Emerson Crosses the Floor!!!

[I think not]

Re: RE: Emerson Crosses the Floor!!!

Whatever Jay...I strongly believe that you're an in the closet Liberal

He told me so!!!

I can not out my sources.....they should probably pipe down a little to stay anonymous though...sheesh 8) :lol:

Well gee manda, telling is half the fun.

 

[Jay]

Telling is half the fun for ITN. The other half of the fun is making the story up!!

 

[manda]

I don't know about the whole making it up Jay....:lol:

 

[the caracal kid]

RE: Emerson Crosses the F

fits well with Harper's history of opportunism.

As for "the current rules": if Harper was what he preaches, he is free to operate by stricter standards than the official rules. That won't happen though, to all you floor-crossing whiners! Harper played those that voted for the cons so well. Now you can sit back and wonder how you could be so fooled.

 

[sanch]

Re: RE: Emerson Crosses the F

fits well with Harper's history of opportunism.

As for "the current rules": if Harper was what he preaches, he is free to operate by stricter standards than the official rules. That won't happen though, to all you floor-crossing whiners! Harper played those that voted for the cons so well. Now you can sit back and wonder how you could be so fooled.

Much support went to Harper because of the lack of an alternative. Just because people were tired of corruption does not mean that they are naive enough to believe it won't occur again. Harper has a very slim mandate and he has to pass the accounatabity act. Then there will be statutory procedures in place to ensure that when the liberals regain power as the bourgeois party of Canada under Belinda Stronach they will at least be honest.

 

[the caracal kid]

RE: Emerson Crosses the F

Harper painted himself as "mr clean" though!

There are no laws requiring him to only meet the minimum standard set by "laws". His ads were "stand up for canada". Well, we can see how far up he will stand, and it doesn't make him upstanding.

No excuses, Harper is acting consistant with his history. Expect more of it.

 

[Colpy]

Re: RE: Emerson Crosses the F

Harper painted himself as "mr clean" though!

There are no laws requiring him to only meet the minimum standard set by "laws". His ads were "stand up for canada". Well, we can see how far up he will stand, and it doesn't make him upstanding.

No excuses, Harper is acting consistant with his history. Expect more of it.

Unfortunately, Harper's behaviour is consistent with just about EVERY politician's history.

While I don't think this is indicates a huge lack of principle in Harper, I am actually sorry this happened, Emerson should have been told to take a hike, or run in a byelection...........which he would probably loose.

And you are correct, Harper could have held his caucus to a higher standard than the rules.

 

[Jay]

"Harper could have held his caucus to a higher standard than the rules."


And if Liberals held themselves to higher standards like the rules....

 

[unclepercy]

Emerson was one of the things wrong with the Liberal party. Now he's one of the things wrong with the Conservative party.

You can't have it both ways Jay :roll:

Juan,
I read almost everything political on this forum, and I am still trying to learn about Canadian politics. Can you (hold the rotten tomatoes) explain what "crossing the floor" means? Thanks. Sometimes you just gotta ask.

Uncle

 

[manda]

Hey uncle, it means switching parties, they're devided by sides of the floor in Parliment

 

[#juan]

Hi Uncle

As Manda said, the parliament provides seats in different sections of the house for the different parties. Party in power on one side and the opposition parties on the other. It happens occasionally that some MP(member of parliament)changes his allegiance and walks "accross the floor" or "crosses the floor" and joins the other party. I personally don't think this is fair to the people who elected that member while he/she represented another party.

 

[Colpy]

"Harper could have held his caucus to a higher standard than the rules."


And if Liberals held themselves to higher standards like the rules....

So true, so true.

 

[Karlin]

Re: RE: Emerson Crosses the Floor!!!

I think that It's time to disband all the parties and have all people run as independants, but running as supporters of a particular leadership candidate. But that would be the logical thing to do...and logic doesn't seem to be in abundance anywhere these days.

Before you slough this off, think about it. It could easily work, and people could vote on bills as they felt about them, rather than what the party pressured them to do, majority vote wins...

YES.
I agree completely
- its an idea I have been attracted to since high school. It seems the organised insiders benefit from "party" politics, but that the constituents have less representation and the 'candidate' has less freedom to vote his consciouness and for the will of those who voted for him.

The proof is in the pudding - look how the corporate side has blossomed into a political force within the party system.

It has also allowed there to exist "two parties that both represent the corporate side" - they have their people in both places, both parties. Independants would be much harder to corral.

