Iggy Sinking the Ship: Harpercons Winning Without Much Effort: What are Canadians willing to Sacrifice to Avoid going to Polls?

Let's revisit a question I asked in Canadian Political Parties-One Unhappy Disfunctional Family shall we?

"Harpercons are poised to  gain a majority government if an election were held today. What's funnier is I'm not really sure why. Is it because Canadians are really becoming more Libertarian; more attracted to the GOP way of life? Or is it because the Liberals are soooo disfunctional with an unsuitable leader?  Or perhaps whiny Canadian voters are just soooo tired of going to the polls that they would jump in with both feet first & vote Harpercons in because they have the best shot at a majority, which is something most Canadians seem to want; nothing to do with what Harpercons would do or not do"

I also invite you to answer the poll question on the side bar. I, for one, would be very interested in this result. 

Montreal Simon is frustrated with this week's developments in politics & his frustrations are shared by most & rightfully so. Click on the link to read his posting. Between the Harpercon numbers going up, jeers for Layton & the N.D.P. for supporting the Harpercons & the temper tantrum of Denis Coderre, the situation is indeed a frightening one. 

Furthermore, the ads of Iggy in the woods & everything else he has tried is failing miserably. The fact that he distanced himself from that Christmas Coalition failed as well. 

The only good strategic decision he made was overriding Denis Coderre earlier this week about the riding of Outremont & we owe a thanks to the latest candidate to throw her hat into the Quebec Federal Liberal ring by telling Iggy she would prefer to run in Jeanne Le Ber & to allow the Outremont nomination to go to Martin Cauchon who held Outremont for eleven years before resigning. However, that seemed to also backfire given the hissy-fit Coderre had, resigning his post in a huff. While I don't agree with how Coderre handled himself, I think Iggy threatening sanctions like throwing him out of caucus would be a huge blunder. However, it looks like Coderre & Iggy may reach some kind of understanding.

Harper's MIA from the UN climate talks & UN speeches proved what Iggy said about Canada losing its' place on the world stage, but that doesn't seem to work neither.

Montreal Simon seems to believe that Iggy is just plugging way too fast instead of stepping back to correct some of the problems within the Liberals. Here his a cartoon by André-Philippe Coté of Le Soleil which was posted on Montreal Simon today.  Simon  translated the caption to English: 

Besides the fact that Iggy is the biggest problem with the Liberal party is Iggy himself, why are his efforts failing so miserably? This is two leaders in a row who will never ever be prime-minister. The fact that Dion, being from the Chretien faction & a French speaking Quebecer, usually a winner failed. This is where I wonder if any leader of the Liberal Party can win. If so, they'd better return with someone from the old Chretien/Trudeau Camp. 

Also, Jack Layton should be thanked for saving us from a Harpercon majority & not chastised. Let's appreciate this for now because we don't know how much longer Layton & the N.D.P. can keep propping ol' Stevie up.

It's about time the Liberals & the N.D.P.  merged. I think that this is the only way to keep Harpercons out. After all, it is thanks to the CA & PC merge that Ol' Stevie is in power today. A merger would also avoid the problem of a coalition which a lot of Canadians seem to whine about.

A Creative Revolution has done more than a good job of reminding Canadians who the Harpercon clan really is and answer the question some Canadians have: What more Harper can do if had a majority? Below is a video produced  by A Creative Revolution summarizing what Harpercons have done & who his merry band of disciples are. Really worth a view & the music so fitting especially with that Halloween-ish tone.

What is really frustrating is Ol' Stevie is fairing quite well in the polls these days. Apparently, recent events have not moved Canadian voters.  His video behind closed doors & his No-show at the UN climate talks in favour of lunch with Mayor Bloomberg & skipping the UN speeches in favour of donuts at Timmy's doesn't seem to appall Canadians. 

Then there are commentators from various newspages who actually suggest that we suck up a Harper con majority for four years, thus giving the Liberals ample time to get their shit together to win the next election. Well, read the following links & list below: Take a good look at what Ol' Stevie & his Harpercons can accomplish in four years:  Is this what we really want?

Read more extensively what a Harpercon majority would accomplish here.
If anyone needs a refresher course of ol' Stevie's fantasies; here are some quotes from & about him.  Want to know how many "friends" he dumped? A long-due trip down memory lane, perhaps?  How his true blue colours come creeping out? Read all about that here.


