Jack in Fantasy Land
In 2004, Jack Layton tried to make the Canadian electorate believe that he could become Leader of the Opposition, displacing the Liberals. This, of course, was nonsense and only served to elect the Conservatives because Jack hammered the Liberals relentlessly and gave a free pass to the Conservatives. His NDP finished a distant third. So what does he do in the 2008 election? In another flight of fantasy, he tells us that he will become Prime Minister. Again, distant third.
It would serve this country well if Jack would come down to the ground and look around. Harper won because the "left" was divided. Had the Liberals, NDP and Greens been united in one party, the outcome would have been much different.
It used to be that the right wing was divided between Progressive Conservatives and Reform or Canadian Alliance, or whatever, which made Liberal victories almost automatic. Harper brilliantly carried out a "unite the Right" campaign, which was no easy matter because the two parties had a distinct dislike of each other. He succeeded and now the opposition is fractured. The shoe is on the other foot.
The Liberal Party has never been "left". It has always held the center. True, there have been left- leaning members such as Lloyd Axworthy who was instrumental in the land mine ban campaign, but such progressives have been outnumbered over the years by right-leaning folk such as C. D. Howe, Robert Winters, Mitchell Sharp, Paul Martin and so on. On the whole, however, the party has been well balanced.
The absorption of the left-leaning NDP and Greens would not greatly unbalance the Liberal Party. If Jack would get off his treadmill and advocate such a measure and help bring it to fruition, he would probably end up as deputy leader in a cabinet post and perhaps look forward to a leadership convention in the future.
It's not going to happen, of course, with the result that both parties will remain in limbo for a very long time.
It would serve this country well if Jack would come down to the ground and look around. Harper won because the "left" was divided. Had the Liberals, NDP and Greens been united in one party, the outcome would have been much different.
It used to be that the right wing was divided between Progressive Conservatives and Reform or Canadian Alliance, or whatever, which made Liberal victories almost automatic. Harper brilliantly carried out a "unite the Right" campaign, which was no easy matter because the two parties had a distinct dislike of each other. He succeeded and now the opposition is fractured. The shoe is on the other foot.
The Liberal Party has never been "left". It has always held the center. True, there have been left- leaning members such as Lloyd Axworthy who was instrumental in the land mine ban campaign, but such progressives have been outnumbered over the years by right-leaning folk such as C. D. Howe, Robert Winters, Mitchell Sharp, Paul Martin and so on. On the whole, however, the party has been well balanced.
The absorption of the left-leaning NDP and Greens would not greatly unbalance the Liberal Party. If Jack would get off his treadmill and advocate such a measure and help bring it to fruition, he would probably end up as deputy leader in a cabinet post and perhaps look forward to a leadership convention in the future.
It's not going to happen, of course, with the result that both parties will remain in limbo for a very long time.
posted by puzzled @ 9:38 AM
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