 

[MMMike]

In theory that would be great - everyone an independant and answerable only to their electorate and their conscience. The current party structure has some advantages though, like the ability to forge a vision and roadmap for the future. It also offers the lazy electorate a better sense of where the candidate stands. Imagine having to find out your numerous candidates views on everything! Many people cannot even be bothered to vote. And you could end up with a tremendous amount of candidates in every race. On the whole, I have no problem with the party system but it does need tweaking.

 

[tawker]

RE: Emerson Crosses the F

I'm trying to work on a "crossing the floor policy" here http://canadianpolicywiki.ca/index.php/MP's_Crossing_the_Floor - it has a bit of a byelection swing but if someone has another solution I'd be happy to see it.

 

[tracy]

Just goes to show you that the conservatives and the liberals really aren't that different...

 

[Lotuslander]

[/b]Colpy wrote:

Yeah, there should be rules requiring anyone that crosses the floor to run again in a by-election.

But there is not. The rules have yet to change, and you can't expect the Tories to play by rules that don't exist.

I can't uderstand this casual rewarding of turncoats with cabinet seats.

Let's hope the rules change SOON.

I disagree with all who say that a by-election should be called when one crosses the floor or that somehow Emerson is betraying his constituents because they voted for him as a Liberal.The fact of the matter is that in Canada you don't vote for political parties you vote for individuals. If we could vote for parties we would have some form of PR. Those who believe that when they go to the ballot box and make their decision without informing themselves about who they are voting for is doing themselves a disservice. Do you want an MP who is nothing more than a trained seal at the beck and call of his semi-devine political party with their philosophy? Or do you want someone who will speak their own mind and make their own decisions through thought-out reasoned analysis and research?

Personally, I want someone who is going to make the right decisions when the proverbial you know what hits the fan even if that means switching parties.

 

[Finder]

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNe...rson_defection_060206/20060206?hub=TopStories

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNe...6/cabinet_main_060206/20060206?hub=TopStories

I once thought the conservatives stood up for clean government. This was one of the only reason's I ever thought the NDP could work for them and was not "scared" of the liberals losing power.

Let's see. Harper was suppossed to be against.
-MP's crossing the floor and getting cabinet posts. Check, he already lied about this as it just happend.
-The Senate, he has supposedly always believed in a democratically elected senate and with in a few weeks of his victory he has already appointed a senator! So yeah another thing I believed in Harper has lied about.

This is Liberalist type BS happening all over again but with a right wing government!!! I hope the NDP shoots this government in the head soon and ends it. Next time vote NDP, a party which hasn't f*cking B.S.ed the puplic to the extent of the Fiberals and the neo-con's liars. All Harper had to do for me was to stick by his supposed guns on these issues and I wouldn't care what he did.

EVERYONE Liberal and Conservative supposedly is a democratic reformer until they get elected!!!!!!

 

[JomZ]

[quote="Lotuslander]
The fact of the matter is that in Canada you don't vote for political parties you vote for individuals. If we could vote for parties we would have some form of PR. Those who believe that when they go to the ballot box and make their decision without informing themselves about who they are voting for is doing themselves a disservice. Do you want an MP who is nothing more than a trained seal at the beck and call of his semi-devine political party with their philosophy? Or do you want someone who will speak their own mind and make their own decisions through thought-out reasoned analysis and research?

I'm back,

The fact of the matter is that when you vote you take into account the person and the party they represent. Its kind of a mish-mash of all perspectives. It is also a testament to the character of a person who stands by what the electorate felt was their party. Only opportunists abandon after the going gets rough.

Vancouver Kingsway

David Emerson
Party: Liberal
Elected: Yes
Percent: 43.3%

Ian Waddell
Party: NDP
Elected: No
Percent: 33.6%

Kanman Wong
Party: Conservative
Elected: No
Percent: 18.8%
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/elections/fed2005/fragments/results/fedMap.html

In retrospect, Emerson was probably planning to do this for a while now and may have just ridden on the back of the Liberal supporters in his riding. David Emerson won by a favourable margin, but now he is a conservative. It seems as a conservative he probably would not have done as well.

I wonder how that is felt by those that voted for him, or those that worked on his campaign, or those that believed he was a man of certain principals? But heck he’s a business man, I guess he follows where the money leads, who cares about the electorate, EH!

The only thing I can say that will make up for this kind of action will be that Emerson works with his post as minister of international trade, to address real issues for his constituency and serious Canadian trade issues like softwood lumber trade, water diversion, energy exporting.

 

[Finder]

Well it also looks as if we are going back to the days of the Liberals and Tory's being the big tent parties and having very few difference's between them. Hey all Harper has to do is remove a few more of the "reform" populist idea's which I actually like and you miles while call them PC's.