Jack Layton's offer to "twin" the vote, (an abstaintion of a member his party to accomodate ailing Conservative Darrel Stinson's departure for cancer treatment) brings reaction from Angry In The Great White North, who has a similar conclusion as "Ferret" at at Conservative Life - Layton sees the writing on the wall;
[T]hey know the Conservatives will probably form the next government, and it will probably be a minority. If they work with the Conservatives now, and repair some of the damage from the budget deal by helping out sick Conservative MPs who won't be able to vote, the NDP can expect a sympathetic hearing concerning their governing priorities, and can expect to get some of those priorities into the next Throne Speech.
Yesterday, the outraged indignation at Stephen Harper over accusing the Liberals of stalling so that the health of 2 ailing members might deteriorate, is backfiring badly. With news that Stinson has surgery scheduled next week, the question is no longer hypothetical, and the result is a very unflattering backdrop for the Liberal demand to hold off a week before the budget vote.
There's no question that Layton picked up on the bad optics, and has chosen to put some distance between his "compassionate" party and Paul Martin's circling buzzards. He looked good tonight on CTV - accomodating and reasonable, and so did Stephen Harper in readily considering the fig leaf.
Martin looks like a deer in the headlights.
Have ye no shame laddie? This Layton is like a little whore, running back and forth across the commons floor. We can clearly see where his "convictions" lie. The shame, the shame.
Martin could demonstrate what a true gentleman he is and offer to have Stinson's surgery rescheduled at his favorite private clinic. Everybody wins.
Harper is so lame. I didn't see the conservatives offer to sit 3 people out for the decesed liberal cliff O'Brien, or for EFFORD OR cOTLER WHO WERE NOT PRESENT.
Elvis. You're dead. Furthermore, even if you were still alive, you're American and have no voice. Get over it.
Layton is trying to rebuild bridges... Layton is a "player." I think Harper should take advantage of that, why not?
PS: Elvis, it's up to MARTIN to ask for those rights. Layton's being "nice," he doesn't have to do that. Duh.
Hey, I thought that the Conservatives were in bed with the Bloc and that they had a secret agenda to tear the nation apart. This sort of refutes that notion.
To Canadians there is only one true Elvis
Very much alive and kicking, if you know what I mean
At this point, what's good for the NDP is likely good for the CPC. I can see a divide and conquer situation on the horizen. Jack takes from the left and Harper takes from the right, leaving only the most hard line liberal supporters to vote for them.
It's all over. Strong minority, to slim majority for the CPC.
This move on Layton's part is..is...not.entirely.stupid.
God! That hurt like hell!
Elvis must be afraid to loss next months brown envelope. The only way you could condone such corruption is if your part of it.
As long as it's not Fast Eddie - he's already said that the first vote would be a confidence vote!
Smilin' Jack can read the graffiti on the walls of the Commons. He's not going to sacrifice his own party to keep Mr. Dithers in office much longer.
I hope.
Jack be nimble, Jack be quick,
Jack will vote in place of the sick.
Figure out where the best optics exist, and get there as fast as you can.
"Look ,I've been very very clear on this point if we can't physically kill the opposition anymore without someone getting all gomery on our ass, then we'll have to wait for them to die so we can milk a few extra million out of Canadians for another week or two.
Tony Marselli will be so disappointed , no one has the heart to tell him."
Excerpt from Big Pauly in a cbc upcoming sympathy piece of shit.
Candace, Candace, Candace... being an American doesn't preclude Elvis from his perspectives. Being an American Idiot certainly does, though.
But anyway, we should track that sucker down and make him sing on DT's forthcoming CD, "The Librano Songbook".
Whaddaya thimk?
Free Canada!
I posted some thoughts on a Conservative minority government working with the NDP a couple of days ago. I should know better.
The contempt NDPers seem to hold for Conservatives is instinctual and they seem unable to understand that such behaviour plays right into Paul Martin's hands.
As you can see from this debate, it is very hard to get them to see this.
Is Jack more convinced that Cadman and Kilgour will move one way or the other? Does he know that either they both vote for the budget and its a tie broken for the Government from the speaker, or they both vote against it and it won't matter? He seems to be more confident of either situation than either CPC or libs.
