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Wednesday, October 03, 2007
Tory, Tory, Tory
Parliament still isn't sitting, there's been no Throne Speech, there's been no non-confidence vote, there's been no visit with the G-G, and there's been no election call. But this national affairs pundit, at least, is already smelling a Conservative majority government.
Posted by Terry O'Neill on October 3, 2007 in Canadian Politics | Permalink
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Comments
Canada deserves a Conservative majority government, and by the looks of things, they will get it - sooner than later.
Posted by: obc | 2007-10-03 9:39:23 AM
Today Quebec, tomorrow the world.
Seriously, though Harper has made both the Bloc and the Libs irrelevant in Quebece with one easy strategy.
All he had to do is assure Quebec be given the jurisdictions guaranteed it in the BNA Act.
Since Quebec did not sign onto Trudeau's 1982 repatriation, the Bloc's entire strategy has been to fight for the return of the powers Trudeau usurped in the centralization attempts.
It's in every province's interest to wrest those powers back.
First, though, there has to be a way to unglue the resistance. Trudeau's vision of ‘all are equal, but we are more equal that the others'
Posted by: set you free | 2007-10-03 11:17:05 AM
Provincial "Power" was gone long before PM Trudeau arrived on the scene. PM MacKenzie King created the
Liberal style Central government which remains in operation today. King was a very smart and ruthless politician, demolished all who opposed him and his version of the Liberal Party. Harper would be a fool to "give" anything to the Provinces except Christmas Greetings -imagine some of the fools who pretend they are acceptable Premiers more or less running the country -go watch the ultimate nerd, Rodney the Fiddler Nova Scotia in action. Nova Scotia Progressive Conservatives will vanish in the next Provincial Election to be succeeded the Socialist Horde and the Greens. Most Provincial Governments are laughable in Canada. Only Premier Williams of NF LAB is an impressive politician and negotiator. Here in the Picture Province we elected Howdy Doody -Macleod
Posted by: Jack MacLeod | 2007-10-03 11:42:02 AM
"...is already smelling a Conservative majority government"
Don't wanna put rain on the parade but it seems that the Libs are now face to face with the Cons >even with the "Dion's problem"...
Knowing there's two other parties in this race, the Cons are not going nowhere near a majority. Nice try.
Posted by: Marc | 2007-10-03 1:54:59 PM
Of course, the truth is found WITHIN the article - not in the hopes of separatists:
"Tory support is spread more evenly throughout the province's outlying francophone areas, where there are a number of winnable seats.
That's because the Tories appear to be winning the lion's share of soft nationalists, many of whom appear to be abandoning the Bloc.
The Harris-Decima poll showed Liberals with a 15-point lead among voters who described themselves as "federalists.''
The Bloc Quebecois had a 40-point lead among those who called themselves "separatists.''
But the Conservatives were nipping at the Bloc's heels (28-24 per cent for the Bloc) among the 40 per cent of Quebec voters who described themselves as somewhere between federalist and separatist."
Posted by: obc | 2007-10-03 2:04:37 PM
Since the focus is about a possible election, here's what a concerned politician thinks. Stephen J. Gray.
An Imaginary Letter From a Concerned Politician
By Stephen J. Gray
Dear honorable members of all parties. I keep hearing there will be an election very soon and that some of you intend to bring down the government. Have you all gone quite mad? What is the matter with you all? We are paid around $150,000 dollars a year plus perks and expenses to do it to the people, oops I mean do the people’s business, and some of you want to give all this up for an ELECTION. For what? Just so some party can have a seat or two more or a seat or two less, and who knows, some of you might not even have a seat after the election.
We are all sitting pretty right now and we are not even in parliament. Why would any of you risk losing the nice, cushy, comfortable jobs you have? Some of you are making more money than you ever dreamed of. You never had it so good as one former politician once told the people. Now for the sake of making silly political points some of you want an ELECTION! Come on, climb down off your platforms, forget your visions rhetoric, file your plans away, and stop gibbering. It’s too early to go to the people. Some of us are still trying to get our pension time in and you selfish ones with seniority want an ELECTION. Where is the political solidarity?
Politics is a game as you all know, or should know. The different party labels are just choices for the people, it gives them an alternative. We are nearly all the same under our political skins, but the game is the thing. The people get to place an X in the ballot box at election time and this allows them to participate in the game; however, this game is still in session and we do not want it stopped just yet. It would be a political tragedy of mammoth proportions if some of us got voted out of the game. Surely none of you want to be voted off this political island just yet?
Think about it like this. You win some arguments you lose some arguments in the House, but it’s all good fun. We even get to be on TV during question period, asking each other silly questions for the benefit of the people who care to watch us. And we can let off steam by banging our desks at each other when some of us make stupid comments. It’s all good political fun. Some of us have even appeared on comedy shows and put on a good performance. Are we all clowns at heart? The show must go on, and we the performers are still on stage. The people are the audience and they pay for our performances, and some of you want to give all this up for an ELECTION?
Think about it. We all would have to go on the campaign trail promising the people goodies with their own tax money. We would have to have silly debates with each other over party policy differences, when we all know there are very little differences, if any. Only political scrooges would want an ELECTION.
An election, if it happened, would also bring a vote near Christmas and this would surely destroy our Christmas party on the Hill. There would be no turkeys around, except for you political turkeys who want an ELECTION. So do you birds get the message? Please no ELECTION. All our needs are met right now. If we want to cross the floor we do it. If we want to re-cross the floor we could do it. This house is our political home, and just like any home it has its arguments and differences of opinion. So please don’t go to the people for approval. Some of us don’t want to be evicted just yet.
This letter is respectfully submitted by a concerned honorable member, who likes serving the people and needs the job.
Stephen J. Gray
[email protected] website http://www.geocities.com/graysinfo
Posted by: Stephen J. Gray | 2007-10-03 4:28:58 PM
SG~
Do you think for a moment these individual MPs make any decisions? They are told how to vote - and if they vote AGAINST an election when their leaders want one, they will not have their nomination papers accepted by their parties.
5 people will decide about an election: The leaders of the 5 parties.
Posted by: obc | 2007-10-03 4:34:27 PM
Jack:
The fact remains there are provincial responsibilities as outlined in the BNA Act and federal responsibilities.
We all know politicians are buffoons. That's why we should entrust them with as little money as we are able to.
Fact remains, though, that a return to the BNA jurisdictions would be much better for everybody.
Posted by: set you free | 2007-10-03 5:52:11 PM
SYF- I agree with you. The founders wanted a confederation for good reason. The very size of the country dictates it and there is nothing wrong with Quebecers and the other provinces asking for it. The overlap- especially in environmental matters- causes unconscionalble delays in development. That is only one area; there are others.
Posted by: DML | 2007-10-03 10:10:30 PM
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