Good evening ladies and gentlemen, welcome to SDA Late Nite Radio. Tonight, for your delectation and pursuant to our Sunday night classical music show, and since it’s that time of year and we won’t have a chance to get to this on the solstice because we’ll be in the middle of our Twelve Days of Christmas shows, here are the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra performing the fourth concerto from Antonio Lucio Vivaldi‘s The Four Seasons: Winter, with violin soloist Anne-Sophie Mutter, and one of my favourites, Herbert von Karajan conducting (9:15).
I have updated my Vitruvius’s Experimental Election Predictor essay to include the data from the most recent Ipsos, Ekos, Strategic, and COMPAS polls. The current value of ΣVe/n, based on those four polls, is 14.85, which historically translates into 207 seats. Clearly, the Right Honourable Steven Harper, Prime Minister, and the Conservative Party of Canada, have not lost the confidence of the Canadian electorate, ergo there is no reason to replace him as Prime Minister or as leader of the Conservative Party of Canada.
Your Reader Tips are, as always, welcome in the comments.
CTV just announced Dion to step down, maybe on Monday, maybe as late as Wednesday.
Leblanc to throw his support behind Iggy.
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20081206/rae_ignatieff_081207/20081207?hub=TopStories
You’d have to think the Liberals would be crazy to defeat the Conservatives. It’s highly probable that the GG would go with an election in the face of these numbers and the polls.
Then again, it’s hard to believe that the Libs put themselves in this spot in the first place. How could anyone expect to come up smelling like a rose after sidling up with separatists? Boggles my mind.
The Libs are banking on a great resurgence of the party after they place Ignatieff in the driver’s seat. They believe that all will be forgotten and forgiven. They are beside themselves that PMSH is more popular now than before the sh-t hit the fan. That is why Dion is gone by mid-week and Iggy will be annointed by Thursday.
They probably will quit the coalition to allow time for the people to see that Ignatieff is a good and wise leader. I see them going for the long game here rather than sticking with the coalition and trying for the early kill after the budget in January.
The polls will have alot to do with what the Libs will ultimately do.
I can see Jack’s chance at a cabinet position fading along with the smile on his face. What an absolute putz the man is.
The ideological bought and paid for CBC and CTV cheerleaders of the liberal party will see to it that the new “leader” will receive only the best press money can buy, count on it. If you think the last round of election “reporting” was biased and slanted, wait till this time around.
*
it’s official… bob rae has had his sense of irony surgically removed…
“People have to understand there has to be a process and it has to
be seen to be a democratic and legitimate one. The people
have to be heard.”
*
I’m ready and willing to go to the polls again. Bring it on.
The Libs new slogan: this is a coalition of two. Any rumor that the coalition includes the Bloc is a vicious lie. I heard Broadbent say that on Friday, now Rae is saying it too: “The marriage of two opposition parties is a better way to govern” says he.
Strangely, I am convinced I saw three men signing that thing. My mind’s getting screwed up by them blogs.
Vitruvius, that’s no Winter you’ve linked to… it’s the first movement of Autumn. 🙂
[Oh, zot. Ok, I fixed it, thanks for the correction, Eugene ~ Vitruvius]
So that’s where they got the idea!
In the Sun today, “Rae said a coalition succeeded in 1985 when he was Ontario NDP leader and Tory premier Frank Miller’s minority government was replaced by one led by Liberal David Peterson.”
About this 1985 Ontario election, the Wikipedia article about Peterson adds this crucial tidbit: “Peterson won a narrow plurality of the popular vote. However, (…) the Progressive Conservatives won 52 seats and the Liberals 48.”
Hence, Peterson could claim legitimacy in 1985. But this coalition we have now is plainly illegitimate.
http://www.torontosun.com/news/canada/2008/12/06/7652376-sun.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Peterson
Laugh of the Day: The mindset of a NB liberal: http://maxwell-devin.blogspot.com/2008/12/lessons-from-rally-for-canada-halifax.html
– “If looks could kill and people could really stare daggers I would have been killed at least a dozen times over.”
