Unprecedented
Thursday, May 19, 2005 at 7:31PM I've never watched a parliamentary vote before last week. Now I've watched a few. People are political, but this is different. Everyone, everywhere, seems to have an opinion.
The Liberals survived tonight. I'm glad. The people who made the most sense this week were those who didn't speak in the heat of the moment after Belinda's defection. Things are too hot in Ottawa right now for anyone to make an intelligent decision. This will buy some time.
Liberals can't feel too good about themselves right now. You don't get a much closer vote than this. Even fellow Liberals are getting turned off by what's been going on. This isn't a good time to get comfortable. Winning the vote tonight could be a Pyrrhic victory if they don't start doing better. They could end up self-destructing like the Conservatives did after Mulroney.
Conservatives also need to do better. James left a comment that the social conservatism of the Conservatives doesn't match Canada. I'm not sure. Polls are split on most social issues. I think there is room for moderates, and surely there is room for a political party in Canada that takes a slightly more conservative view than the Liberals. (Even the Conservatives are leftist in comparison to many other countries.)
What the Conservatives need is really what the Liberals need as well: to rise above the dirtiness we've watched these past few weeks and to start look like they have a bigger agenda than their own success. This applies to both parties equally, I would think. Duceppe and Layton are looking good in comparison.
Reader Comments (5)
As far as I am concerned, the only good thing to come out of this vote is that there will not be an election anytime soon. Ms. Magna's defection seems to have accomplished at least that much. Strange, though, that according to CTV News she very recently released an article criticizing the very party she ended up joining for not spending enough on health care. I guess they spent enough on meeting her demands to satisfy her "principles" for the time-being. I wonder which party she will join next if the Fiberals renege on their promises to her?
This is the most disgusting desire for power that I had ever seen. Gross.
I look forward to a day when there will be a singular geo-political leader, who will never once betray, defect, act unjustly or lie...Jesus.
Duceppe and Layton are looking good? Not as good as Belinda Stronach, I'll give her THAT much!
Well said, Darryl. Particularly the statement concerning agendas beyond personal and party success. (Ought to be be political mambo #1..."a little bit of morality inside, a little bit altruistic pride, some sense of community indeed, a litle bit of "we" is what we need...sigh, I digress...) I'm not so sure yet that Mr. Harper is being as cynically self serving as the ruling liberals. Paerhaps' given his inexperience he is simply being manipulated into responding to the contexts the liberals create. I do agree though that he would do better if he simply articulated the obvious regarding this governments betrayal of trust and unworthiness to govern and began to articulate what government under his leadership would look like. Start acting authoritative, like the voice of good government in waiting and I'm sure he will have a large and receptive audience. Time will tell.