How do I join a political party in Canada?

[notyoueither]

Originally posted by Tingkai


Normally, there would be a boost in support immediately after a leader is selected, but the rules for the Conservative race will cause major divisions.

Under the Conservative rules, each riding gets a X-number of vote regardless of how many party members are in the riding. So 10 Conservative party members in Outremount, Quebec have the same voting power as 10,000 Conservative members in High River Alberta.

Next add in the fact that Stronach controls the Quebec riding associations.

How do you think western Conservatives will react when they see Quebec hijacking their party?

I think you are overemphasizing the influence of Quebec. If she wins, great. I don't think she will, but it will take a hell of a lot more than Quebec for her to win.

[Fake Boris]

Originally posted by Asher
Huh?

I don't know, prairie, field, cow manure, etc. Use your imagination!

Your sentence commented on his leadership ability, not his party's competence.

I would think a competent leader would have far less scandals and foreign affair screwups that Chretien has had.

Politician skills are amoral. Being able to create relations is the landmark of a leader. I don't think it's possible to rise from nothing and become... well, still nothing, but a successful nothing.

BTW, Chretien's scandals are not any worse than other politicians had before. It's the same thing over again.

[notyoueither]

Yeah, right. That is some dreamland you live in.

[Asher]

Originally posted by Oncle Boris
I don't know, prairie, field, cow manure, etc. Use your imagination!

I was confused by you saying I didn't have a field...

BTW, Chretien's scandals are not any worse than other politicians had before. It's the same thing over again.

Is that how you define "extreme competence"?

[Fake Boris]

Originally posted by notyoueither
Yeah, right. That is some dreamland you live in.

Yeah NYE, show some pity over my 3.30 AM humour.

I was confused by you saying I didn't have a field...

The point of my joke was to say your 'field' was 'agricultural', because you live in the prairies, and there are stereotypes and all. Got it?

Is that how you define "extreme competence"?

Realpolitik competence, that is. That's what I meant.

[notyoueither]

No, it's no worse when a government causes $100 million out of $250 million devoted to a program to be dirtectly diverted into the pockets of their party's machine by fraudulant methods. Yep, we see these things every 5 years or so, that is why Canadians aren't too fussed about it this time.

Now, do you want to rearrange the connection of your head to your shoulders and make contact with reality again? This is the WORST scandal that has ever touched a government of Canada. It has embroiled the civil service, and has even managed to taint the RCMP for chrisssakes. That is why Martin, although a shoe in for 1 or 2 majorities as recently as 6 weeks ago is running scared, and the Ontario caucus managed to 'leak' a tape of their recent meeting that makes it impossible for him to proceed with an early election.

[notyoueither]

Originally posted by Oncle Boris


Yeah NYE, show some pity over my 3.30 AM humour.

Oh. OK. Sorry. Nevermind. Carry on.

[Fake Boris]

I think the scale of other scandals is similar. PET appointing 300+ persons, Mulroney's copters, the DHRC, etc.

There are probably many others we didn't hear about because the transparency laws were different at the time.

[Spiffor]

I just love to see insomniacs talking about Canadian politics

[DinoDoc]

It's how they try to cure themselves.

[Fake Boris]

@ Spiffor and DinoDoc.

And going to sleep, too.

[Spiffor]

And I guess you too, DD

[notyoueither]

Originally posted by DinoDoc
What happened? They seemed so untouchable.

They have spent and continue to intend to spend up to a total of $2 billion on a computer program to store information on who owns which guns where in Canada. That is a phenomenal amount of money for a computer system to track the gun ownership of 30 million Canadians. That raised eyebrows, but it wasn't the scandal. It was just an example of gross mismanagement.

The sponsorship scandal is what has lifted the lid off of Canadian politics. The government earmarked $250 million to sponsor events in Quebec (and elsewhere, supposedly) that would raise the profile of the federal government. In essence, it was to get the Canadian flag to fly at major events. What happened is that ad agencies connected to the Liberals fraudulently billed the GoC and Crown corporations for $100 million dollars which was all paid by short-circuiting normal practices of accountability and oversight.

In short, the Liberal Party of Canada helped itself to $100 million taxpayer dollars.

The current regime is not tied directly to the deed as of yet. The ex-PM and his henchmen were all supposed to be retired and happy. Thing is that the axe is being swung by the current boy, martin, who seems genuinely po'ed that this can has been tied to his wagon. A couple of ex-ministers who landed soft have been sacked already. There are people heading to court and criminal convictions, most likely. It will be very ammusing to watch and see if Chretien can avoid that fate. he seems in it up to his neck. He must rely on loyalty, so we shall see if he was such a good leader to have earned it.

[molly bloom]

Originally posted by Asher

So why didn't Nash and Turing? Babbage?

Are they not "true scientists"?

Are you suggesting that Alan Turing didn't have an interest in philosophy?

If so, you've lost the plot.

[Ben Kenobi]

Latest polls show the Liberals have 42% support across the country. The Conservatives, even with the publicity boost of their leadership "election" and the sponsorship corruption, are at 32%.

Dude.

36% and 28% respectively.

Big diff between 36% and 42%.

We're in minority government territory, while the Conservatives are already 3% higher than the Alliance polled last election, without a leader, and without hammering out policy.