Why a minority is even preferable
A Liberal asked me the other day, "If your goal wasn't to try getting a majority, why are we having this election?"
The answer is simple... at least another two years at the helm, where we can be effective in helping the Canadian people through these economic troubles. But the bonus is the fact that we'll likely have another election in two or three years.
Why is that a good thing? Because you guys won't have had enough time to pay of your current election loans, and you'll still in debt for your upcoming leadership race.
You see, not getting a majority suits us just fine. With a majority, we're in office for four more years. But if we don't get a majority, we get to pound in another set of nails into the Liberal party's coffin.
You see, it's a win/win deal for us, either way.
Oh, and of course there's the far-fetched senario of Dion actually winning. Also a win for us, because then you're stuck with him for the next election cycle... think Trudeau vs. Joe Clark, 1980.
Win, win, or win.
UPDATE: Unless you're a regular reader, or perhaps even if you are, some have missed the point of my post... I've always been an advocate for political reform in this country. And in my opinion, the Liberal Party, in it's present form, is the single greatest hinderance to that reform in this country. Until the Red Beast is finally broken up, no political reform can ever occur.
I'm not advocating continued Conservative rule, I'm advocating significant political reform and realignment. Just to be clear.
The answer is simple... at least another two years at the helm, where we can be effective in helping the Canadian people through these economic troubles. But the bonus is the fact that we'll likely have another election in two or three years.
Why is that a good thing? Because you guys won't have had enough time to pay of your current election loans, and you'll still in debt for your upcoming leadership race.
You see, not getting a majority suits us just fine. With a majority, we're in office for four more years. But if we don't get a majority, we get to pound in another set of nails into the Liberal party's coffin.
You see, it's a win/win deal for us, either way.
Oh, and of course there's the far-fetched senario of Dion actually winning. Also a win for us, because then you're stuck with him for the next election cycle... think Trudeau vs. Joe Clark, 1980.
Win, win, or win.
UPDATE: Unless you're a regular reader, or perhaps even if you are, some have missed the point of my post... I've always been an advocate for political reform in this country. And in my opinion, the Liberal Party, in it's present form, is the single greatest hinderance to that reform in this country. Until the Red Beast is finally broken up, no political reform can ever occur.
I'm not advocating continued Conservative rule, I'm advocating significant political reform and realignment. Just to be clear.
12 Comments:
At Fri Oct 10, 12:34:00 PM EDT,
Alan said…
If that's your justification for this election, no wonder why people don't vote.
At Fri Oct 10, 12:55:00 PM EDT,
Anonymous said…
Pearson won two minority governments in the 1960's and is considered a hero with alot of leftoids in this country.
I'd also imagine that after this election the liberals will have pilled up some serious debt.
At Fri Oct 10, 12:56:00 PM EDT,
Anonymous said…
Pearson won two minority governments in the 1960's and is considered a hero with alot of leftoids in this country.
I'd also imagine that after this election the liberals will have pilled up some serious debt.
At Fri Oct 10, 01:00:00 PM EDT,
Anonymous said…
I'm curious. Once you have nailed shut the Liberal coffin for good, do you think the 26-30% of Canadians who will likely vote Liberal on Tuesday will vote Conservative next time?
Just wondering.
At Fri Oct 10, 01:12:00 PM EDT,
The Christian Heretic said…
I'm sorry, but that is pathetic. There are reasons I hate politics, and this is one of them.
Harper should have just finished off his current term and accepted Parliament as it was (and not called all those ridiculous "confidence votes"). The people voted for who they voted for and it would have been nice if Harper had respected that and not tried to make everything into an election threat I might have actually been able to respect him. I'm sorry, but playing politics is not something I generally respect in a person. Sure, I respect their savvy, but I see them as being morally lower than lawyers and other bottom feeders.
At Fri Oct 10, 01:39:00 PM EDT,
Christian Conservative said…
I've always been very clear, I think that the present form of the Liberal Party of Canada is hurting the cause of Canada. They lie, they cheat, they steal, they spin, and somehow, they keep getting elected.
Now, what if, and it's a big if, we could change the way we do politics in this country? A breakup of the Liberals into two parties could accomplish that. A more right leaning faction, along with a left-leaning faction. That would lead to realignment within the other parties, would bleed some off the Tories, would lead to the folding of the NDP, and a strengthening of the Greens. It would allow for three or even four different parties to realisticly jockey for government, rather than a defacto single-party state.
What is NOT to like about that? We need political reform... those reforms cannot occur so long as the Red Beast lives.
At Fri Oct 10, 02:43:00 PM EDT,
Anonymous said…
...and yet you support FPTP
Nice electoral reform
Mike Wisniewski
At Fri Oct 10, 03:15:00 PM EDT,
Thucydides said…
FPTP filters out political "noise". A parliament based on PR would make the last parliament look like a model of decorum and smooth decision making.
Imagine having the balance of power being in the hands of the Communist Party of Canada or the Christian Heritage Party, and the government having to pander to the whims of radical or extreme political movements.
At Fri Oct 10, 04:00:00 PM EDT,
Leo G said…
ABCD
Anybody But Confused Dion
At Fri Oct 10, 04:15:00 PM EDT,
MississaugaTom said…
I'm a conservative and will vote as such on Monday. But I am perfectly comfortable with a PC minority. Mr. Harper will still have a de facto majority. The Libs will be forced to abstain, be absent, vote with the Cons, go to the loo and look silly as usual. The Green Shift will probably disappear. And, people who are hesitant about a PC majority will get even more time to see that the Cons have claimed the centre that Dion et al abandonned.
At Sat Oct 11, 09:12:00 AM EDT,
Luke Coughey said…
I agree that the Liberal party needs to be purged, just as did the Conservatives during the Reform/Alliance party years. I was just looking at some of the poll results and wonder where the 22% of votes would go, if there were no Green & Block parties running. My thought is, just as the Conservatives split for a while to rejoin as a truly conservative party, I suspect that the same is now happening on the liberal side of the fence. Eventually, the Green party will merge with the Liberal party to form a new liberal Liberal party.
No matter how you look at it, with Dion at the helm, the Liberals will be constantly fighting an up hill battle. I suggest that they fight hard to get Frank McKenna as their leader. If for nothing else but to get things turned around.
In the meantime, I'm voting for Canada. I'm voting Conservative.
At Sat Oct 11, 09:53:00 AM EDT,
Davey said…
I think you are absolutely correct. It is a bit cynical but so true. There are just too many people voting Liberal simply because they always ahve or their families have. This party needed a huge overhaul and it has not happened. There is still in-fighting between the Iggy and Rae camps (quite a team, eh?)
The Conservative had a decade in the wilderness to re-group and re-define themselves. It's time for the Liberals to do the same.
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