Desperate House
Let me just say that anyone in Canada who claims to know whether or not tomorrow's vote is valid is either:
a) Full of it
b) An individual who has spent the last decade reading up on parliamentary procedure
Which tells me that we're going into a week of both sides arguing parliamentary procedural rules (fun, fun fun!). It's safe to say there won't be an election over this but it will change the discussion for a while which will have two effects:
1. It will change the channel away from Gomery, at a time when Benoit Corbeil is going to be brutally tearing the Liberal Party to pieces.
2. It will make the Liberals look really, really desperate.
It's also going to be a bit of yoke on the face of Paul Martin. In a leadership campaign that was all about coming out in favour of sunshine, rainbows and lollipops, there was one promise Paul Martin made above all others: The Democratic Deficit.
I guess the one thing Paul forgot to mention was that addressing the democratic deficit would involve canceling opposition days and failing to recognize non-confidence motions. A strong democratic reform package might be the kind of non-scary policy Harper can bring forward during the campaign to show there's some substance behind the candidate.
a) Full of it
b) An individual who has spent the last decade reading up on parliamentary procedure
Which tells me that we're going into a week of both sides arguing parliamentary procedural rules (fun, fun fun!). It's safe to say there won't be an election over this but it will change the discussion for a while which will have two effects:
1. It will change the channel away from Gomery, at a time when Benoit Corbeil is going to be brutally tearing the Liberal Party to pieces.
2. It will make the Liberals look really, really desperate.
It's also going to be a bit of yoke on the face of Paul Martin. In a leadership campaign that was all about coming out in favour of sunshine, rainbows and lollipops, there was one promise Paul Martin made above all others: The Democratic Deficit.
I guess the one thing Paul forgot to mention was that addressing the democratic deficit would involve canceling opposition days and failing to recognize non-confidence motions. A strong democratic reform package might be the kind of non-scary policy Harper can bring forward during the campaign to show there's some substance behind the candidate.
posted by calgarygrit at
10:18 p.m.
6 Comments:
Calgary Grit, love the blog. One of the least partisan political blogs I visit. Yoke(s) go on oxen. Yolks are the middle of eggs, and do indeed have an afinity for PM PM.
By
Anonymous, at 6:16 a.m.
Anon...
You know that old adage that goes, "Be careful when you point a finger, because the other three fingers on the pointing hand point back at yourself"? The same holds for spelling nitpickery. It's 'affinity".
By
Anonymous, at 9:11 a.m.
Thanks Mike, I should proofread, thanks especially for the word "nitpickery" I am going to make it my word of the day.
By
Anonymous, at 9:42 a.m.
Hell, I don't know either. My vague suspicion (based on my old poli-sci days) is that it's not technically binding.
More importantly, I think Martin is making a mistake here. I suspect the Liberals would be better off facing the Gomery music than looking like desperate losers.
Gomery has done all the damage it can to the Liberals now--anyone who will refuse to vote Liberal because of corruption is already doing so. Looking like desperate losers gives people a DIFFERENT reason not to vote for them and so should be avoided at all costs.
By
Anonymous, at 11:11 a.m.
The problem with Harper pursuing this kind of strategy is its Karmic consequences. If the Tories bring down the government on a non-confidence vote that technically isn't, the genie will be out of the bottle. We will have votes of non-confidence every day by the Liberals should Stephen Harper become PM. This is dangerous ground we are treading here.
By
Greg, at 12:02 p.m.
To be fair, Mike, hononym confusion is a different beast than typos and misspellings, and can be an honest mistake. I'm sure CG was just tired, though. :)
As to the substantive issue, I think the Libs are getting perilously close to no-win territory. I don't see any good options for them. The Neo-Tories aren't playing much smarter, though. Mutual suicide pact, anyone?
By
Anonymous, at 4:26 p.m.
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