The Coalition.......Lib, NDP, and yes, the Bloc

[Colpy]

Not an official member of the coalition... but who made the first call?

Ever since the constitutional crisis of December 2008 that ended with the prorogation of Parliament, the Conservatives have been referring to the "Liberal-NDP-Bloc coalition."

The photo-op that brought Jack Layton, Stephane Dion and Gilles Duceppe together gave Stephen Harper's troops plenty of ammunition to sell that version of events and attack the opposition parties.

But the Liberals, NDP and even the Bloc have been arguing that Gilles Duceppe's party was not an actual member of the coalition, that the Bloc was only supporting it.

But a new book shows the truth might lie somewhere in the middle.

In "Gilles Duceppe: Entretiens avec Gilles Toupin" the author, a former La Presse Ottawa reporter and now self-described sovereigntist, quotes Duceppe as saying that following Jim Flaherty's controversial economic update: "I called Layton and I told him I had contacted Dion and that they had to talk."

While Layton was the first to approach the Bloc leader with the idea, Duceppe is the one who encouraged the actual coalition members to sit down and talk.

At the Ottawa event marking the launch of the book, Duceppe told reporters that the Liberals and the NDP had no economic plan ready at the time, so they pretty much adopted the Bloc's. Duceppe also says he's still open to supporting other parties, including the Conservatives, as long as it's in Quebec's best interest.

The book is only available in French, but you can bet some people will want to translate the (short) section on the coalition days to show that while opposition parties might say the Bloc wasn't an official member of the coalition, its fingerprints were all over the deal

Not an official member of the coalition... but who made the first call? - Inside Politics

Sorry about the font.

And......I told you so.

Time for a Conservative majority.

Voting Conservative has become (unfortunately) the ONLY alternative if you give a damn about Canada.

 

[GreenFish66]

They all signed the coalition agreement - Iggy Broke it ....His 1st mistake...

Dion for N.D.G ( New Demcratic Greens) Leader ! ....

 

[Colpy]

They all signed the coalition agreement - Iggy Broke it ....His 1st mistake...

Dion for N.D.G ( New Demcratic Greens) Leader ! ....

I kinda like Dion.....but he is unelectable.........especially as NDG leader!

 

[JLM]

Tweedle Dee Tweedle Dumb and Tweety Pie.

 

[Tonington]

Voting Conservative has become (unfortunately) the ONLY alternative if you give a damn about Canada.

I can't imagine Harper taking that to the polls... Canadians witnessed that kind of politics from afar. In case you missed it, the nationalism that Bush and his cohorts branded wasn't popular here in Canada...though Harper seemed to like it.

A minority government keeps the ship from steering too far in either direction, and that's fine by me for now, until someone less rigid than Harper to opposing views, and more competent than the other fools shows up.

So basically an eternity of minority government is better than what you or any of the other partisans would propose...

 

[GreenFish66]

I am NON Partisan ... I like to say I'm an Environmentally Minded, Social, Conservative... ..I just happen to think we're missing the environmentally minded in the house...

The Light Is Green, The Future Is Clear ..Green/Clean Tech ...Is Now.. It Is The Only Future..

 

[Colpy]

The point is that, with the CPC commanding the largest portion of the vote outside Quebec, we appear to be left no responsible option other than to give the Conservatives a majority.

I would have no problem with a Lib/NDP coalition that held a majority of seats. God help the country, but if that was the will of the people.........

But the Bloc does not have the best interests of the country at heart. Their vision of Canada is a shattered nation, and IMHO entering a coalition with them approaches sedition, de facto if not de jure. They must be prevented from even the appearance of influence or power in gov't. That is the only way to limit their appeal in Quebec: ensure their continued powerlessness.

Canadians! Time to hold your collective noses and vote Conservative!

(sigh) Hardly an inspiring call to arms, I admit.

 

[Risus]

I would have no problem with a Lib/NDP coalition that held a majority of seats. God help the country, but if that was the will of the people.........

The thing is, a Lib/NDP would NOT be the will of the people, unless they were on the ballot as a coalition party.
As it stands now, the Conservative minority is the will of the people.

 

[lone wolf]

Is there one of them whose dirty laundry isn't "Well they did it too..."?

