Take that ‘stupid’ voters…
April 27, 2010
Apparently even a former Liberal finance minister know what a bald-face lie looks like when she sees it
“This particular tax takes the tax off businesses – it takes $1.8-billion off of businesses – and puts it on consumers,” Ms. Taylor told a CTV News panel last week. “But I think the bigger issue is that [Premier Gordon Campbell] promised that they would not – they would not – do the harmonization of the sales tax. And then right after the election, decided to do it.”…@
I suppose though that not even she could remain silent any longer considering how blatant the lies & double-talk of her former boss Gordon Campbell have become.
Ms. Taylor’s statements will definitly help the NDP, not that the NDP really needs it…
Seeing as the B.C Liberal Fiberal’s support/popularity was already in free fall,that said sadly not much of that drop can be credited to anything the NDP might have done. Truth be told the NDP’s performance through out Campbell’s two terms has been pretty lackluster if not confusing at times.
Indeed the NDP’s inability to capitalize on Liberal ineptness, in a more effective manner, is definitly a head-scratcher.
Particularly when one considers just how many times the B.C Liberals have screwed-up & or out right lied -two terms worth at that- literally serving the NDP political ammo on a silver platter.
That said though, why quibble… in politics a win’s a win, even if it comes about despite one’s self.
Keep up the good work King Gordo.
And the moral of the story is,that it’s possible to win an election without having to do much of anything,other than turning up that is.
H/T The Gazetteer
The tortoise and the hare
April 26, 2010
Usually I do not pay much attention to poll-iticing.
That said the latest poll is interesting…
“In my memory, I can never recall both major political parties being under 30 per cent of the popular vote — ever. To me, that’s the stunning part,” the veteran pollster told The Canadian Press….@
Who knows perhaps the NDP’s turn at the big brass ring is just around the corner.
The NDP has always been a patient & principled party,slowly but surely building support. Once won to their side supporters tend to be loyal & life long . And unlike the Liberals the NDP understands the importance of being consistent & principled. Or to put it another way the NDP does not trade in the currency of political expediency for short term electoral gains…most of the time 
Slow & steady wins the race…
With Jack Layton at the helm the NDP continues to go from strength to strength. Particularly since the NDP adopted the strategy of positioning themselves as the only real alternative to the Tory’s.
Indeed the Liberals and Conservatives are & always have been but two sides of the same coin.
On a side note the NDP’s strategy of playing for keeps rather than playing second fiddle seems to have instilled a new found confidence in the party.
All of which explains why, backed up by a number of polls, Jack Layton of all the party leader’s, is hands-down the most trusted and respected.
Hell Jack has even inspired me to do what I normally don’t do,that is vote.
Ignatieff is the best damn thing to have happened to the Liberals
November 21, 2009
Definitely not the star Liberals thought or hoped he would be. Sure he wrote some interesting books and is probably a darn good debater and smart to boot,albeit in a bookish way.
His poor performance since becoming interim leader (Dec/08) and then leader (May/09) ,should come as no big surprise. After all the academic world is a very different animal from that of the political,never mind the every-day-world of real people.
He’s gonna have to do more,than just write a book, about how Canadian he supposedly is,lol.
But all’s good.
Iggy’s inability to find his footing,or a personality for that matter, illustrates just how irrelevant & out-of-touch the Liberals really are. Indeed the only real alternative to the Conservatives is and always has been the NDP.
All though I am not a big fan of polls as a very reliable indicator of the popular will over the long term,they do seem fairly reliable over the short term.
And on that front the NDP’s star,unlike some others, seems to be on the rise. Taken together with the NDP’s good showing in the last election & in the 4 recent by-elections things are definitly going the NDP’s way.
Slow and steady wins the race ,that,principles and an articulate leader like Jack Layton,not infallible for sure but of all the party leaders he is by far the better,who hammers away on the issues that matter to ordinary/working folk & small/family run business.
The federal New Democratic Party has vaulted to levels of voter approval not seen since before the last federal election, as Canada’s two major parties struggle to hold support, suggest findings of a poll released Friday.
The NDP surged six percentage points to 19 per cent support nationally, according to results of an Ipsos Reid poll, commissioned by Canwest News Service and Global National.
A Soul-less “Left” ?
July 11, 2009
We hunger for communities of meaning that can transcend the individualism and selfishness that we see around us and that will provide an ethical and spiritual framework that gives our lives some higher purpose.” — Michael Lerner, The Politics of MeaningIf progressives, whether in unions, activist groups or political parties, don’t soon begin doing politics differently — radically differently — they will fail to show that “a better world is possible.”
And the price of failure will be catastrophic.
Reads the opening paragraph of Murray Dobbin’s, ‘Left Needs Soul Searching‘ published in The Tyee.