Jack is a political opportunist plain and simple. That's okay because an opportunist can be played. It's also okay because an opportunist has no moral center, no intestinal fortitude, no vision that he does not get from others and therefore no future.
Hmmmm, that sounds a lot like another party of the left that I know. Perhaps that is the fault with the Left Wing Agenda, when you are so busy trying to please everyone instead of doing what is right (no pun intended) you end up selling yourself to those that promise not the best solutions but the most profitable ones. WIRT's (Whores in Red Ties) each and every one of them.
Not really opportunism. If Honest Ed wants to sit this one out it makes sense to keep up the illusion of NDP caucus unity by having him abstain from this vote. Pairing seems the ideal solution provided it's publicized enough.
The other person who could be paired is Natural Resources minister John Efford, who's undergoing treatment for high blood sugar (he has diabetes). Harper would certainly push for this so that Chatters, his other cancer-striken MP, can continue his therapy.
Thank God it's Ed that's offered to sit out; he's about the only one I would trust to do it.
Hey Candace & Diane! The name "Elvis" may be hijacked by some leftist schlub in Ontario or purloined for profit by some Brit pretender, but only Elvis Presley is the once and future King.
And Rob, what have you done with Joe Green? He was hilarious.
Joe Green has found a new career as an Elvis impersonator
It is time to ask Bush to remove Martin and liberate Canada
That's qute astute, Candace. I should have known! Perhaps, the next time he jumps out of an airplane with 27 other Elvis pretenders he'll forget his parachute. It should happen over Shawinigan, where other crap seems to land.
Michael,
Surely you speak in jest. As much as I like Bush, I don't want him here except on a friendly visit.I'd hate to have to fight against my old Navy buds, but that's what would happen if W.came across the border.
We can settle this mess on our own!
Don't get your skivies in a knot, Ol' Squid, neither Bush or, most likely, any other Gringo wants to unleash the Yankee Hordes on the Great White. Unlike me, when most Americans think about Canada, if they ever do, it usually has something to do with mountains and Mounties (now that hockey has been offed). Relax, we have other, more pesky, folks to grease. Do your own dirty-work. It's more rewarding.
I'm sure Mr. Layton recognizes that his party has much the same problem as the Conservatives in that voters have expressed a desire to vote for each but have run to the Liberals at the last moment, after Mr. Martin's fearmongering.
Demonstrating political maturity, such as pairing does, should help to stem that bleeding. And there are few ridings in which the NDP and the Conservatives are the direct competitors: in most ridings, both are trying to draw from the carcass of the Liberals.
I'm sure that he's doing it, though, for more reasons than just to see his wife as a fellow MP.
Going waaaay back to the beginning (and Elvis) - why the heck would the CPC offer to pair MPs for cabinet ministers too lazy to show up? Being physically unable (ie sick, dying) is a different story. Otherwise, why not just pair everybody up who has a hair appointment or something, and get the leaders and a couple of buddies to do all the voting?
Of course, Harper's unreasonable suggestion of voting on Monday, when EVERYBODY can actually be there is too crazy to seriously consider.
Occam's C - I don't quite know why, but I can't stop giggling at your 8:37 am post.
As sad as it is to have the NF MP die, it's not anybody's fault that it happened. The people of that riding are without an MP until a new one is elected. It would be presumptuous (perhaps correct, but still presumptuous) to assume that another Liberal will occupy it after there's a new election there - the people have the right to elect whomever they wish among those running. We can't assume their MP's votes, in the absence of an actual MP.
If Mr. Martin had chosen to call the by-election in the riding of Labrador on the very day that Mr. O'Brien passed, we could perhaps think in terms of what his wishes could possibly be.
Instead, Mr. Martin waited several months, until very recently to call the by-election. So there is no reason to undertake any pairing of any sort for this riding. This riding is vacant, and no longer held by the Liberals.
The main reason Martin didn't call a by-election to replace Mr, O'Brien was because he wanted to close CFB Labrador. With no MP to oppose him and demand other Federal monies to replace money being lost by closing the base, Martin had a free hand and didn't have to give the Newfies anything.
And Danny Williams is now worried about the Atlantic Accord! O Danny Boy, Martin saw you coming!