If yesterday's vote hadn't happened, I would have said that Chantal Hebert was blowing smoke. But, last night did happen. In that light, one must ask oneself which leader is praying for the Speaker to rule in favor of the opposition on the detainee papers? My guess is not Iggy. On the other hand, Harper is sharpening his teeth, getting ready to feast on more Liberal lamb. If you think I am being too harsh, take a look at this headline. When they start making jokes, comparing you to your failed, hopeless predecessor, you are in big, big, trouble.
Almost Instant Update: A question occurs. Am I being too hard on Iggy? He is the third leader in a row (the fourth if you count the late Chretien period) that has failed to keep his caucus together. Could it be that the Liberal Party is just ungovernable?
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As you know, I'm a bit of a dove on hardball politics.
ReplyDeleteI've no doubt you're right on who wants what. But if _I_ had prorogued Parliament twice in questionable circumstances (with seventy percent public support the first time, sure, but with significant public backlash the second time), I wouldn't be so keen on going into an election on whether I was following parliamentary conventions or not.
But then, I thought that attacking Dion as "not a leader" was silly and would never work. So what do I know?
"Could it be that the Liberal Party is just ungovernable?"
ReplyDeleteOr could it be that Canada has a loud right-wing noise machine that can greatly affect people's perception of whatever/whoever it targets?
Or could it be that Canada has a loud right-wing noise machine that can greatly affect people's perception of whatever/whoever it targets?
ReplyDeleteThat is true, but in this case I would say the mighty Wurlitzer of the Right is not guilty. The motion was Liberal and the defeat was Liberal. The folks in the caucus and its leader have to have some face time with their own reflections about this.
A commenter at the Maclean's site posed this question:
ReplyDeleteI just can't figure out whether Harper laid a beautiful trap with this Maternal Health Initiative and Ignatieff duly fell into it, or whether the Liberals are industriously scoring an own goal while the CPC watches in befuddlement.
To which my answer was, "I'd love to believe it was the former, but I've got to believe it was the latter."
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I like that, Greg -- "The mighty Wurlitzer of the Right". When my blog needs a new tagline, I may borrow it...
"The mighty Wurlitzer of the Right".
ReplyDeleteI can't take credit for it, it is an old favorite among lefty bloggers in the U.S.