August 2, 2011
Two posts within two days - clearly must be something going on!
Earlier today, the Globe and Mail broke the story that interim NDP leader and Hull-Aylmer MP Nycole Turmel was a member of the Bloc Québécois up until January of this year.
Relatively quickly, those paying attention to Canadian politics took to social media to sound-off on the issue. There are quite a few outside of Québec who don't support the NDP who see this as an issue. Those within the province, it's likely not to bother.
I'm not an NDP supporter and nor am I an apologist for Nycole Turmel; however, at the end of the day this is such a non-issue.
People change their political opinions all the time. We saw it when Belinda Stronach crossed the floor (although, I don't think that was a change of opinion - that was opportunism at its finest). Ditto for David Emerson. Scott Brison was a Progressive Conservative, crossed the floor to the Liberals and ran for the Liberal leadership in 2006.
Hell - the Liberals are currently led by one of the more famous "floor-crossers" of all-time in Bob Rae. If I was a moderate Liberal, I'd be furious that I was now led by a former socialist (insert sarcasm module here).
While I know that the Conservatives will use this issue (unfortunately) to try and score some political points, the Liberals would be stupid to do so. Why?
I hate to do it, but I have to bring up the 2008 attempt by Stéphane Dion to form a coalition between the Liberals and the NDP. The only way that government, if it had formed, to survive would have been to rely on support from the Bloc Québécois caucus. Gilles Duceppe and the Bloc, although not a part of the government, signed the coalition agreement and were planning to support the coalition on confidence measures through until 2011. It was convenient for the Liberal Party, at the time, to utilize the Bloc. Now that this might help them, I've no doubt they'll go on the attack - and they will look foolish for doing it.
This, at the end of the day, is such a non-issue. While it highlights the work that the NDP opposition has to do in order to actually have some credibility, I could care less where you came from as a politician - it's where you want to take the country that matters. If she says she is a federalist, than I believe her.
Showing posts with label New Democratic Party. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New Democratic Party. Show all posts
Tuesday, 2 August 2011
Sunday, 24 April 2011
The Rise of the NDP
April 24, 2011
Yes, I know - I haven't updated this in awhile. I've been keeping up with the campaign, but it's been a hectic week and a half. I apologize to my faithful readers (if I have any) for my delay.
For those who have continued to follow the campaign, you'll know that the NDP has been on the rise in polls. Whether this will translate into seats for Jack Layton and his party, we will have to wait until election night to find out.
Looking at another third party that was seemingly on the rise, we can turn to the Liberal Democrats in the United Kingdom. In the 2010 election there, a massive sweep of "Cleggmania" was expected to wipe out the Labour Party and turn the election into a race between the Conservatives and the Lib Dems. At the end of the day, the Lib Dems kept their share of the vote roughly from the previous general election and actually lost five seats in the process.
There are really two scenarios that could play out due to the rise of the NDP: 1) Left-leaning voters split their "anti-Harper" votes between the NDP and Liberals, allowing Conservative candidates to come up the middle; or 2) Left-leaning voters, seeing the rise of the NDP, coalesce around Jack Layton and provide him with enough seats to overtake the Liberals as the Official Opposition.
To be entirely honest, I would be far more comfortable with the NDP as the Official Opposition. I disagree with everything the NDP stands for, but I respect New Democrats far more than Liberals because New Democrats have principles that they stick to no matter what. This is why I'm a Conservative - because Conservatives also tend to be more principled. Liberals, on the other hand, occupy the "mushy middle" of Canadian politics and don't put the focus on what is the best measures policy wise, but what will best benefit them politically.
It will also be interesting to see what the rise of the NDP means for Toronto-area ridings that have always voted Liberal. The two options I outlined earlier, regarding either the Tories coming up the middle or more New Democrats getting elected could be seen to have the greatest impact right here in Toronto and in other urban centres where Liberals/New Democrats are elected in far greater numbers than Conservatives.
I guess we'll find out in eight days!
Yes, I know - I haven't updated this in awhile. I've been keeping up with the campaign, but it's been a hectic week and a half. I apologize to my faithful readers (if I have any) for my delay.
For those who have continued to follow the campaign, you'll know that the NDP has been on the rise in polls. Whether this will translate into seats for Jack Layton and his party, we will have to wait until election night to find out.
Looking at another third party that was seemingly on the rise, we can turn to the Liberal Democrats in the United Kingdom. In the 2010 election there, a massive sweep of "Cleggmania" was expected to wipe out the Labour Party and turn the election into a race between the Conservatives and the Lib Dems. At the end of the day, the Lib Dems kept their share of the vote roughly from the previous general election and actually lost five seats in the process.
There are really two scenarios that could play out due to the rise of the NDP: 1) Left-leaning voters split their "anti-Harper" votes between the NDP and Liberals, allowing Conservative candidates to come up the middle; or 2) Left-leaning voters, seeing the rise of the NDP, coalesce around Jack Layton and provide him with enough seats to overtake the Liberals as the Official Opposition.
To be entirely honest, I would be far more comfortable with the NDP as the Official Opposition. I disagree with everything the NDP stands for, but I respect New Democrats far more than Liberals because New Democrats have principles that they stick to no matter what. This is why I'm a Conservative - because Conservatives also tend to be more principled. Liberals, on the other hand, occupy the "mushy middle" of Canadian politics and don't put the focus on what is the best measures policy wise, but what will best benefit them politically.
It will also be interesting to see what the rise of the NDP means for Toronto-area ridings that have always voted Liberal. The two options I outlined earlier, regarding either the Tories coming up the middle or more New Democrats getting elected could be seen to have the greatest impact right here in Toronto and in other urban centres where Liberals/New Democrats are elected in far greater numbers than Conservatives.
I guess we'll find out in eight days!
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