Canadians who would vote in Harpercons: I suggest strongly that you read the above links & view the above video before signing Canada away to this neo-con. Especially to Centrists, I'm sure you would really not like  what a Harpercon majority would do. 


Here are just some highlights of what would be sure to happen: 

1. A two-tiered American Health care system mirroring exactly that of the American nightmare of a system.
2. Abortion will be criminalized.
3. Deep cuts in Gov't. services
4. That new temporary EI bill will go out the window & I venture to say we will no longer have EI
5. Fewer transfers to the Provinces (except for Alberta of course)
6. Our same-sex marriage legislation reversed
7. More Corporate Tax cuts on the backs of the Canadian working class.
8. No more Canada Pension Plan & Old Age Pension
9. The war in Afghanistan will probably be prolonged. 

Harper chastises Quebec 'separatists'. Perhaps we all need reminding about a letter he wrote during his hay day as President of the National Citizens' Coalition, suggesting Alberta build a firewall around itself.  If ol' Stevie gets that majority, he will no doubt revisit this issue.


You can also read my previous postings about Ol' Stevie to get some quotes.


Many of us probably wish there was a way for the Liberals to oust Iggy now, without a federal election & there probably is a way, but that has problems: 

1. If Iggy is ousted, this would be a perfect time for ol' Stevie to trigger an election & a Harpercon majority would be certain.
2. Who would & could lead the Liberals this time? And not another care-taker; someone who can actually win a Liberal Majority? Not Bob Rae: Gilles  Duceppe, as well as Harpercons would capitalize on his transgressions in Ontario way back when. Also, has Ontario, a battleground province, forgiven Rae? 

Unfortunately, we'll have to stick with Iggy for awhile longer & hopefully he can get some new PR people to sell his package better. Best case scenario: "I will say it again! Iggy & Jack: stop fighting &amp start playing nicely! Merge already!"


Is it really worth living living in a Canada we no longer recognize to save a little trip to the polling station on the way home from work??

Canadian Political Parties-One Unhappy Disfunctional Family

Sometimes I really do think we're becoming more & more Americanized. These days, Canadian Politics can only be described in one phrase: A Big Unhappy Disfunctional Family.


Harpercons are poised to  gain a majority government if an election were held today. What's funnier is I'm not really sure why. Is it because Canadians are really becoming more Libertarian; more attracted to the GOP way of life? Or is it because the Liberals are soooo disfunctional with an unsuitable leader?  Or perhaps whiny Canadian voters are just soooo tired of going to the polls that they would jump in with both feet first & vote Harpercons in because they have the best shot at a majority, which is something most Canadians seem to want; nothing to do with what Harpercons would do or not do. Whatever the reason, Harpercons are poised for a majority government unless the Liberals get their shit together & for the sake of Canada, I hope this happens sooner rather than later.


While Iggy was busy preparing to table a non-confidance motion to Stevie's economic stimulus report card; dear ol' Denis Coderre tenders a rather noisy resignation as Quebec's lieutenant. This is not a good day for Iggy. It would seem that the family feud between the 'Trudeau/Chretien' clan & the 'Turner/Martin' clan (terms coined by L. Ian MacDonald in today's Montreal Gazette)  is still alive & kicking. A feud that would almost rival that of the Hatfields v the McCoys without the guns or hillbilly environment. 


Poor Denis, he will never be prime-minister, so why prime him to lead the Liberals? Have they not learned their lesson?  When Iggy overrode Coderre's decision to nominate Cauchon for the Outremont riding & the new 'star' Nathalie Le Prohon in Jeanne Le Ber, a riding now held by the Bloc & had been switching between the Bloc & the Liberals for a few years now; Coderre has a temper tantrum. While he says that he still has 'confidance' in Iggy, he says he should consider changing his advisors. 

"Should he follow his Quebec lieutenant while working closely with a credible team? Or to his Toronto advisers who know nothing about the social and political realities of Quebec?"

Ordinarily, I would see this answer as a no brainer. Of course the Quebec Lieutenant would be best suited to advise Iggy on Liberal matters in Quebec. However, I would make an exception to this one. Since Mulcair won Outremont in a bi-election following the departure of the former Quebec lieutenant, Jean Lapierre, he has had & still has a strong hold on this riding. The Liberals are going to need to not only keep all their seats but  take every additional seat they can get to not only prevent a Harpercon majority. In order to do this, they can't really afford to experiment. I saw having the 'star' Nathalie Le Prohon run against Mulcair in Outremont as a mistake & sure to lose. After all, if she's such a star, how come not to many folks have heard of her before last week outside of Nokia & IBM? Cauchon, on the other hand had Outremont for eleven years until 2004 when he left with the mass exodus shortly after Chretien was ousted from office. Cauchon is well known.  He also would be much more suitable leader of the Liberals than Coderre, particularly if he succeeds in winning Outremont against a very popular MP. Cauchon would indeed have a much better shot at becoming PM with perhaps even a majority government than Coderre ever would.