– “Despite being a Canadian (it says so on my passport), I was not welcome at the so-called ‘Rally for Canada’…I was told to leave several times.”
– “The conservatives have no intelligent response to the proposed Liberal/NDP/Bloc coalition, preferring to respond by way of rhetoric and hyperbole”
My Question: Do pro-Coalition supporters mostly consist of 4 year-old boys?
A Paraphrased Facsimile: “Mommy, Mommy, that Conservative, he, he looked at me and his eyes were like lasers and if I didn’t jump out of the way then I would have died, or been really, really hurt. Then he took his toque off and all kinds of Tribbles started coming out of the top of his head – hundreds & millions of them. They pushed me into a corner and started trying to squish me. But I quickly blew a big bubble with the gum I had and it floated me away until I could safely land back in Kumbaya-Land with you, Mommy. Could you please call Uncle Stephane and get him to tell that mean Conservative not to hate me?”
Manny;
That Broadbent and a lot of others are trying the two party coalition tack gives away that they’ve finally figured out just how poisonous it is to be seen dancing with separatists. That they didn’t see this in the beginning completely stuns me. What planet do these guys live on? Hello! Anybody home?
My head is about to explode. Yet another example of why we MUST continue to fight the illogical left.
Nanaimo, B.C.
The students of Woodland Secondary School deserve a Christmas stocking while some members of the Nanaimo District Teachers Assn., only a lump of coal. Woodlands students have shown the spirit and gererosity of Christmas, while three Nanaimo District Teachers Assn. members who filed a grievance, illustrate the meaningless politics of of a ‘winter solstice’.
The terrific young guys and girls of Woodlands Secondary school took it on themselves to raise both money and gifts for the children of Paraquay, to be distributed through the auspices of Samaritans Purse. The student’s only concern? That poor children in a developing country have the experience of a little joy at Christmas time.
The members of the Nanaimo District Teachers Assn. on the other hand would deny the children of Paraquay this joy, simply because the organization distributing the toys is a Christian charity.
NDTA President Kip Wood said that students can only raise funds for ‘secular’ organizations in a public school. Apparently, only government sponsored or union recognized non-governmental organizations, preferably acting under the mandate of the UN, should be involved in making the lives of the poor children better.
I can only assume that the teacher’s filing the grievance also avert their eyes as they walk past the Salvation Army kettles.
What a sad, tawdry example of a lack of human generosity and tolerance these Nanaimo District Teachers Assn. members have demonstrated to their students.
This is why the left wing agenda must be unmasked and fought at every opportunity.
Manny– in addition to that difference, the PC leader, Frank Miller, did not seek a dissolution but rather advised that the coalition be given a chance. Moreover, he lost on the very first confidence vote, whereas the CPC won a vote just days before this little escapade.
I don’t know why coalition-lovers keep citing Ontario in 1985–it is really very different.
T’WAS THREE WEEKS BEFORE CHRISTMAS
T’was three weeks before Christmas, when all through the house
The opposition was stirring, even Layton – the louse.
The dealings were waved in front of noses in the air,
In hopes that a Coalition soon would be there.
The Blocs were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of separatism danced in their heads.
And Jack in his ‘kerchief, and Stéphane – the sap,
Had just settled down for a long winter’s nap.
When all across the country there arose such a clatter,
Dion insisted, it didn’t really matter.
Away out the window, he threw with a flash,
The results of the election, amid the backlash.
The moon on the breast of Elizabeth May,
Suggested she might still be able to play.
When, what to her wondering eyes should appear,
But a weasely Frenchman with promises dear.
With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it was Jack Layton, the dick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!
“Now Dion! now, Duceppe! Now Mays – you vixen!
Let’s get together, It’s time to Listen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Let’s unite! Let’s unite! Separatists and all!”
