Canada is in the middle of a federal election and the Liberal Party under Stéphane Dion is going to lose a lot of seats. The losses may even be enough to give our current Prime Minister, Stephen Harper of the Conservative Party, a majority.This is not an election about the economy. It's not about Canada's foreign policy. It's not about the environment and the carbon tax of the Liberal party. It's not about health care and it's not about education.
It's about leadership. Stéphane Dion does not inspire confidence and a lot of Liberal supporters, including me, can't bring themselves to vote for him. We want him to resign as soon as possible and we're willing to vote for someone else in order to make sure that Dion gets the message.
I feel the same way Larry, although I will probably still vote Liberal in the hopes that aren't completely wiped off the map. Dion is a nice guy with some good ideas, but he is a horrible communicator and a terrible leader. Win or lose, the Liberal party seems intent on ripping itself apart the minute this election is over.
ReplyDeleteI can't bear the thought of four years of a Harper majority, but it's going to have to be. Once the Conservatives get full power, they'll reveal their true selves soon enough and then we'll all be sorry.
It's very simple: we have a first-past-the-post system, which is great if you have two parties, but not so great when you have three or more parties, and worst of all when you have three or more parties with unequal distribution of support across the country.
ReplyDeleteIf you live in a riding where the NDP or Greens can win, then by all means, vote for one of them (and this may be the case in the Toronto area, where Jack Layton and Olivia Chow hold seats, along with many Liberals). But in this first-past-the-post system, if you live in a riding that will only go to either the Liberals or Conservatives, why on earth would you waste your vote on anyone BUT the Liberals? Every vote that is NOT for the winning party is wasted.
You'd have to really hate Stephane Dion to vote for another party in a riding they cannot win. In fact, you'd have to think that a Dion-led minority government would be worse than a Harper-led majority government.
You have to be pragmatic. I don't like Dion either, and Ignatieff would have been a far better choice, but you need to consider the alternative; a COnservative majority in which the environment is foresaken, women's rights destroyed, and two-tier health care becomes a reality.
How does one measure leadership ability? I have no opinion on Mr. Dion's leadership skills, because I haven't looked into such sufficiently to form an opinion.
ReplyDeleteIs there an example of either a particular event or a trend of events over time that demonstrates Mr. Dion's leadership abilities or lack thereof?
I feel mostly the same way Larry, I was (an am) a strong supporter of Ignatieff. His endorsement of the Euston Manifesto and his intellectual, academic background appeals to me. He may not always hold a position that I agree with but he always appears to arrive at that position with logic, reason, and some thought behind it and has shown his willingness to change his position in the face of new data and not just for political pandering.
ReplyDeleteI'm at Dalhousie University and we were getting pandered to a little bit yesterday and today. Jack Layton was here announcing some health care stuff yesterday and Dion was in town today, I managed to walk into both press conferences on my way into work both mornings (they were set up in the lobby and outside our building on campus). Anyway I never found Dion very inspiring in confidence until today, I found he gives off a much more confident vibe in person and his speech was quite good.
I'm still very much undecided on who to cast my vote for.
The Leadership issue cuts both ways. I was a PC supporter for many years, but since their fusion with the reform/alliance/CRAAP party, and the selection of a right-wing religious nutjob as party leader, I simply cannot vote for them anymore.
ReplyDeleteNot voting for the liberals either (chalk that upto lasting western alienation; its hard to be f*cked over by a party for decades, and then begin voting for them).
Guess I'm screwed. . .anyone know if the marijuana party is still running candidates ;-)
-DG
ReplyDeleteAnyway I never found Dion very inspiring in confidence until today, I found he gives off a much more confident vibe in person and his speech was quite good.
I'm sure this is true. I'd probably enjoy having dinner with him.
But that's not the point. The point is that he's not the man to lead the Liberal Party to an election victory. The sooner we dump him the better.
Personally, I'd prefer Ignatieff's old college roommate at the University of Toronto.
Larry:
ReplyDeleteO I agree, I still don't think he is quite the leader I want for the Liberal Party. I think he is much better suited to crafting policy and being a high ranking cabinet minister myself. I'm just a little less dissapointed by him than I was.
Personally, I'd prefer Ignatieff's old college roommate at the University of Toronto.
Who was that?
Ignatieff's old college roommate at U of T refers to Bob Rae.
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