Coalition is rolling -- Conservatives done like dinner

[baci2004]

Only Conservative voters are going to perceive this as worse than a Conservative government--and really, they aren't part of the coalition, so perhaps the Conservative view here is irrelevant.

http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_29684.aspx

It has been a long time since our inbox was so filled with such vitriol. It doesn't appear to matter whether you're a Conservative, Liberal or an NDP supporter. The majority of viewers who have written CityNews are angry about the coalition agreement in Ottawa, with most expressing contempt for the parties behind it.

The feeling, regardless of political affiliation, is that the people have spoken - and as so often happens, the politicians simply aren't listening. In fact, we received only one email actually backing the alliance, with the rest - for lack of a better of a better term - terming the trio fronting the new group as a de facto Three Stooges.

 

[maurice93]

You think the Conservatives are alone in a desperate power grab? How about "those guys" who lose an election and then form a coalition to gain power? Or do you believe they are acting unselfishly for the good of the Canadian people?

Unfucking real. You fucking idiots should step back and read the shit you write before posting.

Maybe you should step back and realize that Harper, decided to take one of the most critical situations in our generation, and cared more about making a political power play, then making a decision that would benefit the people.

Who's the fucking idiot. Harper is... you I don't care enough about either way.

 

[BKool]

I am pretty sure that each of those parties will do their best, in the context of the coalition, to achieve the things their voters wanted.

The Libs and NDP will, and ARE, doing what the parties want. The voters who support them are just useful idiots. Frankly, the only party I trust to do what their voters want is the Bloc, and that should give us all the shits.

perhaps the Conservative view here is irrelevant.

That statement oozes with enough bullshit to make a mockery of itself, so I'll leave it at that.

 

[BKool]

http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_29684.aspx

It has been a long time since our inbox was so filled with such vitriol. It doesn't appear to matter whether you're a Conservative, Liberal or an NDP supporter. The majority of viewers who have written CityNews are angry about the coalition agreement in Ottawa, with most expressing contempt for the parties behind it.

The feeling, regardless of political affiliation, is that the people have spoken - and as so often happens, the politicians simply aren't listening. In fact, we received only one email actually backing the alliance, with the rest - for lack of a better of a better term - terming the trio fronting the new group as a de facto Three Stooges.

Nice to see that not all Canadians are willing to lube themselves up and be fucked by the 3-headed snake.

 

[LancsLad]

Time for all subjects who previously accepted HRH's shilling to get out the old SMLE4MK1 and use the pull through.


The call will come soon.



.

 

[baci2004]

