CanPol: Thread of the Year Edition

[Asher]

Continued from here: http://www.apolyton.net/forums/showt...hreadid=144202

Summation of previous thread:
Harper is a Moron
Layton is a Moron
Martin is a Moron
Everyone else is utterly insignificants

Canadians are Hosed.

[notyoueither]

Originally posted by Tingkai
The forces definitely need transport aircraft, but the Liberals plan to buy new Hercs. The cost benefits for C-5 type aircraft might not be efficient, particularly if Canada only buys three of them. Better to buy stretch versions of the Hercs. Not sure exactly what type of aircraft the Conservatives are thinking about.

I would have liked to have seen something using smarter financing, like leasing aircraft rather than buying them.

The airborne "battalion" idea is rather pointless. The Vandoos, PPCLI and 1 RCR are all airborne capable soa dedicated airborne unit wouldn't add much to the Forces capabilities.

I don't think hercs have the range or lift capability for troop deployments from Canada to Africa or Asia (two places we've needed to go recently) and that would be why we rent Russian aircraft instead of using our existing hercs.

Also, leased aircraft don't tend to want to fly into combat zones. What if we need to get our guys out in a hurry from a not so great place? Tell them to call a cab?

I think the idea behind an airbourne unit would be a go anywhere, anytime sort of deal. Various battalions of the three regiments are not organised on the same basis (although, they have been pushed to it anyways).

[Tingkai]

Even the C-5s don't have the range to make a single jump from Trenton to Afghanistan. The difference is in the payload.

Leasing can be a viable option, and the deal can be set up so that the aircraft fly into combat zones. There was also some talk a while back about setting up a joint transport unit with other Nato nations. The cheapest and most efficient option would be to set up a lease deal with the Americans, but that would piss off too many Canadians.

The problem with a small fleet of three heavy transport aircraft is that it magnifies the cost of training the crew, maintenance, etc.

The three regiments mentioned are all capable of being deployed quickly, anywhere and anytime.

We also have the JT2 for special ops.

[Tingkai]

I'm shocked that Martin talked about being in favour of an elected Senate. He's really scrambling to find votes.

[Tingkai]

What do people think about the American ambassador's speech on Tuesday:

OTTAWA—U.S. Ambassador David Wilkins has warned Canadian politicians — Prime Minister Paul Martin in particular — to stop provoking his country by treating it as a political football in the election campaign.

"I get election-year politics. I understand political expediency. But the last time I looked, the United States was not on the ballot for the Jan. 23 election," Wilkins declared in a major speech in Ottawa yesterday.

"All of us should hope it does not have a long-term impact on our relationship. And that's what you have to weigh scoring short-term political points against," Wilkins said.

Wilkins' highly unusual and direct intervention threatens to intensify the focus on relations with the U.S. that is already in serious play in the campaign.

Martin, Conservative Leader Stephen Harper and NDP Leader Jack Layton are increasingly bickering over which one is best positioned to lead a Canada that is not in lockstep with George W. Bush's administration.

Last week, Martin lambasted the U.S. over its decision not to join the global effort to combat climate change. In the past, the Prime Minister has criticized the U.S. for not abiding by rulings on softwood lumber tariffs, and has backed off joining the U.S. missile defence program.

In this policy-heavy election campaign, the U.S. looms in its age-old role of helping Canadians define themselves by what they are not.

Wilkins took issue with this.

"Canada never has to tear the U.S. down to build itself up."

Wilkins didn't mention Martin by name, but he made clear he was irked by the Prime Minister's pointed criticism of the U.S. at the climate-change conference in Montreal last week.

"I understand Canada has an election approximately 40 days from now, and it may been smart election-year politics to thump your chest and constantly criticize your friend and your number-one trading partner. But it's a slippery slope.''

He called it "a toxic attitude that I fear can't help but hurt the relationship unless all of us make a concerted effort to simply tone it down."

Wilkins even joked that he sometimes felt like a hanging curve ball as he travelled in Canada, a reference to a pitch in baseball often belted for a home run.

Martin refused to give ground yesterday in the face of the ambassador's criticism, saying he is not trying to score political points by slamming the United States but has every right to speak out in favour of Canadian interests.

"I have not made the United States or any country a target in this campaign," he told reporters in Surrey, B.C.

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1134515413621&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968793972154

[Asher]

I agree with him.

[Kuciwalker]

Which him?

[Flubber]

Originally posted by Tingkai
I'm shocked that Martin talked about being in favour of an elected Senate. He's really scrambling to find votes.

Wow-- Thats something I haven't heard from the Liberals before.

But like many of their promises, if it was something they wanted to do, why haven't they moved on it in the last er I don't know TWELVE YEARS.

After all Alberta has been holding senate elections which the Liberal ignore so they can appoint yet another party hack or defeated MP

[Flubber]

Oh I have to be fair to Martin-- According to the news story I just read, his comments on the senate were that he favored an elected senate but it would not be a priority.



Oh and the other thing is that it seems that the "popcorn and beer"remark might not just be one guy's off the cuff remarkes and might have been planned but badly misguided spin. Apparently the aide that said it is pretty high up in the Liberals organization PLUS apparently there was at least one other Liberal that gave a similar message the same day but I think it was a toned down version with no popcorn and beer quote to rile people up

[Zevico]

CanPol, CanSoc, the conspiracy is out there people! TREMBLE IN FEAR! ORWELLIAN TIMS ARE UPON US!

[Ninot]

Re: CanPol: Thread of the Year Edition

Originally posted by Asher

Harper is a Moron
Layton is a Moron
Martin is a Moron
Everyone else is utterly insignificants

Canadians are Hosed.

QFT!

[Flubber]

The dynamics of this campaign seems weird. The Liberals appear to make gaffe after gaffe yet it hasn't shown much in the polls (I will be interested in the first polls after the "beer and popcorn" comments really settle in)

Yet at the same time it seems like everyone expects SOMETHING heck ANYTHING to pop up that will kill the Harper campaign-- like a Kleinism or maybe George Bush saying "Harper is my kind of guy". . . or maybe Martin will just chant "gay marriage" for the last 5 days of the campaign . . . It just seems that no matter how harper does, everyone thinks he will explode and so everyone waits for it.

[KrazyHorse]

Re: CanPol: Thread of the Year Edition

Originally posted by Asher
Continued from here: http://www.apolyton.net/forums/showt...hreadid=144202

Summation of previous thread:
Harper is a Moron
Layton is a Moron
Martin is a Moron
Everyone else is utterly insignificants

Canadians are Hosed.

How is Duceppe insignificant? He's going to take more seats than Layton, and is going to ensure a minority government next time...

[Kontiki]

Re: Re: CanPol: Thread of the Year Edition

Originally posted by KrazyHorse


How is Duceppe insignificant? He's going to take more seats than Layton, and is going to ensure a minority government next time...

And that may be the saddest fact of all.

[Asher]

Re: Re: CanPol: Thread of the Year Edition

Originally posted by KrazyHorse
How is Duceppe insignificant? He's going to take more seats than Layton, and is going to ensure a minority government next time...

Because he only runs candidates in an insignificant part of the country.