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Coalition Government in Canada


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It's an incredibly partisan, divisive issue. Nealry everyone has a side. Often at election time, people say "ah, I like party X but I don't like the leader" or "I'm split between Y and Z". Not on coalition. The vast majority of people are either very very strongly for it or very very strongly against it. So perhaps the most interesting thing about it is that people feel more strongly about this than they do about a general election.

 

The other striking thing for me is Harper's misunderstanding or total disdain for the parlimentary system of government. Although it is hardly every readily apparent, it is the House of Parliment who chooses the government, not "the people" as conservatives keep saying. The people pick MPs to represent us in Parliment. The PM has to have the confidence of the house. So most of the Conservative Party arguments against the coalition don't hold water. The Canadian people did not elect a Conservative government. The Canadian people elected enough Conservative members to, in "normal" times, form a minority government. Harper's petty arrogance has been his undoing. He is over.

 

You can probably guess which side I am on.

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Harper's petty arrogance has been his undoing. He is over.

Let's hope so. Harper's an arrogant f#@k and he should be forced to step down.

 

As I said in the other thread, I'm not crazy about the idea of a coalition, but I do think the Liberals, NDP, and BQ represent the values and priorities of most Canadians much better than Harper's Conservatives do.

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well, so much for democracy in Canada.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/05/world/am...tml?_r=1&hp

 

'Canadian Parliament Closed in Bid to Keep Prime Minister in Power'

 

I know he talked about using any legal means possible to remain in power but I suspect he also means 'illegal' as well. He's suspended Parliament, why not just do away with it altogether.

 

Optimus Prime Minister uber alles

 

optimusharper80.gif

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I think Harper has let this happen to himself and is to blame in a way but really Stephane Dion is the biggest baby politician I've ever known and I'd be pretty disgusted if he became prime minister through some back door deal with separatists. Dion just "really really wants to be prime minister" and can't accept the fact that he would never win an election. Now there's a chance we will have to spend however many millions to go back to the polls for the same results. (which they will be)

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and is to blame in a way

Not in a way. Harper has only himslef to blame. He let all the press about what a master strategist he is go to his head and totally and absolutely misread this situation. His fault. This whole incident really brings his question as a leader into serious doubt.

 

Now there's a chance we will have to spend however many millions to go back to the polls for the same results. (which they will be)

Sadly, I'm not convinced of that. If Harper does manage to survive this, which I didn't think he possibly could even 2 days ago, he might be able to swing enough public sentiment about the axis of evil that is the coaltion, in addition to Dion and the others shooting themselves in the feet, and turn that into a majority.

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I could only think of McCain when Harper was going on about "socialist economics" as well as calling what the Liberals and NDP are doing as "un-democratic", actually Harper it is probably one of the most democratic things about our political system! You come up with cocky and absolutely ridiculous economic plan that undermines the intelligence of any other politician that isn't a Conservative and you expect to get away with it because we just had an election well too bad you brought it upon yourself. Also I think he needs to accept the fact that THE MAJORITY OF THE COUNTRY DID NOT VOTE FOR YOU, and just imagine the seats that were lost due to NDP and Liberals being split one way or another, and I find quite disheartening that Michael Jean only met with Harper and anyone else from the Coalition. I dunno I am unhappy about the prorogue but I really don't think he will last very long once January comes.

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Harper has shown that he is totally unfit to lead. He failed to win a majority (twice) and he can't play nicely in the sandbox with the other kids. He's also pissing off Quebec by dissing the Bloc (their MPs were elected by Canadians - yes, Quebec counts too!) which isn't exactly great for national unity... or his chances of winning a majority in the future.

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He's also pissing off Quebec by dissing the Bloc (their MPs were elected by Canadians - yes, Quebec counts too!) which isn't exactly great for national unity... or his chances of winning a majority in the future.

 

thanks for saying that Judy. :thumbup It annoys me that everyone (well, not everyone...) keeps referring to the Bloc Quebecois as if it were a party from hell or something. Granted, I certainly don't want Quebec to separte from Canada, but people need to realize that as least in this past election, separatism was a non-issue. The people who voted for the BQ voted for them because they believed that the BQ would best protect Quebec culture. They didn't run on a separatist platform. Dion and Layton didn't make a deal with the devil, as the Conservatives keep on alluding to. It's just ridiculous.

 

I can't believe that the GG went along with Harper. I mean really. I think having a coalition government leading Parliament, no matter how shakey it may be, is better than having NO parliament in session at all. :realmad

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