Liberal-NDP Coaliton: just what Bob Rae wants
December 8, 2008 - 6:36pm
Funny how Bob Rae is so hated here on babble, and yet people fail to notice that nobody more than him benefits from a Lib-NDP coalition that the vast majority of Canadian progressives support. Rae has said the NDP is just a "party of protest" and too ideological and how progressive legislation has come from Liberals, etc. With this coaltion, the NDP is the junior partner that provides "left" cover to Bob's new political home, the Liberal Party of Canada. The NDP will essentially become a branch of the Liberals, which is what Rae wants.
double post
This is all irrelevant since Bob Rae's chances of becoming Liberal leader are now close to ZERO.
I'd think the NDP giving up its independence and becoming the junior partner in the Canadian version of the US Democratic Party or New Labour wouldn't be "irrelevant" to NDP supporters.
Rae would likely be Foreign Affairs minister in this government. I don't think I'd want an Ignatieff-Rae foreign policy.
I'd think the NDP giving up its independence and becoming the junior partner in the Canadian version of the US Democratic Party or New Labour wouldn't be "irrelevant" to NDP supporters.
Fine! We'll go with Steve the perogie fuhrer Harper and take our lumps. All hope is lost. What were we thinking? It's better this way. He may be a sonofaperogieater, but he's our sonofaperogieater!! And besides, he's promising rotten onions on the side and hairy sour cream with freezer burned perogies, or some such. blecch!
Ironically for Rae, it's the coalition that's resulted in the sudden urgency by the Liberals to choose a leader and in Iggy's imminent assumption of power.
Interestingly enough Rae now says he wishes the NDP had a coalition with the Peterson Liberals, but the caucus balked at the idea.
Uninterestingly enough, Bob Rae will say anything.
He said the same thing in From Protest to Power.
The G-G has made the Coalition irrelevant anyway, by given Harpoon his prorogation. I think there's zero chance the G-G will give the Coalition any consideration whatsoever if they defeat the upcoming Budget, and we'll be in an election right away.
No, no, no, Max. You must have been away from babble for about a whole week!
There's been a sea change around here.
Now the Liberals, including Bob Rae, Michael Ignatieff, Ralph Goodale, Ken Dryden, Irwin Cotler, and Ujjal Dosanjh are no longer our hated enemies but are our bosom buddies. They are going to be Cabinet colleagues of Jack Layton, and they are going to save us from Stephen Harper.
We love the Liberals! They will save the Canadian economy while the rest of the capitalist world goes belly up. They will protect workers and pensioners and women and poor people.
It turns out Buzz Hargrove was way ahead of his time! Now we realize what a smart man he was. And we resolve to give unconditional support to the Iggy government for the next 30 months.
Perhaps you were hoping I had stopped using an annoying tag line. You were wrong; you're reading it now. Why not email a moderator to demand that signature/tag lines be abolished forthwith?
Spector,
Some thoughts.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
Dude, Harper's colours were clear before but the man has just pulled a Mugabe-esque end-run around the democratically Parliament of the country. He has got to be stopped and absent the secret decoder-ring code to "activate" the floride in the water supply and spontaneously convert the country to social-democracy, this is "the" option on the table. Imperfect though it may be, I'll take 18-30 months of Iggy with 1/4 of the cabinet to 36-48 months of a Harper majority.
Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.
Fine, you are right. The Liberal Party of Canada with Iggy at the helm is the greatest threat to social democracy, economic justice, basic human rights and is hell-bent on the unabashed rape of the environment. Don't we owe it to the country to stick to them and provide as much protection against their excesses as we can. No one will be better positioned to deliver the death-blow than we would should they reveal their true nature.
The definition of insanity is repeating the same thing, over and over again, and expecting a different result.
Well we have 37 seats, our second highest in history. Our highest? Twenty years ago when we won 43 seats. In between we've seen dark times, including a period when we weren't even afforded official party status in the House. I'm a pretty positive thinker - but really, there is no social democratic wave just about to hit. If we are going to change the national conversation about us, we have to give people something different to talk about. The healthcare party, the party of labour, the party of working families - they get it, they like us to be there but not to be in charge. The only way that shifts, IMHO, is if New Democrats are having to answer questions in the House as opposed to always asking them. If people are used to seeing New Democrats in positions of authority, then the conversation moves from the imposibility of an NDP governement to the merits of one. I much prefer the thought of having that debate.
"The G-G has made the Coalition irrelevant anyway, by given Harpoon his prorogation. I think there's zero chance the G-G will give the Coalition any consideration whatsoever if they defeat the upcoming Budget, and we'll be in an election right away."
One thing has nothing to do with the other. The constitutional experts virtually all said that she had no choice but to give Harper his prorogation. The same experts also say that there is almost no chance that she would refuse to let the coalition try to govern if they a have clear agreement for a stable government lasting at least 18 months.
Its all up to Ignatieff. If he wants to be PM and he wants the coalition to continue then there will be a Liberal/NDP coalition government. If he wants to prop up the Harper gov't instead then that is what will happen. I'm not concerned about the GG - its all up to the Liberals.
He said the same thing in From Protest to Power.
Probably one of only two things I've ever agreed with Rae about since 1992.
The other was that he supported MMP in the Ontario referendum.
Its all up to Ignatieff. If he wants to be PM and he wants the coalition to continue then there will be a Liberal/NDP coalition government. If he wants to prop up the Harper gov't instead then that is what will happen. I'm not concerned about the GG - its all up to the Liberals.
Agreed.
Anyways, Rae's new party just tossed him aside for Count Iggy ...
December 9, 2008
Liberal Party Announces Consultative Process to Appoint an Interim LeaderOTTAWA – Liberal Party President Doug Ferguson announced Monday that the Liberal Party’s National Executive has approved a consultative process by which it will appoint an interim Liberal Leader. This announcement follows the resignation of the Hon. Stéphane Dion announced earlier this week.
“I first wish to thank Mr. Dion for the courage and passion with which he led the Liberal Party of Canada,” said Mr. Ferguson.
“At this critical time in our country’s history, the National Executive, in consultation with Caucus, is now tasked by our Party’s constitution with selecting an interim Leader who will preside over a very volatile minority Parliament, and a possible general election.”
Mr. Ferguson emphasized that the Liberal Party’s overriding objective is to select an interim Leader through a process which respects the principles of fairness and openness.
In this spirit, with respect to its decision to select an interim Leader, the National Executive has chosen to consult broadly with the Party’s constitutional bodies, including Caucus, defeated candidates from the last general election, Council of Presidents, and Commission Club Presidents. Through this process, an interim Leader is expected to be chosen as early as Wednesday, December 17, 2008.
"In keeping with our national Canadian character, the Liberal Party brought together good sense and balance in seeking broad consultation in an expedited timeframe," concluded Mr. Ferguson.
An interesting lesson for any other New Dems tempted to cross the floor. You will never ever be one of them.
An interesting lesson for any other New Dems tempted to cross the floor.
You mean like the entire current NDP caucus?
Perhaps you were hoping I had stopped using an annoying tag line. You were wrong; you're reading it now. Why not email a moderator to demand that signature/tag lines be abolished forthwith?
They've just gone to ZERO:
Rae dropping out of Liberal leadership race
Note to Jack Layton: If Bob Rae comes knocking at your door asking if he can come in - just say no.
No need to worry about that one.