re Canada's General election (post comments here)

Discussion in 'Off-Topic Discussions' started by Orson, Jun 25, 2004.

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  1. Orson

    Orson New Member

    "Free Kanadastan!"
    (As found in comments section
    of a British libertarian blog regarding the election - no imperialist disrespect from down South intended.)

    --Orson
     
  2. BillDayson

    BillDayson New Member

    I'm surprised that no one has posted about the Canadian federal elections, which take place monday, I believe.

    I'm not exactly optimistic. From what I hear, the polls are showing that neither the ruling Liberals or the new Conservative party will win a majority in Parliament. Both seem to be statistically equal and either could edge the other, but each one would face the prospect of forming a weak coalition government.

    If the Liberals get the edge, they could ally with the socialist New Democrats, but the price would probably be a swerve to the left. Unfortunately for them, the polls apparently show that even the Liberals and the NDP combined still won't have a Parliamentary majority.

    So that leaves the Bloc Quebecois. The liberals could increase their concessions to Quebec semi-independence, but the Bloc has already announced that they will enter no ruling coalitions and will only cooperate on a bill-by-bill basis.

    I guess that means that they will sell their support, demanding a new concession every time their votes are needed on the floor.

    So, what if the new Conservative party wins a plurality? The NDP isn't gonna ally with them. And opposition to pandering to Quebec is one of the Conservatives' main issues. So they are unlikely to pay the price the Bloc will be asking.

    It sure isn't pretty.

    My foreigner's-eye prediction is that the Liberals will end up forming a minority coalition government in league with the NDP, swerving leftwards in the process. That new government will be paralyzed from the beginning, unable to pass bills. Voters will be disillusioned, the government will fall, and new elections will take place within a year. The Conservatives will win handily, but faced with the prospect of forming their own minority government, will be in precisely the same uninviting spot.

    Canada's in for some choppy waters ahead, I think. A succession of several short-lived weak minority coalitions.
     
  3. Dennis Ruhl

    Dennis Ruhl member

    Today is the day.

    Hoping we can get rid of the Liberal bastards.

    Whoever wins, they had better get used to kissing Quebec separatist butt. Nothing that is slightly contentious will get through Parliament.

    There are going to be new elections in 6 months to a year unless the separatists realize that they could all be gone in new elections. Two terms totalling at least 6 years means a gold-plated pension and they may not want to risk it.

    I hope the polls are wrong and the Conservatives can get a majority but it doesn't look likely.
     
  4. roysavia

    roysavia New Member

    My gut feeling tells me that those Liberal assholes are going to form the next government. Perhaps a minority government, but still quite a few seats more than the Conservatives. They have been focusing their campaign in Ontario (a Liberal stronghold). At least with a minority government, the Conservatives can kick their butts each time they get caught with their hands in the cookie jar.
     
  5. novemberdude

    novemberdude New Member

    Unfortunately not.

    Unfortunately the message that we (the electorate as a whole) was that the Liberals can feel free to screw us with (virtual) impunity. (Okay, I know, minority government and all that but don't let the facts get in the way of a good rant).

    Don't mind me, I'm just pissed.

    And don't get me started on the NDP.

    For God's sake. The Liberals. How much do they have to screw up the country before we do the right (wing) thing?


     
  6. novemberdude

    novemberdude New Member

    If we could get rid of the BQ then the Conservaties would pick up a helluva lot of seats in Quebec. But Jonquiere (and the like) is not likely to break away from the Bloc anytime soon.

     
  7. Dennis Ruhl

    Dennis Ruhl member

    What in hell is wrong with Ontario??

    They actually believed the garbage about those Conservatives from Alberta eating babies or some such thing.

    They may not believe it but Conservative Alberta has a hell of a lot better medical care system that Liberal Ontario and guess what - it's free too.

    The Liberals, who have gutted medicare in the last 10 years, come off as medicare's saviours. Give me a break.

    The Liberals had to dump on Alberta to win another one - pathetic.

    So do we get another year or two of billions disappearing into programs to pay off friends in Quebec?

    Why do we never hear of federal corruption in Alberta? Because there is no record of one federal dollar ever being spent here.
     
  8. nosborne48

    nosborne48 Well-Known Member

    One of the things I am learning in my master of laws program is that the terms "labor", "liberal", and "conservative" have RADICALLY different meanings in England than in the U.S. Sounds like the same thing is true in Canada!
     
