Fil Canadien D'Élection (Partie Trois)

[joncha]

Originally posted by Ben Kenobi


But he's against the weaponisation of space, and ICBMs travel out of the atmosphere...

So he says, in the usual campaign-from-the-left Liberal style. Too bad he's on track to joining Bush's crazy missile defence shield.

[Ben Kenobi]

You hold up the Gallup poll as proof that Canadians are against abortion, and then you say it's not accurate because you know for a fact that it underestimate the number of social-conservative voters.

And I explain thoroughly why I believe that it underestimates those whom most would consider socially conservative.

Even so, this does nothing to affect the argument that the poll finds the majority of Canadians disaffected by the status quo, but rather supports the contention.

If I said that the poll underestimated the number of people who are in support of abortion in all circumstances, then you would be right to contest my previous argument.

[Ben Kenobi]

So he says, in the usual campaign-from-the-left Liberal style. Too bad he's on track to joining Bush's crazy missile defence shield.

An irishman would have been drunk if he took a swig everytime Martin said 'weaponisation of space' in the debate.

[notyoueither]

Actually, I think healthcare played a bigger role than anything else, and that is why Klein is on the way out.

If there is one thing an Albertan hates more than anything else, it is being a national whipping boy. Klein managed to hand Martin the whip, and splay himself, and Alberta, out for the whipping with no good cause.

I wasn't too fussed about it, but listening to the buzz today, Klein is done like dinner. If his own party doesn't knife him, the voters will throttle his party and you will see an Albertan sea change. They do happen periodically.

[KrazyHorse]

Like when you finally kicked the SoCreds out in 1970?

[joncha]

We managed to hold on to those such-and-suches for good 20 years after that.

[Ben Kenobi]

Yeah, but our Socreds weren't really Socreds.

Just Conservatives under a different banner.

[notyoueither]

Originally posted by KrazyHorse
Like when you finally kicked the SoCreds out in 1970?

Liberals first, then someone else, then Socreds, then Tories. Next? It's usually been a new, previously unknown party. Why do you think Albertans were fond of Reform and thought they were a good bet?

Politics in Alberta is all about the establishment. Anyone with a brain and some ability joins the establishment and lobbies from the inside instead of tossing rocks from the outside. The provincial Tories are representative of the province from the far right to the mid left. That's just the way it's done.

How you reconcile that with our penchant to be on the outside nationally could earn you a PHD in Poly Sci.

[KrazyHorse]

The provincial Tories are representative of the province from the far right to the mid left. That's just the way it's done.

It's a one-party system and is unhealthy (far unhealthier than Canadian politics in which the Conservatives get to win once in a while and always have more representation than the non-Tories do in Alta)

[joncha]

Originally posted by Ben Kenobi
Yeah, but our Socreds weren't really Socreds.

Just Conservatives under a different banner.

Vander Zalm did a pretty good impression of a "real" Socred.

A conversation, years ago, with my (now sadly departed) Gran:

"He's a Nazi, you know."
"Gran, he may be a right-wing scumbag, but that's not exactly the same thing as a Nazi..."
"Tis so. He's from Holland, you know."
"Well... yeah... his family's Dutch, I guess. But what's that got to do with being a Nazi??"
"Well, they were there too, weren't they?"

End of discussion.

[KrazyHorse]

So if you think it's a good way to run things, you should sign up your fellow Albertans for the federal Liberals and get them to change things from the inside...

[notyoueither]

Well, I voted for Landslide Annie when I had the chance.

[notyoueither]

Incidentally, I should point out that trying to convince the average Albertan to change his or her poitical beliefs is about as productive as trying to convince Ben to be an atheist, or someone from Ontario or Quebec that a PM from the West could be a good thing.

Something happens, it pisses them off, they change courses and get entrenched there. They move trenches again when something else pisses them off.

Klein just pissed them off, royally.

[KrazyHorse]

I know. I'm just wondering the same thing you are (if Albertans are so complacent about provincial politics then why do they love stirring up trouble at the federal level)

I think it's because the province loves its victim mentality, just like Quebec...

[Tingkai]

Originally posted by Ben Kenobi
I agree, the candidates ought to have been more open about their position, but most of the candidates had some information available on their position, even without Harper making an official party statement in the mould of the Liberals and the NDP.

I can that imagine that conversation.

You: So are you for or against killing the innocent unborn?
Cons candidate: Uhm, let me check the party position on that so I can tell you what I think. Oh, yes, some of the information available indicates the Conservative party says I can make up my own mind, so I can definitely tell you that if there is a free vote on this, I will definitely vote the way I think I should vote. Next question.