And then, in a twinkling, they heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of Canadians, not aloof.
They drew in their heads, and turned around,
And down the chimney St Harper came with a bound.
He was dressed all in gold, from his head to his feet,
Letting them know he wouldn’t be easy to defeat.
A bundle of Tories he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a King, with nothing to lack.
His eyes-how they glared! his fists, how clenched!
He stands for democracy, and won’t see it trenched!
His droll little mouth was drawn up in a sneer,
For the governor-general soon would appear..
The promise of dissolving he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it caused encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a stern face and a little round belly,
And wanted to bury Dion in a bowlful of jelly!
Harper was elected by Canadians, voted in fair,
Not a Weasel, not a Separatist, not the guy with no hair!
With them getting together, it will have to be said,
Canadians will face the future with dread.
Harper spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
Shook his head in disgust, then turned to the jerk.
And laying his middle finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a shout,
Trying to teach Canadians, what this is about.
And I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,
“This is the end of democracy, C’mon lets fight!”
Re Kellys post; I agree bring on an election, like it is a big imposition to take 20 minutes out of your day, think it as swatting flys, or nuking gophers, just something we have to do to preserve this way of life for our children. It takes no time and look at the upside you union folks, it is even more time off, to vote Conservative and “for the sake of the children” save the country, Suzuki speak.
I was wondering what your predictor would spit out as far as a seat number, I was guessing around 190-195 seats.
It’s a shame an election probably won’t happen.
Ahhhh St. Nick, you’ve delivered us all a wonderful early Xmas present.
Thank you et Merci Beaucoup!!!
Just curious, but where was the mug of one Jack Layton today?
The same Jack that never found a camera he didn’t like?
Conspicuously absent, or did his plane go down somewhere in the Amazon?
Unusual silence for one that always seems to suffer terribly from verbal diarrhea
the BIG 3 bailout is a union bailout. It’s got nothing to do about cars. It’s a union bailout.
Dearest Manny,
In his resignation letter the Premier of Ontario encouraged the GG to let the opposition give it a try.
Stephen Harper absolutely never gave such consent and thus the Canadian people who elected the government we did never gave such consent.
Do such important facts not matter to you a whit? Is everything for you based on HDS (Harper Derangement Syndrome)?!?
I’m beginning to feel great pity for you, Manny. You keep on coming back on here every few days like a chef who didn’t attend all his classes: Your theories are always half-baked.
Do share a mailing address with us, Manny. I’m sure more than few SDA regulars would love to send you the fruitcake we get from Aunt Ethel.
Dan, Jack’s likely doing what Jack does best. Conspiring in a corner some where.
You have to read this article, found at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/dec/05/climate-change-weather
Some choice excerpts:
The relatively chilly temperatures compared with recent years are not evidence that global warming is slowing however, say climate scientists at the Met Office. “Absolutely not,” said Dr Peter Stott, the manager of understanding and attributing climate change at the Met Office’s Hadley Centre. “If we are going to understand climate change we need to look at long-term trends.”
Prof Myles Allen at Oxford University who runs the climateprediction.net website, said he feared climate sceptics would overinterpret the figure. “You can bet your life there will be a lot of fuss about what a cold year it is. Actually no, its not been that cold a year, but the human memory is not very long, we are used to warm years,” he said, “Even in the 80s [this year] would have felt like a warm year.”
Enjoy!
No doubt Jack is still trying to spin this one somehow, but he’s a little short for words.
Imagine that!
Perhaps his gambit was to get his buddy RaeDay in the throne. Alas, the palace coup is dead.
Jack is back to his old job, Court Jester!
Harper’s letter to the GG four years ago:
September 9, 2004
Her Excellency the Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson,
C.C., C.M.M., C.O.M., C.D.
Governor General
Rideau Hall
1 Sussex Drive
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A1
Excellency,
As leaders of the opposition parties, we are well aware that, given the
Liberal minority government, you could be asked by the Prime Minister
to dissolve the 38th Parliament at any time should the House of Commons
fail to support some part of the government’s program.