[SIZE=+2]EXCLUSIVE: IGGY RETHINKS COALITION[/SIZE][SIZE=+4]CRACK IN THE COALITION[/SIZE] Finally, a sign of sanity. Better late than never. A first serious sign of leadership from the presumptive leader-in-waiting. Senior Ignatieff insiders are tantalizingly whispering to Bourque that the Toronto MP is having grave doubts about supporting the shocking Dion coalition bid, now labelled by many as the "Separatist Coalition", given the defining support it has from both the BQ's Gilles Duceppe and former PQ Premier Jacques Parizeau. One longtime senior Ignatieff backer, under condition of anonymity, confided that "Michael is in a tenuous situation and he is feeling a lot of heat from caucus colleagues and constituents alike. Frankly, we think we got snookered by Bob Rae on this one". It nets out to this, according to this longtime Liberal and echoed by many other key backroom players: ordinary Liberals across the country, the card-carrying bbq-ing door-knocking envelope-stuffing phone-banking kind who make up the backbone of the party and who would need to be counted on to support his leadership aspirations, are vehemently rejecting the Dion argument that a deal with the separatist Bloc Quebecois is in the best interests of Canada. "Bullshit", said one Liberal power-broker, who was quick to point out Dion is tilting at Liberal history for the sake of a short stint at 24 Sussex. "Dion is nuts", he told Bourque, "I am ashamed he is leading the party of Laurier, Pearson, Trudeau, and Chretien - my God, Chretien, the guy who poured out his federalist heart against Rene Levesque's country-killing forces so long ago - I am ashamed Dion is selling us out." He and the others are right, of course. Add to that a comment from one of Canada's leading media personalities, who told Bourque this evening that "the Liberals can never again say that they are the guardians of National Unity". He has a sobering point, unfortunately. Ignatieff, in turn, would be right to heed the growing chorus of advice from his own braintrust and to distance himself from this embarrassing marriage of expedience fueled by nothing more than the personal egos and ambitions of a relatively few desperate 'inside-the-beltway' political personalities, both elected and otherwise, the 'chip-on-their-shoulders' type who can't see beyond their disdain for Harper. In short, no act of clarity whatsoever ...... UPDATE 1:Meanwhile, former Lib MP & Deputy PM John Manley is also now distancing himself from Dion's unholy alliance, telling a G&M confcall that his inclusion in Dion's wise men sounding board is news to him. "I havent agreed to do anything", he said ...... UPDATE 2: Insiders are telling Bourque late this evening that "at least 15 opposition members are ready to break ranks and, if necessary, sit as independents. This group includes Dryden, Tonks, Bevilacqua (from Grits) and Angus (NDP)". Bourque is also hearing that "at least three Bloc members are considering same course of action and there maybe at least two Tories thinking of going the other way (as independents) - Michael 'Cheech' Chong and backbencher Lee Richardson." Developing ...

 

[BKool]

Jesus f'ing Christ ... what a circus.

 

[LancsLad]

Will the "coalition" be able to ride out this shitstorm.


It Depends.





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[lookingforitallthetime]

you I don't care enough about either way.

You wouldn't feel that way once you got to know me better.

 

[lookingforitallthetime]

And you guys make fun of US politics.

It's a well oiled machine!

A parliamentary system has too many flaws. A majority government is too powerful and a minority government is inefficient. Majority governments become autocratic and corrupt, minority governments are usually brief and chaotic.

Your system is much more democratic than ours.

 

[Asterix]

It's a well oiled machine!

A parliamentary system is too flawed. A majority government is too powerful and a minority government is inefficient. Majority governments become autocratic and corrupt, minority governments never last long.

Your system is much more democratic than ours.

Possibly. But we flirt with disaster far more. Think about some of the people in the US throughout history who could have come to power.

 

[Diesel Jockey]

Like the rest of you (I hope) I love Canada and our way of life.
As a proud Canadian and Torontonian (and yes somewhat Liberal) I find this whole scenario sickening.

No, Harper didn't win a majority government. He did pull off another minority government. Our last election was a waste of tax payers money. The proof was in minor growth in the Tories votes. Regardless, still growth that indicates that an election so soon into term was a waste all round.

We as Canadians have suffered a long time virtually with no government and are in desperate need of action on Parliament Hill. I don't know if we have a sedition act in Canada (doubt it) but really what the oppostion is doing is not far off from exactly that.
Tying up our current governments hands to deliberately HALT all business that should be on the days order of, should be illegal.

The Liberals are not fit to run our nation. Neither are the NDP or Bloc. As a previously strong Liberal supporter I say this very seriously;
The nation has spoken and said none of the above three are wanted to lead us. There's no way in hell then that we should allow all three to join hands and reverse what Canadians demanded.

Whether you're a Liberal, Conservative, NDP, Bloc or other, should be at this point a non issue. The issue of Canadians should be to get the ball rolling in one direction or another and not allow the jobless, impoverished, homeless and hungry to remain in this state while we bicker about who is right and who is wrong.

**SIDE QUESTIONS**
As Canadians when we feel something to be an atrocity and a crime against the people, who do we complain to? What agency monitors, accepts and actively investigates scenarios such as these?
Before any party leader decides to align with another party should it not first be required to be put to vote from the party supporters? Is this really any different to a behemoth conglomerate merging with another without first conulting the shareholders?