 

[gerryh]

The thing is, a Lib/NDP would NOT be the will of the people, unless they were on the ballot as a coalition party.
As it stands now, the Conservative minority is the will of the people.

:roll:

 

[Cliffy]

Colpy, sometimes you can be a very frightening person!

 

[Colpy]

Colpy, sometimes you can be a very frightening person!

Who ME????!!! (flutters eye lashes enchantingly)

lol

 

[Spade]

Coalitions are common in parliamentary democracies - compromises forged by minority partes to work together to represent better a majority of the electorate. Yeah, parliamentary DEMOCRACY.

 

[lone wolf]

Coalition might give all of them time to shop around for some decent leadership.

 

[Colpy]

actually, the coalition that would make the most sense would be Conservative-Liberal..................they are philosophically the closest of all the four parties........and command well over 50% of the vote.

Don't hold your breath.

 

[lone wolf]

I can see Iggy and Harpo squaring off in the sandbox now....

 

[Tonington]

But the Bloc does not have the best interests of the country at heart.

That wasn't an ethical problem for Harper when the Liberals were in power....

 

[mentalfloss]

The only thing really pulling me conservatively is some sort of immigration reform that puts an emphasis on education. But even that doesn't require a conservative government. The cons are good with money and war, but those are not the problems Canadians face these days. The biggest problems are social freedoms that are still unquenched and environmental corruption, and while no government is in a rush to fix those, the conservatives will be making us go backwards for the sake of saving a buck.

 

[Colpy]

The only thing really pulling me conservatively is some sort of immigration reform that puts an emphasis on education. But even that doesn't require a conservative government. The cons are good with money and war, but those are not the problems Canadians face these days. The biggest problems are social freedoms that are still unquenched and environmental corruption, and while no government is in a rush to fix those, the conservatives will be making us go backwards for the sake of saving a buck.

I would absolutely agree with your concern over the shrinkage of our liberty............

And I agree the Conservative government is not helping.

But I submit the Liberals or the NDP would be worse. Much worse. They have a tendency to try and crush speech that is not main stream and politically correct. They believe, as Svend Robinson said: "We have a right not to be offended".........and such a mindset is dangerous in the extreme.

I abandoned the left decades ago because I came to see it as the major threat to liberty.

All government is a threat to liberty obviously............but the left is worse.

Unfortunately our choice is among the best of the worst. That is how democracy works.

 

[Praxius]

And......I told you so.

Time for a Conservative majority.

Voting Conservative has become (unfortunately) the ONLY alternative if you give a damn about Canada.

lol.... yeah right.... so if someone voted other then Conservative they don't give a damn about Canada?

Besides.... who cares anymore? That was a couple of years ago and isn't an issue anymore.

But I do like the fact that Con supporters who hang all over the Coalition thing continually forget that Harper and the Cons pulled the exact same stunt with the Bloc back when he was opposition.

Oh but that's different. *snickers*

Regardless if the Bloc was an actual partner or not is truly irrelevant. I suppose Con supporters still believe that the Coalition would have given the Bloc the power to do as they wish and control the government..... that was BS back then just as it's BS now.

If the Bloc attempted to pull any sort of stunt that screwed the rest of the country over, then the entire coalition and plan would be over with and there'd be another election, it's as simple as that.

Or heaven forbid the Con's biggest nightmare boogy-man story of the Coalition allowing the Bloc to suddenly become it's own country and pull out of Canada........ wouldn't happen either because the Coalition never gave the Bloc the ability to do so in anyway..... because once again.... once they pulled something, the Coalition would dissolve and we'd go to an election.

The Coalition was, besides perfectly legal in our system of government, designed originally to form up a semi-stable government that would actually get something done for once, rather then the same old Conservative tactics of never getting anything done and simply using their position to pit everybody against everybody..... political parties, provinces and fellow citizens alike.

Harper not only lied to the Canadian public by claiming the Coalition was some illegal power grab from the back door, but he was the one who tossed out the whole evil Quebec separatist thing in the first place (which was completely unwarranted) and pretty well pitted everybody against one another through lies and manipulation in order to maintain his power hungry position.

^ And you claim the Conservatives are the only Alternative if one gives a damn about Canada?

HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR!!!!!!!!