Canada's Opposition Parties Vow to Bring Down Government, 1 month into its term...

[Wezil]

Disregard their votes if you want. They still count.

[Asher]

Originally posted by Wezil
Disregard their votes if you want. They still count.

Not if they are not part of the coalition.

It'd be a crime against democracy and ignore the voters' mandate to remove the party with the most votes from the government they JUST earned a month ago and replace them with a loose coalition we all know will collapse with a combined FEWER votes than the party who won the election.

Undemocratic is the best word for it, pathetic is also apt.

[Wezil]

According to all accounts they will not be part of the coalition but are willing to work with the other parties to make parliament function (the thing Harper won't do).

As to timing - Blame Harper. He called the unnecessary election in the first place (violating the spirit of his own legislation) then decided to play politics with the nation's finances.

[Asher]

So to recap, the GDP grew last month, unemployment is still well within reasonable numbers (and certainly better than it was in years past), and the opposition are forming a coalition to bring down the government on the basis of inaction on the economy and the fact that they disagreed with the funding moves of the government.

Do you really want to keep arguing on that path, Wezil? You may wish to re-evaluate your position, this time with your blind hatred of Harper at the wayside. It is certainly not rational.

I'd be curious to see the poll numbers for the Liberals as of this weekend...

[Wezil]

I'd love to see Conservative leadership numbers.

[embalmer42]

Originally posted by Wezil
Disregard their votes if you want. They still count.

I understand you do not think the current system is refective of the will of the people but this is not the way to achieve "the will of the people". Bring in PR if that is what the people want, do not try to grease yourself in via the back door. I don't recall the Liberals giving a fig about "the will of the people" when they were in power (or, for that matter, Bob Rae in the Ontario election when his NDP took a majority government with barely a third of the popular vote, IIRC). To me, this type of BS is more like Nixon then the all the crap Harper has been doing: naked ambition, grab power at any cost.

[Wezil]

Coalition governments are entirely within the rules of a Parliamentary system embalmer.

So is proroguing Parliament (as Harper will likely do this week to forestall a confidence vote).

[Asher]

Originally posted by embalmer42



I understand you do not think the current system is refective of the will of the people but this is not the way to achieve "the will of the people". Bring in PR if that is what the people want, do not try to grease yourself in via the back door. I don't recall the Liberals giving a fig about "the will of the people" when they were in power (or, for that matter, Bob Rae in the Ontario election when his NDP took a majority government with barely a third of the popular vote, IIRC). To me, this type of BS is more like Nixon then the all the crap Harper has been doing: naked ambition, grab power at any cost.

[CrONoS]

Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased 0.3% in the third quarter, after remaining essentially flat over the first half of the year. Most of the third quarter gain occurred in July. Economic activity edged up 0.1% in September following a decline in August. A more detailed analysis and additional data tables are available in Canadian Economic Accounts Quarterly Review.

Canadian producers increased their output in the third quarter. The production of goods rebounded in the third quarter following four consecutive quarterly declines. The increase was led by the mining sector, notably support activities for oil and gas extraction, as well as construction. The manufacturing sector edged up while forestry continued its decline. Production in the services industries continued to grow, with notable gains in the public sector and, to a lesser extent, in retail trade and wholesale trade.

[Asher]

Originally posted by Wezil
Coalition governments are entirely within the rules of a Parliamentary system embalmer.

Yes, but usually only when they actually form the largest contiguous group of elected representatives...

[Wezil]

"Usually"?

Is this not allowed?

[Asher]

Originally posted by Wezil
"Usually"?

Is this not allowed?

To make the request, it is.

But no governor general will ever agree to it, no matter what your wet dreams may indicate.

I'm curious, why do you have a hate-on for Harper to call for an election after a couple years (to give VOTERS the opportunity to rethink who they want in power), but then you turn around and defend the blatant subversion of democracy where the opposition parties try to steal a mandate that the voters -- just a month ago -- did not give them.

It seems to me you are perhaps least consistent and most partisan of anyone in this thread. Which is curious considering you have no party, you're just a bitter Harper-hater...

[Wezil]

Why haven't you mentioned "the tape" yet Asher?

[Asher]

Originally posted by Wezil
Why haven't you mentioned "the tape" yet Asher?

Which tape and how is it relevant to governing this country and avoiding political bickering?

I warn you, if this is the usual tabloid **** you obsess over I've got a lot of vitriol for you.

[Asher]

It gets better!

If the coalition does get in power, our Prime Minister will be Ignatieff...someone who wasn't even in the running a month ago during the election!

I'm genuinely outraged that our system even permits this in theory. It's blatantly undemocratic and absurd.