The Lerner quote is not only right , looking back to the history of the Canadian “left”. One can not but notice, that many of the more inspirational & important leaders/spokespersons were first preachers and or people of faith,e.g… J.S Woodsworth & Tommy Douglas.
From the pulpit to the polls…
Which begs the question why is today’s “left” so uncomfortable when it comes to people of faith ? Indeed a kind of secular fundamentalism,as represented by Dawkin’s,Hitchen’s et al, seems to occupy and animate the thinking of many on the left/progressive side of the political spectrum.
Secular fundamentalists find talk of spiritualism intensely uncomfortable, probably because they draw immediate connections to either organized ‘God’ religion and its patriarchal authoritarianism or vaguely to some mushy “self-improvement” sub-culture. Spiritualism seems to fly in the face of the kind of rationalism that has been at the core of socialist and social democratic theory for nearly two centuries
The following quote sums things up quite nicely…
At its best faith in God is about thanksgiving, shared suffering, loss, pain, generosity, and love. The best religious people and the best secular people learn to ignore our chosen (or inherited) religions’ nastier teachings (be those found in the Bible or in the “science” of eugenics and white racial superiority) in order to preserve the spirit of our faiths, be it a faith in secular humanism, science, God or in all of the above. It’s the tediously consistent fundamentalists, religious or atheist, who become monsters. They are so sure that they have the truth that they dare claim that only those members of “my” religion will be saved. This is the path to madness and, if history is any guide, to violence. Certainty kills.
A step in the right direction , NDP’s Faith & Social Justice Caucus blog
The New Democratic Party’s Faith and Social Justice Caucus is an informal group of Party activists who’s vision of political and social justice is, at least in part, rooted in faith. We are people who find congruence between our politics and the values that underpin our faith, as was the case with some of the founders of the NDP, including Tommy Douglas.
We believe that the neo-conservative right has unfairly seized the religious discourse and have used it toward their own ends. The religious right has been so successful at this, in recent years, that many have come to associate religion with intolerance, conservatism, capitalism and even imperialism. This must stop.
We hold the opposite to be true. Many progressive and social democratic principles can be founded upon, and guided by, religious values. Love, forgiveness, generosity, dignity, liberation, equality, respect, as well as the support and acceptance of the poor and marginalized are but a few of these values. We proclaim it loud and clear: there is a religious left!
A voter arises from his slumber
May 10, 2009
Kinda like a Rip Van Winkle moment…
As you probably all ready know the B.C provincial election is but 2 days away (May 12).
Usually I don’t even bother to vote,indeed I think I have only voted 2-3 times,and that’s everything,provincial,federal local.
And I just turned 50 March 14,yikes…not the not voting part,the turning 50 part.
Anyway to make a long story shorter I have decided to shake off the moss my doubts and vote.
My reasoning excuse…
I really can’t stand Gordon Campbell,2 terms is quite enough. 4 more years of that clown might just push me over the edge.
Indeed I might never again manage to shake of these “periodic” bout’s of apathy doubt long enough to vote.Hell I might still change my mind 1/2 way to the poll and it’s just 3km down the road.
But the number one factor which might see the door hitting my mostly non-voting ass on my way out, to the polls come May 12. Is the accompanying referendum on electoral reform,B.C’s second kick at the proportional representation can.
Sure the STV (Single Transferable Vote) might not be perfect,but in my opinion it is much preferable to the present system,FPTP (first past the post).I would love to see a proportional representation system in action,warts and all.
Ever the optimist,maybe it really is possible to make this so called democracy work, well at least a bit better. I might be an optimist but I am definitly not naive,the cold slap of reality slapped that out of me way back when.
Either that,or it might be true what they say, i.e the older the wiser…nawww maybe not, but then perhaps Gordon Campbell is just an exception to the rule, but then again there’s Harper and before him…
Anyway I am voting yes on STV and while I am at it I will be casting my lot with the NDP. I hear it might be a squeaker so in fact my itsy bitsy tiny once every 4 lousy years “contribution to democracy” might just make a difference,so what the hell…
Anyway that’s my story, I might have it all wrong but hell no one’s perfect not even me.Yep I figured that one out to,although I am having some difficulties accepting the “fact”.
NDP,Liberal Coalition Agreement; Setting the record straight
January 5, 2009
Better late than never I suppose…
Although I have to say at the time when some blogger’s and journalist were spinning the NDP’s coalition agreement with the Liberals, into a tale of opportunism,I for one never paid much attention to the hype.
Preferring to hold my judgment ,at least until there was some tangible proof.Also I reasoned the benefits of an NDP/Liberal coalition government far out weighted the negatives.
That said I have to admit I was some what taken aback when Bill Tieleman joined the rush to judgment.In fact I felt a twinge of self-doubt.