  9. Dennis Ruhl

    Dennis Ruhl member


    True conservatives are barely electable in Canada. The Conservative Party settled in middle ground and were poised for victory when the Liberal Party poured on its usual regional animosity.

    The Conservative leader is from Alberta which to Ontario hearts is pretty much akin to illiterate Nazi hillbillies. We do have the healthiest economy in Canada and it drives them nuts. At least it's been 22 years since the federal Liberal government actually confiscated our oil wealth under the good government clause of the constitution and kept it for many years.

    As they say in Quebec - je me souvien.
     
  10. roysavia

    roysavia New Member

    Dennis,
    Consider yourself fortunate to be in Alberta. We folks in Ontario now have to contend with another four years of Curly, Larry and Moe.
     
  11. novemberdude

    novemberdude New Member

    Hey, if you guys want to pity someone pity me. I live in Quebec. The weather sucks and do you have any idea what I pay in taxes?

    I like Stephen Harper. I think Stephen Harper would be a good Prime Minister. Having said that it was predictable that a former Reformer wouldn't play that well in Eastern Canada. If the Conservatives had looked electable during their leadership campaign they might have been able to attract a leader like Bernard Lord who would have had a bit more national appeal.

    Sadly I think the Conservatives peaked about 10 days ago.

    As a side note I think it speaks volumes when you have a party that has been in power 11 years and they can't run on their record, they have to run on the "At least we aren't the Conservatives" platform. Paul Martin absolutely raped health spending when he was finance minister and now he paints himself as the saviour of medicare?

    And the added bonus is now we have Layton that economic genius with 19 seats.

     
  12. Dennis Ruhl

    Dennis Ruhl member

    Our provicial income tax is a flat 10 %. Quebec must be double that or better.

    Why is it that Albertans are perceived to have only regional interests while everyone else has national interests?

    Layton? - why is it that the stupider the socialist leader appears to be, the more seats they win?

    Lucky you having 55 of 75 of your federal representatives committed to the destruction of the country. I am sure they will vote with the best interests of the country at heart.

    In my mind, my MP is the one who actually lost the election for the Conservatives. His anti-abortion comments started the Neanderthal ball rolling and it couldn't be stopped. I ran against him for the nomination 4 years ago and got my clock cleaned so I guess the people got what they wanted.
     
  13. leo

    leo Member

    Sorry to differ with a lot of the above posts but I´m glad Harper
    will not be the next PM.

    Believe it or not a large majority of good Canadian citizens did not vote Conservative not matter how you count the votes.
     
  14. Dennis Ruhl

    Dennis Ruhl member

    Sure - I just don't understand what the regional divisiveness is all about.
     
  15. novemberdude

    novemberdude New Member

    You are of course correct. 70% of those who voted voted for someone other than the Conservative Party. 63% voted for someone other than the Liberal Party.

    I just personally do not think that the Liberals earned the right to form another government.

     
  16. novemberdude

    novemberdude New Member

    I'm not sure what our provincial tax rate is. I know that overall I pay about 46% between Federal and Provincial. I honestly don't look at the numbers to see what the division is, all I know is part goes to the Provincial Bastards and part goes to the Federal Bastards.

    I agree with flat tax but that's a whole other story.

    I wouldn't mind moving to Alberta, as long as I could live close to the Rockies, but not likely to happen.

    Regarding the Bloc and their 55 seats, let me put it this way. Dennis - when you're English and live in Quebec you get used to politicians not having your best interests at heart.

    Honestly, this election made me sick. The Liberals tried to frighten Ontario with the Conservative bogeyman, and apparently they succeeded. I'm fed up. We can look forward to more waste and bigger government. I can feel my taxes going up already.

    I'm just sorry that I didn't manage to get any sponsorship money.

     
  17. Dennis Ruhl

    Dennis Ruhl member

    Impossible - I suspect your name has the accent on the wrong syllable.
     
  18. leo

    leo Member

    Who should do it? The leader of the party with the least votes?
    It´s the same all over the world. Losers hate losing and the winners become losers by their logic.
     
  19. roysavia

    roysavia New Member

    But the Liberals are losers even though they are winners. The west wants nothing to do with the current government. Harper had a very good chance at being the next PM, it's just that we have too many bleeding heart candy ass liberal supporters in Ontario. If Harper DOES want to become the next PM, he's going to have to work very hard at proving to the Liberal supporters in Ontario that the current minority government is incompetent.
     
  20. Dennis Ruhl

    Dennis Ruhl member


    I thought everyone knew that.
     

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