Sunday, October 14, 2007
Vote Splitting Federally
Chantal Hebert may be right about vote splitting, but so be it. If we get Tory "majorities" for the next 3 or 4 elections, too bad, so sad. The Liberals' first call will be for a merger. The NDP and Greens should give them the finger. The Liberals are not a left wing party (and neither are the Greens) in any case. Eventually, maybe after sixteen or so years of Tory "majorities", I suspect even the Star will be calling for reform. Funny that, eh?
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If Harper gets his manufactured majority, it won't be because of vote splitting among the Liberals and the NDP and the Greens. It will be either because the Liberal vote has dropped significantly (and all of it has gone to the Tories), or because the Bloc vote has collapsed entirely (and their vote has gone whereever). These are the only two ways this can happen. And if one of them does happen, I don't see anybody being too keen on punishing the NDP and the Greens for the Liberals' or the Bloc's failures.
ReplyDeleteIf you really want to prevent a manufactured Harper majority, though, this means hoping somewhere in the back of your mind that Dion and Duceppe are both good enough to retain enough seats to stay afloat, as unpalatable as this may be.
Hey idealist,
ReplyDelete"manufactured majority"? do I read that you're giving Harper credit for smarts you may resent?
Might it just simply be that more Canadians will vote for Conservative MP's than for others.
Methinks thou are entering the realm of sports analysis...110%, game plan and all that.
You guys are really tying yourselves up in knots aren't you. Opposing political points of view aren't wrong, they're just, you know, different.
If Harper gets his manufactured majority, it won't be because of vote splitting among the Liberals and the NDP and the Greens. It will be either because the Liberal vote has dropped significantly (and all of it has gone to the Tories), or because the Bloc vote has collapsed entirely (and their vote has gone whereever)
ReplyDeleteTrue, although if all Dippers and Greens were truly stupid, they could swallow their principles and vote Liberal. That's what I think Hebert is referring to as vote splitting.
To my mind, given the electoral system we are forced to use, that kind of vote splitting is inevitable. What Liberals (and Hebert to a degree) argue is the flip side, the "Strategic vote". That is, betray everything you believe in and vote Liberal or else. The or else is a Conservative government. Well, tough say I. I will take my chances and keep my principles in tact. Change the voting system if you don't like the way this one sets up the House of Commons.
ReplyDeleteanonymous,
ReplyDeleteThat wasn't a slight against Harper, it was a slight against our electoral system. A real majority is getting 50% of the vote. A manufactured majority is getting 50% of the seats and much less of the vote.
"Manufactured majority" is just IP's term for what plurality voting in a multi-party FPTP system results in. (Or it may be a more general political science term?)
ReplyDeleteInteresting approach to electoral reform, Greg -- passive-aggressive tactics until the whole left side of the political spectrum rises in revolt?
A more likely result, IMHO, is people uniting around a single "centre-left" party after a pair of majority-winning elections, as happened in '93. (Assuming Harper can win a majority -- that's a big assumption.) The issue's more whether that one party will be the Liberals or the NDP or the Greens.
Interesting approach to electoral reform, Greg -- passive-aggressive tactics until the whole left side of the political spectrum rises in revolt?
ReplyDeleteI like to think of it as active non-violent resistance, but you can call it whatever you want. ;)
hee hee again Ben
ReplyDeleteyou assume voters other than you are unaware...
Policies, ideas, ideals matter.
Liberal problem?
Come up with something...anything!
You guys are floundering!
Admit it and get on with it
Who's this "you guys", anonymous?
ReplyDeleteGreg and IP are Dippers. I'm a card-carrying Tory who thinks that the PM may have played his cards well enough for a majority, but isn't about to start counting chickens before the eggs have even been laid.
No Liberals on this thread.