Jesse:
My only thought (for now, maybe?) on this Ignatieff not-an-ultimatum is that I think it's kinda upsetting that no one thinks it might be principled. I'm not willing to say it is principled, but maybe it is.
Maybe he actually just thinks that in a minority situation Parliament has to be made to work, and that, therefore, he needs answers on four questions from the government before he can allow Parliament to continue.
I caught the At Issue panel on Mansbridge (for some reason), and Hebert, particularly, was basically just saying "I'm so confused as to why Ignatieff is acting scared, they're up in the polls". Which, to me, basically posits that he's an idiot. He decided to come up with a fake crisis, and didn't realize it might make him look bad or might have a result he doesn't want.
What if the Liberals are willing to go to the polls but actually just think it's not what Canadians want? But are willing to go against that if, in their (theoretically) informed-er opinion, the Conservative government is too opaque to support?
Again, not saying it's true, just saying I haven't heard it anywhere else.
Tuesday, June 16
Mano-a-mano
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2 comments:
As I said in a previous post, I think it would be a mistake for the libs to bring forward an election now. I would, as I also said, wait until the fall. Why?
We've had the big 45% stock market hump. Now comes the backdrop and lagging for 5 months (methinks due to my expert economic mind-my mother gave me a Phd in economics). Unemployment will increase; GDP expectations will scupper; businesses will go down; and Canadians in general will be less merry.
How can the libs take advantage of this? Flaherty has already come out and called for governments to end spending increases. If I were a lib player, I would shout for specific big infrastructure, job development projects and try to further put the cons in the hole as a party that wants to end further spending. In 5 months, the libs will be able to look back and say, "In June, our Finance minister called for spending to halt. We pushed for greater spending on infrastructure that would employ x (make up big number with evidence of specific project recommendation that economists can back up) Canadians. Since we called for big infrastructure spending, unemployment has increased, GDP has ceased to progress, businesses have gone under and, through this, we had a con government unwilling to listen to Canadians and unwilling to anticipate economic data."
The libs, by pushing a specific plan, will get crapped on now, but in 5 months, they'll look smart and separate from Flaherty and Harper.
The libs should start planning now for a future election. Their opponents are tough and cut throat. The libs need to ensure every move they make is ammunition for a future election - this requires economic foresight and specific alternative plans.
The libs also need a smart, economic guy for PR. McCallum is not it and Iggy cant play that role. They need Manley and should get him to run in the next election and use him as a front for the economy.
This is what I would do.
And I still can't support Iggy. I have not seen him put in a strong performance yet; people want strong leaders - you can be principled and strong. Chretien was a beast; he would eat Harper for breakfast. Iggy seems unable to play tough and is allowing Harper's contempt to appear as strength and reign.
And another point I was just thinking about. Since Chretien left, the lib leaders have seemed afraid of being hated.
Chretien was a political fighter. He did not give a crap if Albertan cons hated him. That was good. He would use that hate and look upon the Albertan cons with contempt.
Iggy seems uncomfortable with being hated. He wants to be loved by all and seems to willing to win over "reasonable Albertan cons" rather than score big with all people left of the cons and have the cons hate him.
Think of the Mansbridge Iggy embarrassment yesterday. If that was Chretien, Mansbridge would not even have been allowed to ask full questions. Chretien would have been shouting over him and looking on the cons with contempt. All "non Albertan con" Canadians would then see it as a big rebellious score for the libs. Instead Iggy sat silently and listened to Mansbridge mock him with questions he was unable to answer. It was a political failure.
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