CanPol: Gomery and a Looming Federal Election

[Wezil]

Originally posted by Garth Vader
All politicians are corrupt.

That is what Canadians will tell themselves as they vote for this party yet again. Were you trying to prove my point?

[pchang]

Seems like a fairly standard kick back arrangement.

[Kontiki]

What's the real alternative to the Liberals?

[KrazyHorse]

None. That's the problem.

[St Leo]

Originally posted by The Mad Monk
What are the chances of another election so soon?

If a vote of confidence fails in Parliament, Canadian tradition requires the government to fall. The budget is a vote of confidence, and so are many other major bills. No one holds an absolute majority in Parliament right now, so the opposition parties can bring down the government any time they want by simply unanimously voting against something.

[Kontiki]

Exactly. I wouldn't pin it on "stupid voters".

[St Leo]

Originally posted by pchang
Seems like a fairly standard kick back arrangement.

We expect our government to be good and honest. That's the principle that Canada was founded on, and it's one of the main reasons our country is wonderful.

[pchang]

However, your government is not good and honest now, nor has it always been in the past.

[St Leo]

Originally posted by Kontiki
What's the real alternative to the Liberals?

NDP doesn't have a chance to win a majority because the NDP doesn't have a chance to win a majority. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy. And yet I vote for them.

Bloc won't turn candidates outside Quebec because they are secessionists.

The Greens are a dark horse. They got 4% of the vote in the last election, and have a comparatively huge election warchest as a result due to our new federal campaign-financing laws.

Conservatives are evil bastards who want to return us to deficit spending, sell Canadian sovereignity to the US for cheap, and probably do something stupid like renaming "marriage" to "civil union".

[Wezil]

We vote for crooks rather than the other guys because the other guys are "scary".

What a brave people.

[KrazyHorse]

It would be fine with me if government got out of the marriage business entirely.

[KrazyHorse]

Originally posted by Wezil
We vote for crooks rather than the other guys because the other guys are "scary".

What a brave people.

Scary? They're not scary; they're evil.

[St Leo]

Don't fear the NDP.

And have you looked at the Green agenda lately? They are pretty right-wing by my standards, making them moderate in your books.

[Wezil]

Originally posted by St Leo
Don't fear the NDP.

I don't fear the NDP. Unlike the Liberals, the NDP at least stands for something. I (and most Canadians) would never vote for them but at least they are clear. Too bad their own supporters couldn't gather up the courage to vote for them though.

And have you looked at the Green agenda lately? They are pretty right-wing by my standards, making them moderate in your books.

If the conservatives actually stray into social conservatism I may consider the Greens. I suspect we as a nation can't afford them though.

[Kontiki]

Originally posted by Wezil
We vote for crooks rather than the other guys because the other guys are "scary".

What a brave people.

So it's a mark of courage and honour to vote for a either a party that would take a massive leftward lurch or one that would unquestioningly take us to war in Iraq, cut social services and has a large and extemely vocal component that's quite socially conservative?