After their defeat in 1993, the Progressive Conservatives began a long slow demise and within 10 years ceased to exist as a federal party. They were beset by scandal and voter fatigue had settled in after years in power. Fast forward nearly 16 1/2 years and once again a major canadian federal party is withering. The LPC has had a succession of deeply unpopular leaders from Paul Martin to Stephane Dion to now Michael Ignatieff. They have no defining principles, no ideals, no policy platform to run on. They are reviled around the country with only select pockets where they can get elected. Whole REGIONS of the Canada despise this party. They are now at least 10 points behind in the polls and clearly adfrift. They've been adrift for the better part of a decade.
Given all this trouble and the historic precedent of a major institutional party dying just 7 years ago, would it be unreasonable to write the obituary of the LPC. Wouls it be unreasonable to think that it will take the creation of some new political party to defeat the Conservatives? Would it be unreasonable to proclaim that the Conservatives are the new "natural governing party" of Canada until they decimate themselves with a sponsorship scandal style affair the way the Liberals did? Would it be unreasonable to say that Michael Ignatieff will never be Prime Minister of Canada?
If you don't think they are dead, what do you think that they have to do to resurrect themselves and when do you see this resurrection occuring? Also, do you think that the CPC will ever be as stupid as the Liberals were with sponsorship thus giving their opponents the opening that they needed to finally gain power?
I'm not sure that I think the LPC is even remotely close to dead but I think it's in critical condition. What do you all think?