Loser: Stéphane Dion and the Liberals for trying their darnedest to change the channel on his "short-term pain for long-term gain" carbon tax and not have it as the focal point mid-campaign. It's ironic, in a sense, that he's even in this situation (apologizing for policies) since we often hear the parliamentary press gallery accusing the opposition (and many of its MPs) for being too negative, always criticizing the government but never saying what they believe in. I guess when you think about most democratic countries, government's most often defeat themselves as rarely is there ever an opposition party that is voted in on the basis of strong policy. It's a damn shame nobody told Stéphane this eight months ago.
Let's just say, the press' actions in this campaign have surely shed a new light (for me) on Kim Campbell's statement that elections were not the time to develop policies and programs!
Policy loser: The Tories' plan to allow youth convicted of violent crimes to be named publicly. Tough on crime legislation always sounds very persuasive (especially to the conservative base), but the ideas being touted here are about as practical as rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. I mean honestly, saying in one breath you will treat 14 years olds like adult criminals, but in another, you see them as incapable of making an adult decision. Come on.
Losers: Harper and his conservative strategists for going overboard in their attempt to reach out to Quebec nationalist. Like a couple of conservative leaders before him, specifically Sir Robert Borden and Brian Mulroney, Harper has decided to groom the path for a political alliance with the nationalist in Quebec. Yes, there's no question it will likely lead to electoral success in La Belle province, unfortunately, like others that have attempted such a coalition in the past, the end result is only a few years of success leading to certain failure. If Harper really wants to promote conservatism and federalism in Quebec, he certainly won't get there by attempting to cement a short-term relationship with disenchanted nationalist. The bottom line is, he has to start rewarding federalist.
Loser: Green party leader Elizabeth May for campaigning whistle-stop style. Let's just say, this is all quite ironic since this style of campaigning went out in the 50s with Dief "the chief", and just yesterday, a certain press gallery member suggested that May's policies were just as archaic. I think her exact words were "not harnessing modernity" and "taking us back to life before electricity and the combustion engine." Ouch.
Anyway, if this kind of stuff does happen to interest you, here's Macleans Nancy Macdonald's blog covering the daily accounts of the whistle-stop tour. It's kinda like the blog version of a very bad episode of the Global soap opera, Train 48. Who knows, now that the show is canceled, maybe they'll turn May's run into a reality show giving Sheila Copps and Carolyn Parrish another shot at an acting career. God help us all!
(You just gotta know spinks loves the apron)
Local losers: People who think it's a joke to vandalize election signs. Not cool.
I have reincarnated this old blog and will be following both the national as well as the local developments in the New Brunswick region leading up to the 2011 federal election.
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12 comments:
It's all academic for Dion. Not firming government that is!
Harper's tough on crime stance seems to be playing well in the rural province like in the maritimes as I see his personal leadership index soared 5 percentage points in just one day since he announced his plan to allow youth convicted of violent crimes to be named publicly.
I don't think it's a bad idea for Elizabeth May to travel by train at all. It's likely not comfortable for the press, as we have a passenger rail system the Bulgarians would be ashamed of.
My friend told me a story about a construction engineer who moved to Nova Scotia for work in Halifax from England. He was looking for houses in Truro until his work colleagues asked him why. He intended to commute the 60 miles to work by rail, like he did back home. They all laughed in his face.
May's walking the walk on reducing carbon emissions. We'd all be killing her if she had rented a Boeing to criss-cross the nation. She's asking Canadians to make sacrifices, and she's at least willing to make them herself.
Rob, I know some people in Amherst, where I'm from, and Truro that commute via bus to Moncton and Halifax daily. But you're right, the rail system is nothing to brag about.
Hey Rob, I think I left the largest difficulty out of all with regards to whistle-stop campaigns. That being, unlike in the late 40s and 50s, there is more development away from the railway lines. So much so that a true national campaign would be handicapping itself by confining its tour to the tracks!
Can't wait to see Dion declare Harper as "soft on crime" after this announcement!
Conservative leader Stephen Harper is rejecting sociologists, criminologists and others "who work in ivory towers" and oppose his get-tough, law-and-order proposals.
lol...harper makes you want to think there is a murdered, thief or gang on every street. for heavens sake...crime stats are DROPPING! It is because he has NO ideas other than attack and fear monger! Here we are three weeks into our campaign, he has offered NO PLATFORM...just attack ad after attack ad (and things like yesterdays big crime fighing nugget: longer sentences for 14 yr olds and we'll publish their names -- go get em tiger!...lol) He even said at the opening of the elecetion he would offer no grand ideas during the campaign. The conservatives clearly have little to offer and take pride in it. Their only skill being able to attack other peoples ideas. Dion and the liberals have shown a WRITTEN plan -- backed by MANY economists -- and have proven they are the only ones to offer the public concrete plans for the future. Crime?..whatever harpo...the economy, healthcare and climate?...now your talking! But intersetingly he and his party HAVE NOTHING TO SAY on those.
"So much so that a true national campaign would be handicapping itself by confining its tour to the tracks!"
Is the Green campaign really a national campaign on the level of the Liberals or Conservatives? The amount of local press this tour will generate will more than offset the problems caused by her linear path through each community.
Of course, I have no idea how this whole plan helps her win Central Nova.
Maybe the sign war in Pictou county put her over the top with regards to funds (and straight to the train).
Hey, look on the bright side, at least she's not touring on a Greyhound bus.
Anon: it wouldn't surprise me.
hallnad: I'm not exactly from the ivory towers and I don't like the hypocracy of the most recent announcement. On its own, yes, but standing by the age of consent...no.
There are countries where the carbon tax system is working really well (i.e. Denmark) - why doesn't Wente name some of these countries?
Anonymous above: Not true at all, it is a subsidized nightmare for many countries (with some looking to get out). Let Aldyen Donnelly explain:
"(The Green Party) budget doesn't balance unless we massively increase our carbon emissions," points out Aldyen Donnelly, who's president of the Greenhouse Emissions Management Consortium. She also faults Ms. May on the facts. Every European country that introduced carbon taxes - including Germany, Sweden and Denmark - has suffered heavy losses of manufacturing jobs. As for Germany's green jobs, they're all subsidized by the government. "Carbon taxes have proven to be an economic death spiral," Ms. Donnelly says.
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