Yup. It normally does when the content get's distilled to a boring right-left dichotomy.
I thought it was interesting to see how the thread title claimed flirtation, and then the thread morphed into Turmel's full support of the separatists.
Yes.. about that.. some posters need the serious edumacation..
Turmel in the BQ? Big deal
What’s my position? I agree that holding membership in a separatist party is highly questionable, and usually not the wisest route to political success. But I’ve heard much, much worse in my day.
Turmel’s explanation that she was simply supporting a friend makes perfect sense. Many people purchase party cards to support family members, friends and even business associates. Some let them lapse after a year, and others renew them on an annual basis. Jumping from political lily pad to lily pad is more common these days, and familial and sociological loyalty to political parties is a thing of the past.
At the same time, the amount of money Turmel gave to the BQ in four years was next to nothing. She apparently didn’t even hold a role in a riding association. At best, she sounds like a fair-weather party supporter. Like it or not, this is hardly a great cause for concern. Yet she has had to face multiple accusations of supporting the separatist cause.
Many Quebecers have freely shifted their votes from the BQ to NDP because of the two parties’ similar social democratic values and like-minded policy proposals. Not too long ago, the BQ was the only viable alternative for Quebec leftists who couldn’t bring themselves to vote Liberal. In one well-known example, Turmel’s union supported some BQ candidates in the 2006 federal election. This was clearly a vote for socialist — rather than separatist — ideology.