Our two old line parties in Ontario slash and cut and leave scorched earth all the time. And Ottawa is sure to offer them no alternative funding solutions, either.
DEXTER GOVT: Managing Communications with the Base on a Diet of Austerity Budgets and Tax Cuts
Fri, 2012-06-29 23:16
#102
Sat, 2012-06-30 02:50
#103
I'm not sure what your point is.
The HST tax cuts were not part of this budget. But governments all the time put future fiscal commitments in with [current] budgets.
And you dont think there is anything the least bit contingent about that tax cut do you? Formally, it is contingent on a matching budget surplus. But you know that having promised it, they are on the line, and they will do it. There is already the planned continuation of the slashing so that they will get that surplus. Thay told the school boards that. And they'll be turning up the heat on the health boards after the election is out of the way.
If it takes even more slashing than they expect to pay for these tax cuts, so be it.
I was making a comment on the rumour of Steele and Dexter having a falling out over future tax cuts. Also, while I'm sure the cuts will happen at some point, I'll wait and see what future budgets have in store before going into protest mode.
Sat, 2012-06-30 07:04
#104
What a surprise.
Conveniently, the actual cuts will not come until after the election.
So we have the general public who the evidence is they believe the government will deliver the promised cuts [except presumably of course for the voters who would never vote for the NDP].
Then we have the base, declining in numbers who the party can draw on for support, but essential that the erosion be limited as much as possible. Of whom you are pretty representative. Contrasting to the general public, among the base the tax cuts are not popular. So those who want to believe will wait and see.
While you will imply that in principle you might find substantial tax cuts funded by continued deep slashing something that warrants speaking up about, you will wait to see if that happens, which is after the election.... even though the government has already said to the schoolboards starting as far back as a year ago to expect this depth of cuts through at least next budget, and is making the same noises now to the health boards that it made to the school boards before specifying the precise degree of the cuts in their funding.
Sat, 2012-06-30 07:35
#105
If the cuts don't come until after the next election, that makes it kind of hard to make a case for re-electing the NSNDP, doesn't it?
How, exactly, can Dexter do that and still say "if we lose, things will get WORSE"?
At this point, it would be just about impossible to make a case AGAINST creating a new, genuinely socialist(or at least genuniely social democratic)provincial party in Nova Scotia. If such a party DID cause a NSNDP defeat...would it even matter?
If they had ANY political creativity, the Nova Scotia Greens would try to step in and fill the void that's now been created. Not holding my breath that they will though...given how fixated Canadian Greens seem to be with being "pro-market".
Sat, 2012-06-30 17:07
#106
How, exactly, can Dexter do that and still say "if we lose, things will get WORSE"?
He will not make that case. But he doesn't need to.
Thats the job of the endlessly loyal remaining base. With of course some helpful suggestions from staff about how it all makes sense and must be. But the base has to absorb this as its own- that's their job.
Sat, 2012-06-30 17:52
#107
If they had ANY political creativity, the Nova Scotia Greens would try to step in and fill the void that's now been created. Not holding my breath that they will though...given how fixated Canadian Greens seem to be with being "pro-market".
I've never seen a plan for socialism in one province. If there is one, it's being kept under wraps.
The neoliberal forecast across Canada is to forge on with creating more debt followed by austerity. It's Canadians fault for wanting jobs, living wages and well funded social programs. The new business plan since 1987 says that debt equals wealth creation. Public debt is considered premium debt.
Sat, 2012-06-30 22:05
#108
A non-NDP left party in Nova Scotia wouldn't even have to promise "socialism in one province". It could make a strong showing simply by pledging "no cuts" and by guaranteeing that workers and the poor wouldn't LOSE any ground.
If you reduce it to "it's enough that it's the 'center-left' making the cuts", then you completely break faith with EVERYBODY the NDP, federally or provincially, is supposed to represent. It's a question of whether people have the right to expect anything, anything at all, in exchange for their votes.
And yes, the neoliberals still call the tune in North America. But how can you ever change that if nobody's going to refuse to play the damn tune?
At some point, the stand has to be made...the line has to be drawn...if not now, when, Fidel?
Sun, 2012-07-01 05:56
#109
A non-NDP left party in Nova Scotia wouldn't even have to promise "socialism in one province". It could make a strong showing simply by pledging "no cuts" and by guaranteeing that workers and the poor wouldn't LOSE any ground.
True only if you think that getting a share of the vote under 5% is a strong showing.
Taking back the NDP isnt in the cards for the near enough future. But at least it is achievable in principle.
We weren't looking for socialism in one province. We weren't looking for socialism period. It wasnt promised by anyone. We were just looking for the shared aspiration of everyone who gets involved with the NDP: a progressive government.
Anyone involved with the NDP for a long time is used to making do with minimum expectations. And sometimes barely that. Not only did we get far short of iminmum expectations, we got something even the biggest pessimists among us would never have dreamed of: the fullout neo-liberal agenda that neither of the old line parties had the 'guts' or political fortitude to pull off.
Sun, 2012-07-01 23:26
#110
CFL
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