We respectfully point out that the opposition parties, who together
constitute a majority in the House, have been in close consultation. We
believe that, should a request for dissolution arise this should give
you cause, as constitutional practice has determined, to consult the
opposition leaders and consider all of your options before exercising
your constitutional authority.
Your attention to this matter is appreciated.
Sincerely,
Hon. Stephen Harper, P.C., M.P.
Leader of the Opposition
Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada
Gilles Duceppe, M.P.
Leader of the Bloc Quebecois
Jack Layton, M.P.
Leader of the New Democratic Party
Harper didn’t have a problem getting into bed with those “treasonous seperatists” four years ago, but that was then…
Uliano, if Harper ACTUALLY asked for a Coalition 4 years ago (and you’re the first I’ve heard to definitively say he did) then it was wrong then, just as it is now.
Furthermore, if the roles were reversed and the Conservatives had attempted to take over power from the Liberals or the NDP who had been recently elected then I would have been out protesting against the Tories as well.
So your point is?
I wish LeBlanc would have stayed in the race.In a three-way liberal race,the two losers could have formed a coalition and appointed one of them leader. Shouldn’t be any problem there,right libbies.
Bullshit, Uliano. Consulting the opposition is one thing, “getting into bed with those treasonous seperatists”, by attempting to form a coalition with veto power given to the seperatists, as has now been attempted by the Liberals and the NDP, is something else altogether. Maybe you can’t tell the difference; clearly the Canadian electorate can.
St Nick, ROFL, thank you, that was marvelous.
Thank-you St Nick. Brilliant.
“Harper didn’t have a problem getting into bed with those “treasonous seperatists” four years ago, but that was then…”
Here’s the difference, he didn’t plan a coalition, didn’t reject the government under any circumstance(unlike the current NDP or liberals, they say they’ll reject the budget no matter what!)
In fact, the Canadian electorate at that time was starting to really dislike the liberals.
Under the current coalition, and the past election, CPC support has gained, not lost.
Tactically, I think Mr Harper should state that the recent highly disruptive reactions of the opposition parties, coupled with he display of positions taken by the coalition partners that bear little resemblance to pre-election positions means an immediate national election, while unfortunately costly, is the only way to restore *public* — as in not parliamentary — confidence that the seated government accurately reflects their will.
I keep thinking that Harper found out about this little deal (it had to be in the works for a few weeks given how fast it developed when it went public and the obviously prefab signage etc) but knew they had it planned for the budget.
So he gave them a reason to spring it early, go after the party bank accounts in the economic statement.
The saying about Rove keeps coming to mind. 🙂
Uliano;
Harper wanted to bring down an openly corrupt, scandal ridden, governing Liberal Party that refused to call an election. Harper wanted to GO to an election. Layton and co. want to over through the governing mandate won by a newly elected Party. The only scandals the CPC has had to deal with are the fiction that the MSM and the Liberals concoct in vain efforts to paint all politicians as corrupt as they are. They are seeking power not justice, ignoring the will of the people. I thought there was a little too much unity in those ranks during the English, Party Leader Debates. Now we all know what was going on. Shame on them!
HARPER IS SCARY; to them. In my lifetime I have never seen a PM that got so much good done. The CPC would have done so much more good without the Liberal biased in the senate and the parliamentary committees that gutted many of the new laws, much to the detriment of the nation.
When Liberal PMs would go to international events I wanted to hide my head in shame, they made international fools of themselves. PM Harper does us all proud with good governance within our nation and internationally. Funny how this coup exposes the HIDDEN AGENDAS to be in the ranks of the Libs. Block and NDP. More than merely SCARY, Canadians have been TERRIFIED of what could be in store with those so-called leaders.
