Iggy airs his grievances, admits his mistakes

[Locutus]

In a speech lamenting the vicious tone of the attack ads used against him, former Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff on Tuesday told a law school audience that his party did the same thing to Stephen Harper, unfairly tarring him as a dangerously right-wing, American-style political extremist, bent on undoing cherished Canadian values.

“We attempted to deny him standing, and now he has taken his revenge. That is where we are,” Mr. Ignatieff said at York University’s Osgoode Hall. Mr. Harper “seized the centre and moved it 10 degrees to the right and now we have to seize it back.”




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Michael Ignatieff admits mistakes and airs grievances: He and Harper both ‘denied standing’ during election | News | National Post

 

[mentalfloss]

:lol:


Poor guy.

 

[wulfie68]

“We’ve blurred opponent with enemy,” Mr. Ignatieff said. “Belonging matters more than confidence, expertise or trustworthiness.”

I agree with this. The irony is that much of this polarization is blamed on Harper and the CPC when really all they have done is perfect the techniques that the Liberals used to beat them down in the days when Preston Manning led the Reform Party. Ignatieff would have been a better candidate for the Liberals running against Brian Mulroney than against Stephen Harper...

 

[mentalfloss]

The Reform party pretty much beat itself down with social conservatism from 1892.

 

[WLDB]

The Reform party pretty much beat itself down with social conservatism from 1892.

Indeed. I liked their stance on party discipline and electoral reform though.

 

[Colpy]

The Reform party pretty much beat itself down with social conservatism from 1892.

Exactly whet Reform Party policies on social conservatism were so shocking to your progressive principles??

I ask, because I was a member.......and I don't believe there was much in the platform that was anachronistic......perhaps you could enlighten me/

Unless my suspicions are accurate; that you are a victim of the smears painted on Reform...........that you drank the kool aid without hesitation.

The point is the Liberals under Ignatieff were still playing the same game Chretien played against Reform, when MPS were instructed to call out "racist" in the House whenever a Reform MP was speaking. A campaign that was carried on with gusto by the News dept of CBC Radio. (the Ministry of Truth)

Then they have the gall of accusing the Conservatives of lowering the tone of debate.

Harper learned well from his opponents.

Dammit.

 

[mentalfloss]

You were a member of the Reefoooooooooooooooorm party?

Shocking.

 

[wulfie68]

Unless my suspicions are accurate; that you are a victim of the smears painted on Reform...........that you drank the kool aid without hesitation.

But it was all the Reform's fault with their super seekrit hidden agendaz (that no one could figure out even with the floor crossing that went on...)!!! Chretien should have paid whatever spin strategist that came up with the whole hidden agenda schtick an extra large bonus: it worked for the Liberals and NDP for well over a decade...

 

[mentalfloss]

You mention the obvious fact that the Reform Party was loaded with social conservatives and you're labelled a tin-foil hatter.

What is this world coming to..

 

[Colpy]

You were a member of the Reefoooooooooooooooorm party?

Shocking.

You mention the obvious fact that the Reform Party was loaded with social conservatives and you're labelled a tin-foil hatter.

What is this world coming to..

WHO called you a tinfoil hatter?

Which I would assume is someone that makes tinfoil hats.....

BTW, what you said hinted that social conservatism was part of the platform.......not that social conservatives were part of the Party.

I simply asked you to be specific in your accusations....which it appears you are unable to do.

 

[wulfie68]

You mention the obvious fact that the Reform Party was loaded with social conservatives and you're labelled a tin-foil hatter.

What is this world coming to..

There's a long way between mentioning the social conservatism that existed and attacking it on its merits (or lack thereof if you prefer) and the paranoid quasi-hate mongering employed by the Liberals and NDP in the 90s and early part of last decade.

I don't know about prior to it, but a "divide and conquer" mentality was adopted by the Liberals during the Trudeau era, and revived when Chretien assumed the mantle. The partisanship and regionalism that dominate our political landscape are a the direct result.

 

[Colpy]

Indeed. I liked their stance on party discipline and electoral reform though.

Yep. Triple E senate, electoral reform, the whip only on money and platform bills, a marvelously sane approach to gun control, fiscal responsibility, the rebuilding of the military....they had me.

I was not too crazy about the downloading of responsibilities to the provinces, as I am a federalist.....but "perfection exists only in the mind of God", according to Play Dough.

 

[mentalfloss]

There's a long way between mentioning the social conservatism that existed and attacking it on its merits (or lack thereof if you prefer) and the paranoid quasi-hate mongering employed by the Liberals and NDP in the 90s and early part of last decade.

I never said anything about Liberal/NDP quasi-hate, lol. I'm pretty sure most bi-partisan Canadians are smart enough to see that social conservatism failed on its own merits (or lack thereof).