An Ipsos Reid poll has found that the majority of Canadians are against a merger of the Liberals and NDP. 56% think it's a bad idea while 30% think it's a good idea. I am part of those who don't want the parties to merge. The Liberal party has campaigned under a Liberal banner since Confederation in 1867. We have been in power 70% of the time. There is no need to sacrifice the Liberal Party of Canada and Canadians recognise this fact. More importantly, 55% of Liberals don't want a merger. There is not going to be a Liberal-NDP merger any time soon. There probably never will be. Since Confederation, Liberal governments have been Liberal. There is no need to merge. We Liberals will remain Liberals.
OTTAWA -- Canadians have given a thumbs-down to the notion of a merger between the Liberals and NDP, a new poll conducted for Canwest News Service has found.
The Ipsos Reid national survey, conducted this week as Parliament Hill was awash with rumours, speculation and denials about a deal between the two parties, found that voters appear to want none of it.
Read more at the
National Post and the
Montreal Gazette.
Something tells me this more about an elaborate scheme to get rid of Iggy and give Bob Rae his last hurrah.
ReplyDeleteIt appears to be the plan that after the next election, there would be a leadership convention of some kind as they (LIberals) want to see younger fresh faces.
The scheme appears to be working; something tells me we should hear about Iggy leaving soon.
Frankly, I think both Rae and Iggy need to go. Why wait until after next election for a new leader when one of those 'rising stars' could be voted in now? Yes, time is short before next election, but so is planning a coalition and then getting both parties to go along with it (not the dinosaurs; but the current members of each party). With Dippers like Mulcair the mouth and a few others who slam the Liberals more often than they do the Harpercons in the media, I just don't see how the dinosaurs will get them to play nicely with each other. This brings me to my next point. The media doesn't stop to think when they continue coalition chatter, do they? They don't explain to us how this will be feasible when clearly the NDP doesn't want this marriage. Jack Layton has come out to say that he wasn't interested in any such arrangement. With all that sniping his party does at the Liberals, is there any reason not to believe him?
Replacing the leader isn't going to change fortunes, but chances are it will become necessary after the next election where, I'm my current gut is correct, an Ignatieff-led Liberal party will turn in an even worse showing than under Dion and we'll see a Conservative (or two) elected even in Vancouver. (shudder)
ReplyDeleteCheck out the voter intention and election results chart dating back to 1978.
http://mikewatkins.ca/2010/06/11/1989-began-an-age-of-uncertainty/
What has been happening to Liberal support is no flash in the pan, it is called a trend, and the trend isn't anywhere close to reversing.
I'm completely unbiased about the merger question. As a non partisan Canadian that is progressive and not supportive of Harper's gang, I would certainly vote for a merged entity. If not, I'll strategic vote, or vote for the best non Conservative candidate in my riding.
Those latter options are what Canadians have been left with since 2004. Look how well that is going.
Chretien knows what he's doing. He knew all the various options here. Say something small about a possible coalition or merger and let everyone's imaginations take over. He can then gauge public reaction and even get a free poll done to see what we think.
ReplyDeleteIf people reacted positively to a merger, you can leak more info and have more talks. If not, you have a strong reaction against the merger and trigger a reunification of the party after the threat of it being gone. Brilliant. He didn't get to be PM for 10 years by accident.
Now it's clear that the best scenario is an elected house of a liberal minority with a power sharing agreement with the NDP, British style. Harper might just dirty his fake lake thinking about this one.
The Liberal party can stay liberal while still working with other parties (NOT COALITION). If the Liberals do get in government it is important for them to work together with the NDP ,Bloc, green and maybe Conservative. Having a minority government that is Liberal will not last long. So although a coalition is out of the question working together should always be on the table.
ReplyDelete