“Early snowfalls in Europe hit Historic Levels
Anecdotal for certain, but these keep piling up. This from the UK Snowboard Club. – Anthony”
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2008/12/07/early-snowfalls-in-europe-hit-historic-levels/
MSM-Wilfert: Freudian slip.
Iggy will be annointed King/Le Roi.
The Divine Right of Kings is IGGY.
“taking the realm”.
“a permanent individual”.
>>>>>”I am deeply saddened that it’s come to this point.”
“In this business loyalty is a short commodity…”
Mr. Wilfert said. “I obviously believe if he is to step down it’s going to have to be a permanent individual that will be taking the realm.”
…-
“Ignatieff makes his move
Swayed by negative polls and discomfort with coalition, Liberals near agreement to oust Dion immediately”
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081207.wdion1207/BNStory/politics/home
Couple of things:
Can any of SDA’s Photoshop wizards create a faux cheque for $1.95, so we have something to send to the Troika when they come begging before the next election?
One for Kate: If Obama is considered ‘black’, why isn’t Marc Lepine considered ‘arab’?
Excellent column from Blatchford at G&M again today..’Harper not out of line for wanting to crush opposition’
Layton finally came out of his hole on Can AM..looking rather subdued !
Sounds like the coronation of the Igster creating more turmoil in lib.party.This could prove very entertaining.
The Left continues to say that the majority voted for the opposition/coalition in the last election.
The truth is nobody voted for something that did not exist at the time.
The Left says that it is a Liberal/NDP coalition.
The truth is that 117 seats does not defeat 143. In order for it to be a coalition the separatists must be part of it.
The Left says that the separatists will support the coalition in matters of confidence, thus they can govern.
The truth is the separatists have blackmailed the non-coalition and been promised veto power. Which gives the separatists the balance of power and in effect, control of the government.
Under the circumstances, there is no other conclusion than – Canada vs. the Separatists.
If the left is so sure about their position, put it to an election and we’ll see the outcome.
Of course, this won’t happen because they don’t even believe their own lies.
………
“”Absolutely not,” said Dr Peter Stott, the manager of understanding and attributing climate change at the Met Office’s Hadley Centre.”
“the manager of understanding and attributing climate change”
Well, if that title doesn’t define the totalitarian nature of these climate monsters.
But isn’t this exactly the problem with the left in everything, including the current Canadian political situation?
With these people, truth, statistics and facts do not matter. You simply make up your own consensus ‘truth’ and attempt to ram it through by whatever means necessary. Legal or illegal.
Good and comical column by Lorne Gunter in the National Post today as well: “Video Killed Dion’s Star”. In it he makes a good observation on Dion in the video: “His image was so disorted and red he could have been nicknamed Puffy the Weasel”.
If the toxic coalition is so good for the country as Rae and MAYBE Iggy think, why get rid of Dion who signed on? What a crazy pack of boneheads.
They got turfed in the election mostly over the Green Shift and now they’re flogging another plot even more toxic and expect a different result?
Whatever brain power they have seems to have been parked in some dark corner.
via No Guff: “The members of the Nanaimo District Teachers Assn. on the other hand would deny the children of Paraguay this joy, simply because the organization distributing the toys is a Christian charity.”
What utter nonsense. What these latter-day Commie Scrooges need to be reminded of, is that Canada is “a MULTICULTURAL” country, with Christians being one of the many faith groups under the “MULTICULTURAL” label.
Too many Christians roll over and play dead when they’re played the multicultural card–as in, every culture in Canada is OK, even lauded, but NOT the culture of “you Christians.”
These students, their parents, and everyone who supports them, need to stand up on their hind legs and yell loud and clear: “MY MULTICULTURAL CANADA INCLUDES CHRISTIANS!”
This is religious bigotry and persecution pure and simple and there’s no place for it in Canada. Everyone, Christian or not, should be outraged.
The International Troika:
“Despite their vast ideological differences, Communist Russia, the Far Left and Islamists embrace a common goal: destroying Western civilization.”
The Canadian Troika, aka the Separatist Coalition, is a subset of the International Troika.
