grapes. If the opposition parties are that upset, then send it back to the voters to decide - that's democracy.

[metallicat]

Real professional John McCallum.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/11/30/politics.html

"I still think they don't get it," he told CBC News. "As Bill Clinton said, 'It's the economy, stupid.'

"The fundamental point is that whereas other countries like England, France and Japan are pouring tens of billions of dollars into stimulus, and China and the U.S. hundreds of billions, what does this government do? Nothing. All it does it cut."

He said the Liberals will forge ahead with negotiations to form a coalition with the NDP, and the concessions made by the Conservatives this weekend have done nothing to change his party's view that Harper must go.

"The government had an opportunity to act last week and it went in the wrong direction, so we no longer have confidence," he said.

McCallum said Canadians can't count on the budget to save the economy and it's only being delivered early to help the Conservatives maintain their grip on power.

"They're desperate to save themselves, so they will promise the moon in order to have us back down," he said.

[metallicat]

CTV - NDP and Bloc in secret talks to form coalition

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

The New Democrats and Bloc Quebecois had a secret plan to form a coalition party well before the opposition's uproar over the government's fiscal update, CTV News has learned.

NDP Leader Jack Layton was in talks with Bloc Leader Gilles Duceppe for a "considerable period of time," reported CTV's Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife.

Layton held a telephone-conference meeting with his caucus Saturday morning that was recorded by a Conservative member. According to the audio tape, Layton appears to take credit for the possibility of a coalition.

What exactly gave the NDP and the Bloc the right to try and form a coalition this early into the session? If this is true, and all of this was planned before the budget update, I think this whole thing stinks even worse.

[peter12]

This will happen. The Conservatives will fall by next week and we will be completely screwed. How could this possibly happen?

[peter12]

"Let's just say we have strategies. This whole thing would not have happened if the moves hadn't been made with the Bloc a long time ago and locked them in early," Layton says. "Because, you couldn't put three people together in one or three hours. The first part was done a long time ago."

So this was clearly done before the fiscal update was announced. Probably happened election night for all we know. This is nothing but brutal political opportunism in direct conflict with the wishes of Canadian voters.

[ok, ok,....I get it]

Originally Posted by peter12

So this was clearly done before the fiscal update was announced. Probably happened election night for all we know. This is nothing but brutal political opportunism in direct conflict with the wishes of Canadian voters.

Layton is a scumbag, none of this really surprises me, but I am sickened there is the prospect of a "seperatist" party ruling canada