Comments on: Prime Minister Layton and Proportional Representation

By: Stephen Elliott-Buckley

Stephen Elliott-Buckley — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 20:10:14 +0000

yup, i’m still hoping iggy wants to be a coalition prime minister more than a leader of the opposition. otherwise the coalition’s off for now.

By: Roger earth4energy review

Roger earth4energy review — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 21:43:07 +0000

This is an old post, but you were pretty close with your predictions. You have to admit that even with all the predictions that you can imagine, there are so unexplainable political moves which will take place and you can’t really know what will happen in the next years until it happens. Hopefully, everything will be ok.

By: T Rastin

T Rastin — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 17:50:20 +0000

Great article!

By: Stephen Elliott-Buckley

Stephen Elliott-Buckley — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 08:37:51 +0000

An entrenched Bloc status in a PR system with no foolish majorities anymore. I can live with that. Disclosure: my grandmothers were French Canadian and Acadian. :) So I have some sympathies for the plight of the Quebecois, etc.

By: Wayne Smith

Wayne Smith — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 18:10:33 +0000

Under proportional representation, the Bloc would have fewer seats, but possibly more influence, since we would always have minority or coalition government.

By: Brenton

Brenton — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 01:34:50 +0000

“Captain Renault: I’m shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!”

Possibly my favourite quote from Casablanca, and the one I use most often.

So, it’s to be PM Dion, then? Weird. Narrowly escaping his place as a footnote in Liberal history as the only leader to not become PM. Maybe. If the Conservatives don’t prorogue Parliament, that is.

By: Stephen Elliott-Buckley

Stephen Elliott-Buckley — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 07:58:04 +0000

My favourite line from the mayhem of the weekend:

“The stability of the government and the economy is paramount,” Flaherty told reporters, adding that the business community has recommended against any change in government.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/11/30/politics.html

WELL! IF THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY recommends against it, then…

And in case you weren’t following the news on the weekend, to show how wild a time it is for politics in Canada, and to support my contention that our electoral system of majority government worshiping is dying, here’s what’s happened in the 48 hours since I published this:

Harper bails on the cut to per vote party funding and canceling the right to strike; he moves the budget up a month [irrelevant] and has his Flaherty fellow set up a press conference next week to do some desperate pandering.

At 930pm Sunday night, the NDP and Liberals are reported to have reached a deal.

Earlier Sunday, Harper widely releases [not in a brown enveloped dropped off at the CBC or anything] a recording of an NDP caucus conference call proving what most of us have known for weeks: that opposition parties have been plotting the constitutionally valid crashing of the minority government for weeks now.

OK, remember this?

Captain Renault: I’m shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!
[a croupier hands Renault a pile of money]
Croupier: Your winnings, sir.
Captain Renault: [sotto voce] Oh, thank you very much.
[aloud]
Captain Renault: Everybody out at once!

By: Stephen Elliott-Buckley

Stephen Elliott-Buckley — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 07:18:27 +0000

Ken S, good point about the Bloc. In the universe of my mind that plans out Prime Minister Layton, the Bloc would change some artificially stoked seats for a long term presence at the table as advocates for Quebecois, with or without referendum threats.

And of course, that too is debatable. :)

By: Stephen Elliott-Buckley

Stephen Elliott-Buckley — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 07:17:06 +0000

So today Harper blinks and a smirking John Baird pulls the plan to cripple public funding of political parties. With some vague reference to maybe it needing some kind of discussion…whatever.

Flaherty’s press conference next week better solve cold fusion, the global potable water crisis and breast cancer or he will be under the bus by dinner time in Vancouver. By the way, anyone not up to speed on Cyndi Lauper’s role in the now essential idiom of throwing someone under the bus should read this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Throw_under_the_bus

By: lol

lol — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 04:24:35 +0000

If the new BC PR plan is the same as the old one, it should probably be defeated. I don’t know why they insist on proposing bad plans instead of good ones. The one put forward in Ontario was disgusting.

By: Ken S from Simcoe North

Ken S from Simcoe North — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 05:30:33 +0000

PR will not happen with this coalition. PR hurts the Bloq and Bloq support is required. We’ll have PR someday, but not with this coalition. Thanks Mr. Harper… your either a complete idiot or your planning a David Peterson, ie your own removal from office because you care only about yourself and don’t want the taint of leading the nation during bad times…. Either way your toast, soon you’ll no longer be PM and as a result your caucus will see you removed as Leader of the CPC.

By: Stephen Elliott-Buckley

Stephen Elliott-Buckley — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 04:07:09 +0000

Well, I can’t imagine there are “too many,” just a bunch. Yours sure seems viable.

By: Brenton

Brenton — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 04:03:35 +0000

The coalition talk has been building for some time, and this latest business really makes it look like a possibility. However, there really isn’t a chance that Jack Layton will be handed the Prime Minister’s chair. There are too many reasons for this, not least of which is the Liberals’ fear of validating his national leadership aspirations. At this point it’s difficult even to guess who might take the helm in the event of a coalition, but I feel pretty safe in my prediction that it won’t be Layton.