Will the NDP and Libs Merge?

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.

My Thoughts on Jack Layton

I was shocked and saddened yesterday as was most were to hear that Jack Layton, NDP leader and leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. had passed away  Like others  last month,  even though he looked and sounded very,very ill when he made his announcement that he was stepping aside temporally and that he had a new cancer, I thought with his tenacious optimism and determinism. we would see him back in parliament maybe not in Sept. when the house resumes as he intended  but at some point later on. I did not expect to see him leave us so quickly and suddenly like that. 

No I didn't agree with his ideas but hey you gotta give him credit.  He always positive, fought for what he believed in and he took his party into new heights. 

Yes he was a politician but we must not forget he was also a husband, father,and grandfather.  From what I could tell he loved his family very much.  I admire that.

I join others in keeping Olivia, the children and that  precious little granddaughter of his in our hearts and prayers right now as they go through this difficult time.  Pray that God comforts them and gives them strength as this will be a tough time for this family for sometime.

One thing is for sure, he will be missed by all  in the Canadian political sphere. Primarily his party will feel lost  without him. They will have big shoes to fill that's for certain.  He WAS the NDP!

Rest in peace Jack!  May God bless Olivia and the family and give them the peace that passes all understanding!

One More Reason to Shut Down CBC-Gilles Dueceppe

CBC sucks over a billion dollars every year from the taxpayer.  They spew their anti-anything conservative, anti-American, anti-Israel garbage. Now they've hired defeated separatist leader Gilles Dueceppe.

MONTREAL  - Former Bloc Quebecois head Gilles Duceppe said he doesn't think there is anything controversial about an ex-soveregnist leader working at the state broadcaster.
Duceppe starts work as a columnist for the French CBC next week.

So now Gilles not only gets his gold plated MP's pension but he'll be receiving a  nice little paycheck as well paid for by you and me.  Someone who despises the rest of Canada and whose  raison d'etre is to break up the country  but is all to glad to take our money.

CBC? Time to shut 'em down.  Switch off the lights, lock the doors, and say good nite! I'm sick and tired of the state broadcaster sucking from the public teet to spew their garbage. Giving the former Bloc leader a soapbox is the last straw.  Here that James Moore?

Update: Gilles steps down from CBC.

"Following a misunderstanding about the nature of its mandate, Gilles Duceppe has chosen not to be a weekly columnist for the show," the Radio-Canada said in a statement Wednesday afternoon.