Also, Denis Coderre is blaming the wrong person for his misfortune at least in part. According to Iggy, he received a phone  last Friday with Le Prohon, who said she thought the right solution would be for her to seek an open nominaton in the Bloc Québécois-held riding of Jeanne-Le Ber. Iggy maintains that this was her decision.  Well, well, I'm starting to like her already; someone who is thinking about the good of the party.  I may not know much about her, but something tells me she could well unseat the Bloc incumbent & probably have an easier time of it than perhaps even Cauchon would to unseat Mulcair in Outremont. Something tells me she will have a bright future in Liberal politics. Here is a brief bio of her. Quite impressive, really. A survivor.


Denis Coderre apparently still plans to be an MP representing the riding of Bourassa. Let's hope he at least continues to do that. While I don't like his being a poor sport, he needs to stay in a riding the Liberals would be sure to keep.


As for Stephane Dion, let's hope Iggy allows him to stay in St-Laurent. He may not have succeeded in becoming PM, but the fact that he has held St-Laurent for so many years is indicative that the folks in that riding must have confidence in him to represent them in parliament. Again, Iggy should not upset this apple cart for the good of the party.


As for the economic stimulus report card, Jack Layton & the NDP; those 'God awful Socialists' Stevie has so much disdain for, will be propping up the Harpercons yet again under the guise of ensuring a speedy passage of legislation extending EI benefits for the unemployed. I believe that's only part of the reason he's doing this. After all, as I pointed out in Damned if they Do; Damned if they Don't; Starring..., Layton knows that this is the only way to ensure EI changes come in, such as they are. The other part would be not only because his numbers are down & the party is broke, but I'm sure he feels the same way I do; the same way I'm sure many Canadians do; a Harpercon majority is much more dangerous than the status-quo. 


Yeah, Jack will no doubt be lambasted by Canadians yet again & will be maligned in the media by Iggy, but I wonder if the latter is just nothing more than a show for the media? After all, I can't believe that someone of Iggy's academic pedigree would be that stupid to actually not look at his numbers & want an election. Yes, he had to throw down the gauntlet, but I'm wondering if he made some kind of back room deal with Jack Layton?? Never can tell. This is why I have said that Jack Layton, along with Gilles Duceppe are the real stars of this debacle. Layton & the NDP, along with Duceppe & the Bloc, may never be the ruling party in the ivory tower of Ottawa, but they essentially decide whether Canadians remain with the status quo or do they play the game of political craps & take a chance at an election. As Dr. Phil in his trashy show would say, "the tail is wagging the dog". 


 As much as I would love to see a socialist government in power (I would do a happy dance if that happened & yes, maybe even youtube it), I am a realist & know the NDP will never be the ruling party.  No one has succeeded in taking away the raison d'etre from the Bloc & we have the Green Party (party with a noble cause but basically a one trick pony), who will never get a seat. 


To summarize this fiasco, the Bloc & NDP who will never rule are running the show pretty much; the Liberals are still involved in family feuding & Stevie is just salivating over ruling Canada under perhaps a new title of 'The Canadian Republican Party' but knows that one mis-step & he could be out of the game which is why he shares the sandbox ever so begrudgingly with the 'separatists' & the 'socialists'.  Also, let's not forget, with all this disfunction, Stevie seems to be able to get away with reminding us of his GOP style agenda in a behind closed door video (you can view the short video in the posting Dr. Jeckyll & Mr. Harper) & be a no-show at UN climate change talks in favour of lunch with Mayor Bloomberg & missing UN meetings in favour of eating donuts at Timmy's. 


Of course, let's not forget, as I pointed out in the earlier above mentioned posting, the most stable party & the leader who has the most credibility is the separatist party; a party which only represents the second largest province in Canada with no candidates outside of it. 


Like I said, the Liberals better get their shit together.


Like I said, one big unhappy disfunctional family. If there wasn't such a danger of a Harpercon majority, I would perhaps write a comedic play about it.