Apparently the NDP and the Liberals are considering merging into a single party. What do you think?
Should the Liberals and NDP merge?
- Thread starter earth_as_one
- Start date
I could see it possibly causing centrist voters to move away from the Liberal fold as the NDP is anything but centrist. Who knows though, the Liberals are desperate of late.
If the merger happened, I suspect the NDP would have to move closer to the Liberals than the other way around. The resulting new party would be about as far to the left of center as the conservatives are to the right.
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But why would the NDP want to sell out their ideals to get in bed with the liberals? I think the NDP would have more clout staying the way they are.
The NDP have never won power at the federal level. If they merged with the Liberals they have a real chance at power and implementing some of their less extreme policies. I think the Liberals could accept better funding for medicare and education, merit based access to university and no tuition fees... I doubt they could accept the NDP fiscal policies regarding federal debt or banking. If both sides accepted reasonable compromises, I think you'd see a party which rules like past Liberal governments when they were a minority supported by the NDP, which is when we got universal medicare (NDP policy) and the Canadian Pension Plan (NDP policy).
I'm a socialist myself, but I don't believe in spending money we don't have or taxing corporations to the point where they move off shore.
BTW, I own a small business which is a registered corporation. My company pays corporate taxes and my salary. I'm a fiscally conservative, right wing supporter of the NDP, although I have also voted for and supported the Green Party. In the poll above, I voted in favor of the merger as I believe the result would be a party which would be more in line with my personal philosophies regarding responsible good governance.
I'm a socialist myself, but I don't believe in spending money we don't have or taxing corporations to the point where they move off shore.
BTW, I own a small business which is a registered corporation. My company pays corporate taxes and my salary. I'm a fiscally conservative, right wing supporter of the NDP, although I have also voted for and supported the Green Party. In the poll above, I voted in favor of the merger as I believe the result would be a party which would be more in line with my personal philosophies regarding responsible good governance.
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You're right, the NDP has never had power nor have they ever had a real expectation of power but they can exert influence when the government of the day comes looking for votes to pass laws etc. I have a hard time believing the far left portion of the NDP would agree to merging with the liberals.
>>If the merger happened, I suspect the NDP would have to move closer to the Liberals than the other way around. The resulting new party would be about as far to the left of center as the conservatives are to the right.
So essentially both parties would be about same? There's hardly anything right now that separates the Conservatives from the Liberals in the political sense; the only thing which separates them is when the Liberals do something the Conservatives would have done, they complain and vice-versa.
Merging the Liberals with the NDP would be the final nail in the coffin for the Libs, at least in my books.
So essentially both parties would be about same? There's hardly anything right now that separates the Conservatives from the Liberals in the political sense; the only thing which separates them is when the Liberals do something the Conservatives would have done, they complain and vice-versa.
Merging the Liberals with the NDP would be the final nail in the coffin for the Libs, at least in my books.
No, Why would one party that is virtually the same as the one they are trying to knock out team up with a party that is absolutely philosophically opposed. N.D.P. (for those born after 1960) was the old C.C.F. Let's face it- Harper is here for awhile as odious as he is, but them tax breaks are just like a gallon of Pine Sol. LOL
I've attended a couple of NDP conventions, and you are correct. The far left element would not go along with the merger and leave the party. The same thing would happen with right wing Liberals. They'd probably become Conservatives if the Liberals moved to the left. But at least opposition to the conservatives would not be split.
BTW, I can't stand Harper as PM. The only person in the Conservative Party I like is finance minister Jim Flaherty. I like how he has managed the economy, and his response to the economic crisis. But I pretty much disagree with every other conservative policy. The Conservatives appear to be similar to the Liberals, because they rule with a minority government. If they ever tried to introduce multi-Tier health care or cut funding to universities to the point where the middle class can't afford tuition, the libs and the NDP would force an election.
The Liberals are more left (or socialist) than the Conservatives. But they don't have a leader with charisma. The NDP's Jack Layton is far more likeable and charismatic. A merged NDP/Liberal Party led by Layton would easily defeat Harper's Conservatives.
The rumours of a merger are absolutely nonsense.
The Honourable Michael Ignatieff P.C., M.P. (Etobicoke Lakeshore), the Leader of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition, made it very clear earlier today that the Liberal Party of Canada has no plans (and has not entered any negotiations) to merge with any other party on the federal stage. Any deal for co-operation or a coalition (but certainly not a merge) would happen, as is the constitutional norm, just after a general election.
The Honourable Jack Layton P.C., M.P. (Toronto—Danforth), the Leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada, has said the same thing.
The Honourable Michael Ignatieff P.C., M.P. (Etobicoke Lakeshore), the Leader of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition, made it very clear earlier today that the Liberal Party of Canada has no plans (and has not entered any negotiations) to merge with any other party on the federal stage. Any deal for co-operation or a coalition (but certainly not a merge) would happen, as is the constitutional norm, just after a general election.
The Honourable Jack Layton P.C., M.P. (Toronto—Danforth), the Leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada, has said the same thing.
And in virtually every other way. To gang up with the N.D.P. to upend them would be the height of hypocrisy. But having said that there is very few scruples with any of the bastards..............:lol::lol::lol:
I'm a member of neither party and so it's none of my business. I'll just keep voting for the best candidate.
That's my philosophy EXACTLY- vote for the man/woman (once in awhile there is one who is less detrimental than the rest) :smile:
Bear in mind though that certainly such a coalition would likely end up being to the left of the Liberal Party and to the right of the NDP. It would essentially become a kind of social-democratic party, unlike the current NDP which is more of a labour-socialist party.
Though I can imagine labour unions being outraged by such a coalition and they'd likely pull their support from the new party. Not to say though that they'd still vote for it just because there'd be no more pro-labour option out there, but they'd still be angry.
Unfortunately, all the good ones never win. I have to say that every candidate I've ever voted for has never won a seat yet.
They're splitting the left-leaning vote.
You sound a little bit like me in some ways. I'd consider myself more capitalist than socialist though, but I do like some of the NDP's more moderate ideas.
I like many Green Party ideas too. But again, in the end I vote indy.
Great. It is bad enough that we only have two federal parties to vote for, now they want to eliminate one in order to add support for one of the two main ones? Not only that but it would result in Canada becoming essentially a one party state. Nucking Futz!
So the G&M is rumor mongering. Surprise.