…-
“Shadow World: Resurgent Russia, The Global New Left, and Radical Islam”
The fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 is viewed by the West as the end of the Cold War and the death knell for Communism. In reality, Communists continued to push for the same ultimate goal — creating a socialist world order — but their violent Marxist-Leninist revolutionary tactics were supplanted by an insidious cultural Marxism. Today, that push has evolved into a Moscow-led, global strategic quadrangle consisting of Russia, China, Iran and a collection of Latin American dictatorships.
The West is also threatened by a fifth column of global, radical Leftists with ideological connections to Russia and the theo-political-legal ideology of radical Islam. All of these antagonists, including the Russians, cultural Marxists and Salafists/Wahhabists, employ terrorist tactics but largely conceal their agendas. They use clandestine strategies of propaganda, disinformation, subversion and denial through their agents of influence and networks of organizations.
In Shadow World: Resurgent Russia, The Global New Left, and Radical Islam, Dr. Robert Chandler argues that the West is in the midst of a three-way global competition pitting the future of democratic republics against Marxist totalitarianism and Islamic fundamentalism. Despite their vast ideological differences, Communist Russia, the Far Left and Islamists embrace a common goal: destroying Western civilization. While the Communists endeavor to replace Western society with secular totalitarianism under a Marxist regime, the Islamic fundamentalists seek to implement a Muslim-controlled theo-political-legal ideology that relegates women to second class citizenship and non-Muslims to slavery enforced under the doctrine of Koranic shariah law.”
http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/11/shadow_world_resurgent_russia.html
Per Ardua ad Astra!
The motto of the Royal Canadian Air Force.
…-
“Canadian deploys combat air wing in Afghanistan; 1st time since the Korean War
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — Canada has added another set of weapons to its arsenal in Afghanistan with a new air wing that broadens efforts to combat the Taliban in volatile Kandahar province.
When Canada’s battle group moved into southern Afghanistan in 2006 – unlike the U.S., British and Dutch forces – it did so without any helicopters.
The lack of air assets forced the Canadians to rely heavily on road convoys, which has proven dangerous for the troops because of improvised explosive devices and suicide bombers.
The new air wing will change that.
“For the air force, this is extremely significant,” said Brig.-Gen. Denis Thompson, commander of Task Force Kandahar.
“Now we’re not talking about an individual unit, which would be the army equivalent of a battalion,” he added. “This is the equivalent of committing a brigade to overseas operations. I don’t think this has occurred since the Korean time (war).””
http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5g1-wzPVNBdrxkTADfWvGrKkOddKQ
ulianov: “Harper is a hypocrite.”
Give it a break, will you? Prime Minister Stephen Harper, thank G*d for Canadians, is a politician. (Most of us wouldn’t want the job and all the crap that goes with it, especially if you’re a person of principle and you have an unprincipled and treacherous Opposition and a pack of media dogs yapping at your heels night and day …)
Politics is the art of the possible and political moves are not set in stone. If you have to be anything in politics, you have to be flexible. But there’s a vast difference between being flexible and maintaining your integrity and principles and being flexible and being willing to do ANYTHING for power. The Librano$ fall into the latter category, something most Canadians recognize.
Too bad you don’t.
BTW, St. Nick, thanks for the laughs! Brilliantly done!
“Clearly, the Right Honourable Steven Harper, Prime Minister, and the Conservative Party of Canada, have not lost the confidence of the Canadian electorate, ergo there is no reason to replace him as Prime Minister or as leader of the Conservative Party of Canada.”
That’s not how it works, and shame on you for inferring it does. Confidence is a matter for the House.
The Coalition, without the Bloc as signatories, does not command enough votes to ensure confidence, and therefore do not have the ability to form government.
The loose alliance of commies, traitors and thieves, however, do have enough votes to topple the government and send us to the polls.
Let’s go to the polls. The GG will do just that.
