So, Ignatieff it is although I don't really understand the mechanics of how that's going to happen.
With the endorsements of LeBlanc and Rae and no one else raising his/her hand, Ignatieff - regardless of his detractors - is our guy in our last ditch attempt to stop Harper.
I like Stephane Dion although he's proven a constant and near-fatal disappointment as Party leader. His polling numbers, borne out by the Party's dismal performance in the last election, show that the people of Canada didn't believe in him. Dion was a monumental disaster for the Liberal Party of Canada.
If it is to be Mr. Ignatieff, I want to know what he intends to do to prevent a Harper majority. To me that has to be the objective by which policies are shaped and focused. A Liberal renaissance can wait. Mr. Ignatieff still has to show that he deserves our support. That's something that has to be earned. Only then should he focus on earning the support of the Canadian electorate.
The Chretien to Martin to Dion days have been a dark time for the Liberal Party, full of sniping and recrimination. There are those who want to keep that ball rolling even though the only one who benefits from it is Stephen Harper.
Get over it. Get over yourselves. Mr. Dion is a spent force and he bears full responsibility for his demise and our failure. Ignatieff didn't knock Dion off the rails en route to some great triumph. It was the failing grade the Canadian people gave Mr. Dion that brought us to where we are today.
So, for those of you who rage on and say you're leaving the Liberal Party, well, Adios. I'm confident your numbers will actually be quite few and that there'll be far more coming back to the Party than leaving.
17 comments:
The first thing Ignatieff is going to deal is make a deal with Harper. Ignatieff is Harper-lite.
iggy will insist that we extend our deployment in Afghanistan and start using water torture on our prisoners
Boy you're really in a kick everybody out of the party kinda mood today. That's what the party needs, to lose more supporters. How did you enjoy those first two comments? I'd get used to it. Now that Ignatieff is your boy you will be constantly having to defend things like torture and war. It's fun to be an apologist for an apologist. I would comment further but you just kicked me out of the party.
Mark my words, Iggy and Harper will form an alliance. Iggy will break his alliance with the NDP and form and informal one with the Conservatives for at least six months.
This is what I guess will be on the table when Harper finally presents his budget:
- reversal of pay equity provisions
- privatization of crown assets
- slash 20% of CBC budget
- economic stimulus package to automotive industry on condition of union workers sacrificing rights and wages
- non-reversal of funding cuts to the arts and culture sector
- increased funding cuts across government departments based on program review
- infrastructure funding conditional on Public Private Financing (P3s)
- market choice in grain distribution, childcare and health care
- income splitting for stay at home mom
- increased military spending
I have no doubt that Iggy will have no problem in voting in support for all these measures if not more.
Harper has only known politics (especially the manipulative aspects) his entire adult life. Iggy, not so much. I guess you could say he was crafty enough to secure the coronation but it seems to me that the LPC decision makers are easily distracted by bright, shiny objects.
From here on end, I will try to stay out of the discourse because I wouldn't want to help Harper's enablers by ranting against Iggy.
Heh, w/v= cooptid
P3s only work well during "good" economic times (and I question them then too), but with the economy tanked, there won't be any "Privates" left around to pair with the "Publics". No private cos will have the money to spare.
Ah... those wonderful "anonymous" Conservatives. Thanks for spending your day on LiBlogs. Every minute you spend here keeps you off the streets, making Canada a safer - and friendlier - place...
As far as the torture goes, here's what we will urge Mr. Ignatieff to do: Bring Harper and Flaherty in. Waterboard them for a while, then allow Bob Rae and Rick Mercer to photograph them naked with the new budget shoved up their @$$e$. Afterwards, we can all have a beer and laugh about it.
I'm out.....gone!! A. Morris
Ignatieff and Harper staff are already talking about an Alliance budget. There will NOT be a coalition. The NDP/Liberal Coalition will be dead with the Harper/Ignatieff Alliance, however. The Liberal Party is about to take a very sharp right turn.
"To defeat evil, we may have to traffic in evils : indefinite detention of suspects, coercive interrogations, targeted assassinations, even pre-emptive war."
http://www.vigile.net/Lesser-Evils
Lesser Evils
Michael Ignatieff
New York Times Magazine
dimanche 2 mai 2004
I've read all the criticisms of Ignatieff listed here and on other sites. I hope you're wrong about the guy because, if you're not, I might have to join you.
Let me ask you this. Do you believe Rae and LeBlanc are so unprincipled as to support a fellow resembling the one you depict? Is that the real measure of Bob Rae? Does LeBlance have so little integrity?
Even had they simply chosen to drop out of the race, why did they come forward to endorse Ignatieff? Why didn't LeBlanc throw his support to Rae? He had a choice.
The Liberal Party isn't the New Democrats, it never has been. It's also not a party whose members have been willing to act like cattle. The herd mentality is something more easily embraced by the right.
Let's pretend that Harper didn't exist, that there was no demagogue threatening our country. Let's suppose it's May, 2009 and the Libs are holding their convention. Be honest now, who would win? We all know the answer to that.
I'll make this point once more - I carry no brief for Michael Ignatieff but I will support him, for now, while I wait for him to prove that he deserves my support.
Give him a chance. What did Trudeau teach? Reason over passion. I'm hearing an awful lot of passion right now, angry passion, fueled by raw speculation, frustration and disappointment. Some of you, I sense, would chide me for not doing the same.
I'm sorry, I won't do that. I gave Dion every chance, even coming back to support him, twice, after he'd lost me. He deserved the chance and I gave it to him.
Now I'm going to give this fellow a chance. I think you should too but I fear that some of you are so overwhelmed with your anger and indignation to do that. I think that's sad - for the Party, for you and for me.
You've freely vented your passion. Now it's time to let reason have a chance.
Anon, 7:31. I don't mind if you criticize Dion but do show a bit of respect.
I think what bothers me about Ignatieff is that I don't know what he stands for. If he does go over to the Harper side, then there is still until late February to revive the leadership race for May. Somehow I just can't believe that Rae would have said all those good things about him if he's Harper-lite, but if he, is that really will be the end of the party.
Well Anon 7:50, it's always nice to hear from Mr. Harper's mother. Wow, what a mouth.
There's an awful lot of bent egos out there, or so it seems.
It's time to forget all this crap for now, unite, & get back on track to rid this country of Harper. THAT is what the focus must be if we are to succeed. Harper is a VERY dangerous man for Canada & since the EFU has succeeded in causing division between citizens, provinces, etc. Is this what we want, among many other despicable acts & agendas he has?
I don't know enough about MI either but am willing to listen & watch & hope he will do the right thing, & whatever it takes, to oust our dictatorial, nasty PM.
We can deal with party issues at a later time. Right now we need to be focused & united for our one goal. GET.RID.OF.HARPER.
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