I voted Liberal last election. I didn't vote for this, however.

 

[chiller_boy]

I voted Liberal last election. I didn't vote for this, however.

Agreed. Nobody did. But consider what Harper is trying to do - establish to the best of his ability a one party system but forcing the electoral process back to special interest funding among other mean spirted proposals. This is not what a leader of a minority government(or a majority for that matter) is supposed to do and it is exactly contradictory to his throne speech in which he pledged cooperation with the parties representing the other 62 percent of the electorate.

Would you have the opposition parties immediately agree to his proposals? Their choice was to vote no confidence and immediately plunge Canada into a new election(over special interest funding - I don't think Harper would have liked that) or attempt to use the last election results as a quasi mandate to dump Harper. They may have made the wrong choice - I dont see how Harper could have one an election with special interest funding as the main issue - but they were stuck on their goofy decision to keep Dion in charge until May.

If a new election is called, Dion should resign in favor of Ignatieff( until the next liberal caucus).

 

[landscaper]

Coalition governments have worked well in Germany so I don't see a problem. Bringing in seperatists is the problem, it killed the PC's under Mulroney and it will be no different for the Liberals.

Correct me if I am wrong but the current german government is still not up and running after a year due to the inability to get a working coalition . If we are talking about fractured parliments lets not forget the Italian parliment they are over a hundred elections over the years since WW2 because of teh fractured parlimentary system.
A multiple party system can work but the coalitions should be made prior to or during the elections so the electorate can examine them

 

[landscaper]

Agreed. Nobody did. But consider what Harper is trying to do - establish to the best of his ability a one party system but forcing the electoral process back to special interest funding among other mean spirted proposals. This is not what a leader of a minority government(or a majority for that matter) is supposed to do and it is exactly contradictory to his throne speech in which he pledged cooperation with the parties representing the other 62 percent of the electorate.

Would you have the opposition parties immediately agree to his proposals? Their choice was to vote no confidence and immediately plunge Canada into a new election(over special interest funding - I don't think Harper would have liked that) or attempt to use the last election results as a quasi mandate to dump Harper. They may have made the wrong choice - I dont see how Harper could have one an election with special interest funding as the main issue - but they were stuck on their goofy decision to keep Dion in charge until May.



If a new election is called, Dion should resign in favor of Ignatieff( until the next liberal caucus).

The conservatives were not forcing the electoral precess back to special interest funding. The removal of public funding from political parties would have forced them to rely on fund raising from the party supporters. The rules defineing and regulating donations would stay in place forcing individuall donations of small amounts limiting the influence of any one large party supporter. That was the liberal law change back in the Chretien days.

 

[landscaper]

The basic question that is running through this is can the coalition legally force a change in government?

Constitutionally it is ONE of teh options available to teh head of state.

That is the option the coalition members are hoping for .

Other options

Prorouge the parliment the governments hope it will give them time for A) the tempurature to go down

B) the coalition to fall apart seeing the news reports over the last couple of days that is a real possibility

C) Dislove parliment and go to a general election, the least palatable of the options for all concerned but it would effecxtivly kill all the oposition parties, the liberals and NDP would get destroyed. It would likely cost Harper teh P.M.s job after the election.

 

[emerging44]

We didn't give anyone a mandate, but we still need someone to govern. The result is parties are trying to get a functional majority as best they can. Harper tried through bullying, the Libs are trying through closed door deals. Neither is ideal, but this is what happens when noone is good enough to win a majority.

Agreed! Our votes only go to electing a local candidate. What they do when they get to Ottawa is a different story altogether. All this talk about not voting for a Coalition so they don't have any support is just rot! I sent my MP a note yesterday supporting his actions.

 

[landscaper]

Agreed! Our votes only go to electing a local candidate. What they do when they get to Ottawa is a different story altogether. All this talk about not voting for a Coalition so they don't have any support is just rot! I sent my MP a note yesterday supporting his actions.

A quick way to determine if they have any actuall support is to call an election.