Making Responsible Choices
| 4/30/2011 | Posted by Patti under Canadian Politics |
We’re down to the last two days before Election Day. When the writ dropped, no one expected the polls to be sitting where they are now. The polls do differ some on where the various levels of support sit and who is up and who is down from the last poll (yesterday in most cases) but they clearly indicate amongst decided voters it’s Conservatives, NDP & Liberals in that order.
Most of the polls also show there are still over 10% of Canadians who have not yet decided where their vote will be going. It is this group who will either swing the election in whatever direction or just wont show up at the polls. If you are one of them, let me say, for god sake — show up at the polls.
So, here we are, Harper is calling for the Conservatives to get a majority because those awful opposition parties will just destroy the country in all manner of dastardly ways. The NDP has surprised themselves with a sudden surge of support, primarily in Quebec and the Liberals are struggling to keep their heads above water.
Harper has spent much time trumpeting his ‘economic stewardship’. He’s introduced at campaign rallys as being a ‘trained economist’, the fact is he’s an economist in training only, he’s never done anything but be a politician or political activist. The solid economic ground that we weathered the recession on, it was put in place by the Liberals, the people who handed Harper a surplus which was gone before the recession hit.
Harper doesn’t seem to have gotten the message, the majority of Canadians haven’t given him a majority government for a reason — they don’t trust him. This election more than previous ones it seems to be crystal clear, the majority wants Harper out. This is where Canadians need to be very careful of the choices we make as we enter the ballot box.
If you want to go with the bandwagon, and support the NDP, then support them. Don’t go with the bandwagon, get into the ballot box and then, because you’re having second thoughts stick that X on the Conservative candidate. That has a distinct danger of giving the Conservatives the majority they crave, of giving Harper five years of unfettered control. (more…)
Time for Sober Second Thought
| 4/28/2011 | Canadian Politics |
The big story of the day is the continuing rise of the NDP in the public opinion polls. If those polls hold through until people actually put their Xs on the ballot on Monday, we could be seeing an unprecedented change in the makeup of Canadian politics. While the focus tends to be on the orange line on the public opinion polls, there are some other interesting details which tend to find themselves playing second… READ MORE
Just A Week to Go in Election — Some Thoughts.
| 4/22/2011 | Canadian Politics |
With just a week to go before the election, I’ve been spending some time exploring some of the mountain of material that is out there on the subject. I like to explore behind the usual headlines, often picking up articles which are put out on twitter. I tend to follow a broad range of people and have also been watching the chatter on the twitter hashtag #elxn41 The flow across there ranges from the silly… READ MORE
NDP Rising? — Be Careful What You Wish For
| 4/21/2011 | Canadian Politics |
The polls the last few days are showing the the NDP moving upward, the Liberals sliding some and the Conservatives more or less staying the same. Now, that presents an interesting scenario. The NDP has done this before, appeared to be on an upward swing in the polls and then Canadians apparently came to their senses and shifted away. That doesn’t mean that will happen again. So should the uptick in support be sustained what… READ MORE
Compromise Stabilizes Minority Governments
| 4/20/2011 | Canadian Politics |
Okay, Harper has been traipsing around the country telling everyone he meets that he has to have a majority government or the sky will fall, or something. A recent poll indicates that the majority of Canadians are still not comfortable with the idea of Harper getting a majority. We Canadians can be a lot smarter than we seem sometimes. Could it be we have good cause to not trust Harper with a majority? He… READ MORE
Will You Rise Up for Canada?
| 4/17/2011 | Canadian Politics |
Finally, I’m hearing what has been frustrating me. Throughout this campaign I’ve been astounded that more and more Canadians are not becoming aware of just how badly we need to restore democracy in this country. I’ve wondered how so many can be presented with the evidence of Harper’s contempt for our system and just let it roll off them as they decide they don’t want Michael Ignatieff so they will just let Harper carry… READ MORE
Harper Apologizes, Sort Of
| 4/7/2011 | Canadian Politics |
Following several revelations about people trying to attend Conservative campaign events being ejected, apparently for having done really bad things like — attending a Liberal campaign event, having an bumper sticker supportive of the NDP, campaigning against plastic water bottles on the University of Guelph campus, being an advocate for homeless veterans or participating in an event designed to encourage young people to vote — Harper has offered an apology. Sort of: “If anybody is… READ MORE
The Election is First About Contempt
| 4/5/2011 | Posted by Patti under Canadian Politics |
Well, it’s now just over a week into the six week election campaign. The leaders of the various parties are busy crisscrossing the country telling us what they are going to do. Like we actually will believe everything they say.
The challenge is to cut through the rhetoric to find the truth. The truth of course is also dependent on the perspective of the person perceiving it. I found it rather surprising the number of people I’ve encountered who believe the government was brought down over their budget. While the budget was not about to get support, it was not what brought the government down.
The government was brought down because they were found by the opposition to be in contempt of Parliament. The government’s contempt was specifically their ongoing refusal to provide full costing figures for expensive legislation they wanted the Opposition to support. It is the first time in our history a government has been found to be in contempt.
In general, Harper has shown nothing but contempt and disdain for our Parliamentary system since he arrived on the Hill. He uses it for his own ends and runs roughshod over anyone or anything standing in his way. This Canadian is bloody tired of it. (more…)
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