There sure has been a lot of talk about the NDP and the Liberals merging since Jack Layton's untimely death.
There has been musings by members in both parties. The always outspoken NDP MP Pat Martin says he'll take up the mantle of merger in the NDP leadership if no one else does. Liberal MP Denis Corderre thinks a merger is worth thinking about.
But both interm Liberal leader Bob Rae and NDP president and potential leadership hopeful Brian Topp dismisses the whole thing.
Some compare an NDP/Liberal merger with the merger between the old Progressive Conservative and the Reform/Alliance parties.
Timing aside, a Liberal-NDP merger makes sense. There is strength in numbers as the former Progressive Conservative and Reform/Alliance parties learned. The centre right and right became the government through pragmatic co-operation and political self-interest.
Not quite the same though. The merger between the Reform and the PC's was a family reunification. The Conservative family fractured in the late '80's during the Mulroney administration because of some in the family becoming frustrated. Thus the Reform party was formed. The PC's suffered an historic loss in '93 that resulted in being reduced to two seats. After languishing in the wilderness for years, they decided to get back together. It took patience, hard work and time, a long time. It took over ten years to get their act together.
Getting the Dippers and the Libs together would be a much larger and difficult task. It's not going to happen overnight. The NDP and the Libs have always been two separate parties. Still even though the Libs have drifted to the more and more to the left there's no guarantee that all members of both parties would become members of a new merged party. Blue liberals would just go to the Conservatives and the radical far left in the NDP I believe would leave too and who knows where they would go, the communist party, maybe they would form a new party. Who knows?
This whole merger thing will probably depend on who emerges as permanent leaders in both parties. It sure will be interesting though to watch what happens in the months and years ahead.
Will the lib/dip merge?
ReplyDeleteDefinitely!!! In fact, they have started from the day they both signed the agreement or earlier. Mind you, you are not going to see them kissing but the words they both use are very much the same for both party.
No merger. LPC will not give up their history and Dippers will not throw in the towel on winning a minority government.
ReplyDeleteAll this speculation is just to keep the coalition of losers in the news,
wouldn't want PMSH to steal all the headlines, eh.
wilson
The Dipper leadership convention will be like tipping over a box of puppies, candidates going in all directions....
Perhaps Pat Martin and Codere will leave their caucus aka Buchard and sit as a new party.
ReplyDeleteWith only 1700 ndp members in Quebec, how do they expect the one member one vote in the leadership fiasco to get a quebecer elected. The new ndp que mps are already asking for a delay in the vote, so they can sell memberships.
Wouldn't it be easier and make more sense for those wanting the job to get out west to convince the grass roots of why they should vote for quebec.
So who voted for the ndp on May 2nd and who voted for Jack, in Quebec. I still believe the bloc support went to Jack to make him PM when another minority was elected, and they could put their coup into action again, with Jack as pm. Backfired big time, and until Que elects 59 ndp/bloc in the next election, I will not change my mind.
Whether they officially merge or not they are basically the same. They support and promote the same far leftist policies. The founders of the original Liberal Party must be turning over in their graves, since the party they founded has absolutely nothing in common with what the party has become.
ReplyDeleteThe founders of the original Liberal Party must be turning over in their graves, since the party they founded has absolutely nothing in common with what the party has become
ReplyDeleteYeah,like Sir Wilford Laurier for instance. The Liberal party started to change under Trudeau and has gone down hill since.
Frmgrl, Sir Wilford Laurier indeed, however I would argue that Pearson started the shift to the left and under Trudeau the change was a fast track to hell.
ReplyDeleteFrmgrl, Sir Wilford Laurier indeed, however I would argue that Pearson started the shift to the left and under Trudeau the change was a fast track to hell.
ReplyDeleteYes that's right,guess I was too young to remember!lol
about 1 year ago a guy on the radio said that the plan was to have Bob Rae implode the Liberals and force it to merge with the NDP to put Rae back in charge. I want to know if Jack expected to die and just lied his guts out to win the Opps seat to leave Olivia with a better pay-off and help Harper by using NDP Horvath in Ontario to oust McGuinty and give Hudak more seat to split the power in Ontario. Shame on Layton if he DID scam us to get more money for Olivia and give permission for the nDP to exploit his death to lift him up as the new Messiah for the usefull idiots.
ReplyDeleteWill they then be the Liberal Democrats and thus adopt a colourful bird as their mascot? I think we seen a bird of this type try to fly a couple of decades ago in another country:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1-u8m0eZ_g
If it happens I think it will be after the next election.
and thus adopt a colourful bird as their mascot?
ReplyDeleteThey already have a mascot Robert. CBC.
O/T, frmgrl, yesterday, David Rutherford spoke on Alberta's economy:
ReplyDelete11:00 New numbers show Alberta's labour force is leading the way in North America.
http://www.630ched.com/Channels/Reg/Shows/Rutherford/Story.aspx?id=1192630
frmgrl, apparently I am unable to get access to this show via the vault, on the net.
SNN mentions nothing on this subject. Nevertheless, it is good news for our province.
O/T, frmgrl, yesterday, David Rutherford spoke on Alberta's economy:
ReplyDeleteYeah,I heard that too. We in Alberta are quite blessed and we should remember that!
frmgrl, apparently I am unable to get access to this show via the vault, on the net.
Try this link,Jen.
http://www.qr77.com/other/audiovault.html