Green Party releases their platform, September 9, 2015

Fri, 2015-10-30 18:55

Mr. Magoo

Quote:
I asked because personally I think that the MSM and FPTP are their main problems, and that nothing they do is likely to get them much further ahead without something changing which is beyond their control.

Well, with any luck, FPTP will be a relic before the next election. As for the MSM, I don't think that the Greens are in any way "shut out" -- in fact, I think they get a very disproportionate number of column-inches, all things considered. If Elizabeth May wants to "speak truth to power", someone will make sure there's a microphone. The MSM may not "golf clap" for whatever she chooses to say, but it'll get printed. And good grief, with only three-point-whatever percentage of the vote, she's going to Paris. I really can't imagine that with only a few more percent of the popular vote, Tim Moen would get invited too.

Quote:
I agree that they will never be rescued by E. May.

Maybe what I wrote didn't unpack well, but I -- for however little this is worth to any Green supporter -- don't think they should ditch her and look for a replacement. I'm not saying "she'll save them" either, but right now she's the only trump card in their hand.

Fri, 2015-10-30 19:37

#53

wage zombie

I think FPTP has been the biggest issue for them. They have tried to adjust for this by focussing all their resources on a few seats. Once May won her seat in 2011 this strategy appeared to be effective, and it was repeated in BC and NB.

Unfortunately, the downside of focussing all resources on a few seats has hollowed out the Greens as a national party. So there's not a lot of room for growth.

FPTP makes it difficult for Greens to target Con-held seats, meaning their best chance for gains come at the expense of the NDP (or the Libs).

All of these problems were compounded this election due to ABH and the red wave. Presumably, even without a change to FPTP, the Greens could do better in 2019 than 2015.

PR would help them considerably. Ranked ballots won't be quite so useful but could help them somewhat.

They seem to be in a no-win situation to me. The Elizabeth May party has a ceiling, and if they go back to being the Green party they take a big hit.

Fri, 2015-10-30 19:48

#54

Mr. Magoo

I wonder if perhaps the problem is that we just don't "need" a fourth party?

I don't mean we shouldn't have a fourth party, and a fifth, and a twentieth.

But what part of the vote is the fourth party supposed to survive on?

The third party can at least count on some votes from those electors who are unenamoured of, or bored of, or repulsed by, the usual first/second parties, but a fourth party seems to me to really need to be able to steal votes from the third party. They're sure to be nowhere near to stealing them from the first/second.

I also think that perhaps some of the problem for the Greens is that they're just not that unlike the third party (whether we're talking about the third party last election, or this election). To their credit, it may be their presence on the electoral map that actually pushed other parties to adopt more aggressive policies with regard to the environment, but once the other parties adopted (at least some) environmentally friendly policies, what did that leave for the Greens? How long could they expect to remain relevant on the basis of "brand" alone?

Fri, 2015-10-30 20:11

#55

Debater

Elizabeth May did get into 2 of the debates this year (1 English, 1 French) so unlike in 2011, it's not as if the Greens had no exposure on the National debates stage.

Sat, 2015-10-31 19:06

#56

Stockholm

Now that the per vote subsidy is gone - the Green Party will likely have to file for bankruptcy. They were heavily heavily dependent on getting that $2 per vote and with that gone and with just 1 MP - they are literally flat broke and cannot afford any staff. The party serves no purpose beyond being a peronality cult for Elizabeth May - and on top of that the Green party is actually BAD for the environment. The other parties - especially the Liberals and NDP know that if they try to make climate change or the environment a big election issue - all it does is drive up support for the party that has the word "green" in its proper name - so they keep away from it. If the Green Party just faced up to reality and disbanded tomorrow - I'll bet you would soon see the NDP (and maybe even the Liberals) actually start making environmental issues a a higher priority.

In the end what has Elizabeth ME actually accomplished in federal politics beyond her own personal narcissistic, delusions of grandeur and her pathetic yearning for attention? Its always all about her and never about any actual issues. I think in the entire election campaign i heard her squawk a lot more about her demand to be in the debate than about any actual environmental issues. Now that we are about to legalize euthanasia in Canada - maybe someone should euthanize this silly party that serves no purpose at all.