One thing is always certain…You can count on maz2 to be so far off topic as anyone can be and always a link to some far away paranoid place.
Well, atleast the UK isn’t gone to the dogs yet. Self Defense trumps the Environment.
http://www.upstreamonline.com/live/article167816.ece
Spengler, Benedict XVI is magnificently right
“President Roosevelt is magnificently right,” John Maynard Keynes wrote of president Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s decision to devalue the American dollar in 1933. If any economic policy stance deserves such praise today, it is that of Pope Benedict XVI, whose views on ethics and economics occasioned a flurry of comment last month. Italy’s Finance Minister Giulio Tremonti observed, “The prediction that an undisciplined economy would collapse by its own rules can be found” in a 1985 paper (see Market Economy and Ethics, Acton Institute) by then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, which Tremonti called “prophetic”. I don’t know whether it was prophetic, but the future pope was right, and magnificently so.
An unethical economy, he argued, will destroy itself, and economics cannot determine whether any activity is ethical or not. Internet stock valuations, the market delusion of a decade ago, presumed that por[snip]phy, gaming, music downloads and shopping would be the driving forces of the future economy. It is easy to ridicule this Alice-in-Wonderland accounting after the fact, just as it is easy to laugh at television advertisements that even today urge Americans to buy homes because their prices double every 10 years…. But what should we say of an economy based on consuming as much as one can without troubling to bring children into the world?…
Well, atleast the UK isn’t gone to the dogs yet. Self Defense trumps the Environment.
http://www.upstreamonline.com/live/article167816.ece
Polls that need to go horribly right.
The Toronto Star and the Globe and Mail are asking basically the same question.
Who would make a better leader for the Libs I voted Bob Rae of course.
CTV is asking should Dion stay or go I voted for him staying. Vote early and vote often
Krydor,
Not to be pedantic. Confidence of the House is a necessary but not sufficient condition for becoming the government. You cannot govern without maintaining the confidence of the house…clear as a bell.
The choice of goevrnment is officially made by the GG based on the offices reading of the electorate. Usually this is a pretty simple calculation, run an election and whoever gets the most seats is the GG’s choice of first advisor and head of government.
Maintaining the cofidence of the people is not sufficient to maintain your role of government. that is a function of the House.
Where the coalition makes the mistake is assuming, and propogandizing the myth, that just having a coalition at any point makes replacing the first advisor without an election inevitable or possible. Parliaments are not elected for fixed terms with rotating government depending on how the numbers work out, the system is much more subtle than that.
There arent a lot of rules but there a few that stay in place, to maintain some level of accountability of the governing and consent of the governed, in other words legitimacy
1) The government must maintain confidence of the House
2) That the crown avoids politics as much possible, acheived by following the first advisors advice, since he and not the crown are directly accountable to the people. This means the crown lets the people tell it who it wants as its accountable advisor.
In some circumstances the choice of advisor will be obvious without an immeadiate election, rare and dangerous to do. The crowns safest position is to follow the advice of the first advisor, the first advosors responsibility is to be accountable and defend that advice, especially when the first advisor seeks to obtain the consent of the people, the ultimate test of accountability.
The coalition makes a critical fault in timing, they should have proposed their coalition before the election, or immeadiately after the results were known. To wait until after the government has already obtained the confidence of the house on the Throne Speech is irresponsible.
That is just the mechanics, again. There are always circumstances in which it might have made sense, but they are EXTREME….the government being caught in a campaign of assisination, or a plot against the crown as a couple of examples.
The crown represents the continuity of the state and is the repository of all power from the people. Cautious, judicious and deliberate are the words that are pre-eminent.
It is NEVER wrong for the crown to ask “the people” to make a choice in who the first advisor should be when the existing advisor cannot maintain the confidence of the House and he/she asks. Any circumstance where it is wrong is a circumstance where the crown can exercise all of its reserve powers anyway and an election wouldnt be necessary, i.e. the GG becomes an active ruler.