Bill Tieleman wrote, “the NDP now faces the challenge of explaining to supporters why they were willing to jettison key 2008 election positions — like wanting Canadian troops out of Afghanistan….”
But what the hey everyone makes mistakes,even Bill ;o…
The mis-reporting of the NDPs’ position on Afghanistan stemmed from a statement by Thomas Mulcair, the deputy leader of the New Democrats. Brewster quoted Mulcair as saying, “The NDP is putting aside its differences that have existed historically with the Liberals on such issues as Afghanistan.”
Indeed Afghanistan was not even mentioned any where in the agreement.
Read in isolation, the statement could seem ambiguous. Does “putting aside its differences” mean adopting the Liberal position or just agreeing-to-disagree?
The answer — that it’s an agreement-to-disagree — is found later, [...]
[...], Liberal finance critic Scott Brison is quoted as saying: “All three parties recognize the seriousness and as such we are putting aside our differences to focus on common ground.”
All said it’s nice to know the NDP did not trade, in the currency of cynicism.
Coalition for Change
December 2, 2008
Stephen Harper failed Canada’s families when they needed it most. I demand better.
I’m supporting the Coalition for Change. The Coalition will deliver the economic stimulus we need to kick-start the economy. The Coalition will invest where we need it most – in people.
Sign petition here go party there
After all “whats good for the goose is good for the gander “
The Ducks are lining up…
December 1, 2008
The liklihood of a Coalition government just got a whole lot more likely.
The Liberals and New Democrats signed an agreement on Monday to form an unprecedented coalition government, with a written pledge of support from the Bloc Québécois, if they are successful in ousting the minority Conservative government in a coming confidence vote….[ @ ]
All conservative rhetoric aside ,about coup d’etat’s and usurping democracy,the oppositions party’s are well within the rules of a parliamentarian democracy.
In fact the Conservatives themselves embarked down a very similar road back in 2004.
When along with the NDP and BLOC,(the same BLOC that Harper now accuses of wanting to destroy the country), the Conservatives led by Harper co-authored a letter to the Governor General.
The opposition leaders said the letter was an attempt to head off any attempt by Martin to hold a snap election in the hope of coming back with a majority.
“I would not want the prime minister to think that he could simply fail in the House of Commons as a route to another general election. That’s not the way our system works,” Harper said…[ @ ]
Basically the same argument that is now being voiced by the Liberals,NDP, and BLOC as they contemplate the consequences of a non-confidence vote Dec 8th.What’s good for the goose is good for the gander,as the saying goes.
Indeed a coalition government would be more inline with and better reflect the wishes of Canadian voters than the present Conservative government.In that Canadians have expressed on many occasions, that what they prefer,is more co-operation and less partisan politics.In fact Mr Harper campaigned on that very idea or at least gave the impression he would govern in a less confrontational/partisan manner.
But that was then (Nov 7)…
“We are not seeking confrontation in areas that are secondary to the economic focus of this government.”..[@]
This is now,”silly gullible”,voters.
The very nature of a coalition government demands co-operation and consensus building.
Another argument that can be made for the desirability of a coalition government.Is that it would reflect,more accurately,the votes of Canadians that are perpetually skewed by our “first past the post” system.Lest we fail to recall,62% of Canadians did not vote conservative,yet here we are.
Therefore the conservatives argument that the opposition party’s are acting against or counter to the wishes of the electorate,rings rather hollow.Again,particularly when when one factors in the Conservative/opposition coalition talks of 2004.
Harper has nobody to blame but himself,at a time when Canadians are looking for leadership ,Harper chooses to play political and ideological games. Times are strange indeed,when even the right-wing National Putz Post admits the obvious
Six weeks ago, the morning after Stephen Harper had been re-elected, I wrote that if he could find in himself the ability to acknowledge the legitimacy of other perspectives and to occasionally yield to them, he might one day become one of Canada’s great prime ministers [...]
What Harper and his sniggering advisors did last Thursday was craven, partisan and cheap. Instead of tabling an economic update that offered Canadians –at the very least — the comfort of knowing they have a steady hand on the wheel in uncertain times, the Conservatives delivered a political limpet mine…[@ ]
Also the argument that ridicules the notion of the BLOC Quebecois being part of a coalition/unity governments,should in fact be turned on its head and embraced.
Where else but in Canada would separatist put their differences aside to work for the greater good of all,not just themselves ? Indeed what an awesome opportunity to build bridges and unite Canadians from coast to coast to coast.
But then again,separatist rhetoric aside,the people of Quebec have always stood with Canada in the most part,they’re still here.Indeed the the majority of Quebecois support the idea of a coalition government,vive Quebec & Canada.
