Norman Spector raises the question about who are really the ones with no "darn principals." He nails it in the last part of his column.
Frankly, in light of the history of these two political parties, it’s ludicrous for any Liberal to claim advantage over the NDP when it comes to questions of principle. Whether you agree with those principles or not.So who are the ones with principal?
I’ve never written about the long-gun registry, and have no pony in the race over whether it survives or is abolished. However, it doesn’t surprise me that members of Jack Layton’s caucus — confronted by Conservatives playing wedge politics and rubbing their hands in glee at the reaction — would be thinking toward the next election and be trying to live up to commitments they made to the folks who sent them to Ottawa in the last one.Any more than it surprises me that Liberal MPs will say or do most anything — even on fundamental issues such as Afghanistan or the Quebecois nation where the party has some history to defend — to re-gain their “rightful” role as Canada’s natural governing party. Whatever commitments they may have made in the past to voters.
On this one, I think Jack Layton even though he's trying to skirt around this by proposing a phony so called comprise bill, he and his Dippers are the ones with principal if Jack keeps his word and allows a free vote, not the Waffle and the Libs. Remember, it is the Waffle who is whipping his members to vote against even though over a half dozen voted for Bill C-391earlier. As Norm Spector says, Liberals will do or say anything to regain power.
Layton is going to be on Dave Rutherford this morning at 9:30 am about this very issue.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the heads up, Erick!
ReplyDeleteI REALLY don't like the current Government very much at all. It's not that I instinctively don't like PMSH. It's that this Government appears to be clueless about the big stuff on many occasions. Bottom line -- It's not an optimal arrangement by any stretch.
ReplyDeleteThat said I could NEVER vote for the Liberals as an alternative. They are horrible on just about every level. Either completely without principles at all or married to politically correct dogma, at whatever the cost.
I'm just not convinced that being 'better than the Liberals' is a viable long-term election strategy.
On this specific issue, I think that Mr.Layton is in fact doing the 'right thing'. Now whether he is doing it for the 'right reasons' is another matter entirely. But whatever the reason, he is doing it. So kudos to him.
Over at the Lib blogs, they are giddy about the prospects of gaining seats at the Dippers expense. Especially Mulcair's Outremont seat.
ReplyDeleteBut, IMHO, it's very important that ALL the Lib MPs show up AND vote against Candice's bill. Otherwise, their attacks on Mulcair will lose a lot of their sting.
So the question remains: will the six Lib MPs do what's best for themselves, to get re-elected in their riding. Or will they do what's best for the Liberal team ?