Dion & May
April 16th, 2007 | by MadHacktress |I am of two minds on this issue. My immediate reaction is that I really dislike the idea that the Liberal party is willing to sacrifice running a full panel of candidates during a General Election. I firmly feel that they should always, unquestionably run a full panel, even if it’s only for show.
On the other hand I don’t disagree with having Elizabeth May in the House of Commons. I think that she would make an excellent addition to the Commons and her approach to politics is one that I can stand behind.
I don’t know whether it’s better to run a full panel of candidates and then have a behind-the-scenes movement designed to get out the word that the party is endorsing the Green Party candidate. That just doesn’t seem right, either.
I guess that when it comes to politics what really feels best is to just win, dammit. It’s too bad that Elizabeth May cannot be counted on to be able to win on her own merits because, as I said, I think she would make an excellent addition to the Commons.
Entry Filed under: Federal
I feel that the Liberals, who are not my favourite party, just anything is better than a Conservative, made a guaranteed Conservative majority next election by electing ‘another Frenchman from Quebec’ (not my words, of course, but expect that to be one of the greatest rallying cries of the mentally challenged who vote Tory)
The Greens have a great platform except on Defence, that is a huge weakness of both them and the Liberals. This being the one category that the Conservatives have right. We are going to need a strong modern Military and at home. Only peace-making not peace-keeping missions from now on! Plus to defend our borders and installations against the forces we fight now, who actually do have legitimate grievances, just not the tenets of Islamo-fascism
Having a Green will help Canada, since we have them all over Europe, because their electoral systems are fairer than ours with their proportional representation and multi-party systems.
The Liberals are in a free fall at this point, since neither the Greens nor NDP will win my riding, it is with a much harder pinch to my nose that I will need to vote Liberal again. Which still leads back to proportional representation, meaning we could vote our conscience not strategically.
To stop this free-fall, allying themselves with a decent party might gain them support from those of us on the progressive side of the spectrum.
In Europe with a greater number of Parties and their proportional system the minority Governments that result are superior to the governments that are brought forward by this archaic ‘first past the post system’ we have now.
That is the true problem here, not that the Liberals should field a candidate everywhere.
I agree with much of what you say, except that I don’t really care for the proportional representation system. I like the fact that I have a member of Parliament that I can identify. Rather than a list of men and women who all represent my party across the nation. Whether the member is of my party or not, my MP is my MP, he has an investment in my riding.
I agree with the platforms, though. That is one of the biggest problems that I have with the Liberal party. I don’t so much think that Canada should attempt to have a world-class military in terms of raw strength, but our men and women in service of this country should be supplied with the absolute best equipment that money can buy.
Oh, yeah, and no more flouncing about the world on these stupid military adventures. The lives of our fighting men and women are too important.