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Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Another Liberal coronation
I remember when Paul Martin was running for the leader of the Liberal Party. His contenders would one by one drop away and allow him to go unchallenged. The only other leadership contender to go to the convention was Shelia Copps, and she was dealt with later. King Martin was coronated without any other true pretenders to the throne.
I don’t think you need me to tell you what happened next.
Despite the disaster that Martin was for the Liberal Party, they are now heading for another coronation. With Bob Rae dropping out of the race there is no one else that can stop the Ignatieff leadership machine. He will be crowned by caucus and perhaps the riding presidents, then he will be ratified in a mockery of a vote in May.
I won’t assume that Ignatieff would make as bad of Prime Minister as Martin was, just because they have both been crowned the saviour of the Liberal Party. Yet I think that the damage to the Liberal Party will be substantial.
Consider the way that the law requires people to raise money. Political parties in Canada now need a mass of people willing to give relatively small amounts. The Liberals are having problems doing this and part of the reason for that is they do not have a grassroots oriented party. Sure the Conservative Party is not as grassroots as the Reform Party once was, but they are still leaps and bounds ahead of the Liberal Party.
Why would someone donate to the party that they don’t even have the pretence of having a say in? The average, “put up a couple of signs during the election” party supporter is not likely to go to a DSM meeting, but they will go participate in direct leadership votes. The direct voting of the Conservative system encourages people to consider themselves part ownership of the party. Hell the Conservative constitution begins by saying that the party does belong to the membership.
Meanwhile the Liberal Party caucus or the extra-parliamentary elite are going to pick the next Liberal leader. And they aren’t really going to be given much of a choice. Instead they are being handed a second coronation with no real input from the party base. Good luck getting people to donate money or volunteer. When will they learn?
Posted by Hugh MacIntyre on December 9, 2008 in Canadian Politics | Permalink
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Comments
I hope the Liberals never learn to be a democratic party and they spend the next hundred years lost in the wilderness.
The problem they have is that they are locked in a 1950s or 1970s political time warp and don't realize that the internet has made they easy prey for ridicule and jokes.
There are no secrets anymore, at least not for long.
Ruling elitism, appointments, crooked backroom deals and thinking that voters don't know what they are doing?
And voters don't or won't care about they are doing?
Big mistake.
Couldn't happen to nicer bunch of guys.
Posted by: Rocky Thompson | 2008-12-09 12:00:45 PM
Ig is a pompous elitist out for nothing but the further elevation of his bulging ego.
Ig doesn't give a damn about average Canadians and has no clue about the vast majority of the country. In this sense, he is even more out of touch with the country than was Dion.
Yes, Iggy will "communicate" better. But what will come through now, with his ego engorged head will be even more pompous and arrogant blather.
Looking forward to more gaffe a minute specials from the most ridiculous party in Ottawa.
Epsi
Posted by: epsilon | 2008-12-09 12:21:07 PM
I gotta admit that I have been quite enjoying watching the Liberals squirm!!!
Posted by: Proud Albertan | 2008-12-09 12:57:02 PM
Wow - Iggy and Rae were roommates at U of Toronto. Small world.
Iggy is an aristocrat like Trudeau (Remember the innocent). He's U of Toronto, Oxford and Harvard educated, yet he's as oblivious to the world as an Illinois governor. Well done. At least Rae was never caught.
Posted by: Zebulon Pike | 2008-12-09 1:13:22 PM
Bob Rae says he's quitting "for the good of the country". I have to say that Rae is the most nausea-inducing piece of work in all of Canadian politics, past and present. For this Ego on two legs to use a phrase like that is astonishing. However, it just shows how far out of touch with reality he really is. And this twit wants to be Foreign Minister?
As for Ignatieff: no political experience, precious little Canadian experience or track record, and an academic to boot. And this is what the Liberal Party thinks will appeal? How condescending can they get?
Posted by: Patrick B | 2008-12-09 1:16:11 PM
For the ‘good of the country' Bob Rae should just go away.
Posted by: set you free | 2008-12-09 1:26:25 PM
Liebrals never do anything that is good for anyone but their corporate masters.
Hopefully Iggy will quickly go the way of Martin and Dion, just another in a long line of undistinguished and unsuccessful Liebral leaders.
Posted by: Zebulon Pike | 2008-12-09 1:44:47 PM
"when will they learn?"
It will take a massive shock like what happened to the Cons after Mulroney. But a shock 100X more massive than that might not work on the entitled-oblivions.
Posted by: reg dunlop | 2008-12-09 5:23:54 PM
In thirty plus years Ignatief has only resided in Canada for the past three years. It is clear that he also only lately considered himself Canadian. In an interview with Peter Newman published in Macleans 6 April 2006 he apologized for calling himself American.Just what we need, a barely Canadian becoming our Prime Minister by appoinment, not election. By the way, if it comes to the point that the Harper Government is defeated in a vote of confidence following the Budget presentation, Iggy will no doubt petition the Governor General to name him Prime Minister as the head of the Liberal/NDP Coalition. We should point out to the Governor General in advance of 26 Jan 09 that as both the Liberals and NDP have made it clear the Bloc Quebecois are not part of the Coalition, their Coalition only holds 114 seats out of 308 so is in no position to command the confidence of the House.
Posted by: Bob Wood | 2008-12-09 8:31:18 PM
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