It happens almost every election. The Liberals choose an indecisive leader, run a bad campaign, and then lash out at the NDP for deliberately splitting the left vote. You could set your clock on their timing. Usually the Liberal appeal to NDP supporters has worked. This time I'm not sure it will work and I certainly don't want to see it happen.
The Liberals are tired, they can't raise any money, and they have lost Quebec in a big way. Now it seems every Liberal online is taking their shots at Jack Layton. Its not going to work this time because you have tried so often and failed to deliver that people do not buy your line anymore.
Martin lost his last election because he thought he could do what Liberals always do. Offer up a four or five carrots and when elected deliver on one or two of them. Paul Martin did that in the last election he fought. He had two big things in the wings, the Kelowna accord and childcare. Both were excellent steps forward, yet he failed. He could have introduced them in the house and passed them but he chose not too.
From 1993 to Martin's last budget he cut the CBC funding from 1.7 billion to less that 1.1 billion per year. Harper has barely cut the CBC based on that comparison. The bill for cheaper HIV/AIDS drugs passed and lauded by singer Bono has proved so ineffective that only one country and one drug company has been able to benefit and that was only one shipment. The law is absolutely useless.
The Liberal Prime Minister promised to make MP's more effective, committee work would become meaningful. He did nothing. And Harper has done nothing despite his promise to do the same.
Then there was the anti-scab private members bill from the NDP. The CLC worked and lobbied Liberal MP's and got assurances they would vote for the bill. The Liberals on third reading voted with the Conservatives. They did this after agreeing with the bill. When push came to shove, the Liberals rolled over.
I have many more examples, these ones were the most important to me. The point is in case it has missed my Liberal friends is this, The New Democrats are attuned to my interests. The New Democrats are the party that best represents what I desire.
The Liberal party has cried wolf far too often, I and many folks I know have been hoodwinked once too often. Its not going to happen this time, no matter what you say. Oh and I detest Harper more than you do!
5 comments:
Point taken on the Liberals. But Layton and the NDP are no saints. There are no good guys in this fight - only losers.
I don't know who you are QT, but you're doing it to yourself too.
excellent points - we won't be fooled again - go Jack! Making commitments we can count on!
I am not saying anything about saints. I'm pointing out areas where Liberals have not met my values, have not met my expectations.
I think their attitude that I can believe whatever I want but somehow I am a bad Canadian for voting my values is wrong. If I wanted a Liberal I would be a Liberal.
Every election is a dire election. Somehow I am supposed to vote Liberal or apologize for being NDP and make amends by voting Liberal.
If Liberals want a coalition, then commit to one and actually work with the NDP and Green Party.
You are right, of course, RIck. There are so many examples in the past years in which the Liberals have let down workers here and abroad, as well as letting down women, people of colour, etc.
The Liberals should face up to a very basic fact, that their trouble getting elected is in part tied to the fact that they don't represent a genuine alternative to the Conservatives on many important issues.
The Liberals can, of course, wait long enough and the point will come when voters will just be fed up with the incumbents and the Liberals will return to office. But the tragedy of this kind of oligopoly is that when the Liberals return to office they very seldom undo the damage done by the Conservatives, but instead they just act as though these right-wing policies are the new normal. This is exactly what happened in Ontario when the Liberals came back to power after years of Harris.
And thus the Conservative-Neo-Liberal agenda marches on. There are always various corruption issues with any government, the real question is are they pushing forward a corporate agenda or are they actually trying to help average people.
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