A friend who is a psychologist read May's autobiography. He said it was unbelievably badly written and that in his professional opinion, the author (May) suffers from narcissistic personality disorder.

Sat, 2015-10-31 19:12

#57

Michael Moriarity

Stockholm wrote:

A friend who is a psychologist read May's autobiography. He said it was unbelievably badly written and that in his professional opinion, the author (May) suffers from narcissistic personality disorder.

How typically sleazy of you. Whether it's true or not, this sentence labels you as an A+ asshole.

Sat, 2015-10-31 19:18

#58

Stockholm

I and my friend are entitled to our opinions about Elizabeth May. She does not deserve or need to be protected from all the knocks that everyone else gets when they put themselves into public life. I have heard from many sources that she is an absolutely horrible person who treats everyone around her like shit. If anyone wants to contradict that - go ahead, its a free country.

Sat, 2015-10-31 20:06

#59

Debater

Stockholm wrote:

Now that the per vote subsidy is gone - the Green Party will likely have to file for bankruptcy. They were heavily heavily dependent on getting that $2 per vote and with that gone and with just 1 MP - they are literally flat broke and cannot afford any staff.

Is it possible that the Liberals (with the support of the NDP, BQ & Greens?) will decide to bring back the per vote subsidy?

Sat, 2015-10-31 20:12

#60

Basement Dweller

I had no idea Elizabeth May suffers from a personality disorder. WOW.

Sat, 2015-10-31 20:17

#61

Mr. Magoo

It might be a stretch to say she's suffering.

Sat, 2015-10-31 20:21

#62

Basement Dweller

Mr. Magoo wrote:

It might be a stretch to say she's suffering.

OK while someone is suffering. Mostly everyone around her.

Sat, 2015-10-31 20:30

#63

Debater

Other than Elizabeth May's bizarre meltdown at the Press Gallery Dinner, is there really any evidence that she is unstable?

Sat, 2015-10-31 20:35

#64

Basement Dweller

Debater wrote:

Other than Elizabeth May's bizarre meltdown at the Press Gallery Dinner, is there really any evidence that she is unstable?

That wasn't sufficient.

Sat, 2015-10-31 20:47

#65

Mr. Magoo

Quote:
Other than Elizabeth May's bizarre meltdown at the Press Gallery Dinner, is there really any evidence that she is unstable?

On the contrary, I think she's very centred.

Fri, 2015-11-06 18:06

#66

mark_alfred

Debater wrote:

Stockholm wrote:

Now that the per vote subsidy is gone - the Green Party will likely have to file for bankruptcy. They were heavily heavily dependent on getting that $2 per vote and with that gone and with just 1 MP - they are literally flat broke and cannot afford any staff.

Is it possible that the Liberals (with the support of the NDP, BQ & Greens?) will decide to bring back the per vote subsidy?

That would be a good idea. Given that it wasn't in their list of numerous democratic reforms that they promised when they first debuted their "realchange" theme, I doubt that they intend to bring it back, though.

Tue, 2016-07-26 20:58

#67

Rev Pesky

Green Party distributes 'misleading' polling data:

Quote:
Canada's elections watchdog has sanctioned the Green Party for deliberately pushing "misleading" polling data to sway votes on the eve of last fall's federal election.

...Offences relate to distributing election survey results the day before the Oct. 19 vote.

...The report said acknowledgment of non-compliance does not constitute a guilty plea in the criminal sense, and that no record of conviction is created as a result.

As penalty, the executive director must take a number of steps, including:

Prepare a notice in both official languages describing facts of the case and the compliance agreement.

Post a notice on the first page of the web site for at least 30 days.

Distribute contents of the notice as a bilingual news release to national media.

Give written notice to directors and federal council members about the compliance agreement.

Tue, 2016-07-26 21:36

#68

mark_alfred

*self-delete*

Tue, 2016-07-26 22:08

#69

Mr. Magoo

Quote:
In addition, the Party Leader must:

Just friggin' can it for a while

Green Party releases their platform, September 9, 2015

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