Politics in 2016

[cavalryman]

PM Trudeau and his associates are having a great deal of fun repealing Conservative initiatives.  I can't help but wonder if they have thoroughly considered the implications of the replacement legislation.

From citizenship, to marijuana, to F35s, to ISIL, to refugees, to deficits, to pipelines, to natives,  I get a strong sense of "reorganization by hand-grenade": the practice of throwing a hand-grenade into a room, slamming the door shut, waiting for the bang and then opening the door after the moaning has stopped so as to sort out the pieces.

Could it be that the CPC ads were right?  Not ready?  [

 

[Kirkhill]

This was never about policy or principles.

This was always about getting the keys to the exchequer back where they belong: in Ontario.  Especially seeing as how Ottawa had a much better credit rating.

 

[Brad Sallows]

The federal government does seem to be going through a phase in which its highest priority is to pull the noses of Conservatives and Conservative supporters.

All the uncertainty and consultation and delay, meanwhile, is a great help to the economy.  Businesses and corporations like nothing more than an inconsistent present and unpredictable future.  They are ever so eager to spend whatever assets they might be sitting on when they don't know what is going to happen next.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

I am not seeing much difference at the frontlines so far, other than a delay in everything and constant frantic requests for info. But to be fair that is par for the course when a brand new government comes in.

 

[Brad Sallows]

I don't know if anyone here noticed much, but the BC government has been pulling in a bunch of jobless Conservatives.  This should reduce the temptation to finger point at the AB NDP or federal Liberals for importing their own share of party hacks.

Next we'll see if any of these people, of any political stripe, is capable of improving circumstances where they landed.

 

[Brad Sallows]

Sometimes a headline can make you laugh.

Liberal fiscal plans less transparent than under Harper, Kevin Page says

 

[Altair]

Hey, good news!

http://poll.forumresearch.com/m/post/2460/trudeaus-popularity-stays-high

LPC 49

CPC 32

NDP 10

GRN 5

BQ 3



If the NDP doesn't chose a new leader they deserve to continue to tank as a federal party.

 

[PuckChaser]

If the NDP doesn't chose a new leader they deserve to continue to tank as a federal party.

They'll tank if they choose any of the leftists nutjobs that are clamouring for Muclair's head. Their only hope as a viable party is a Layton-esque centrist. Considering Trudeau has swan-dived out of the mushy middle, its ripe for the taking.

 

[Altair]

They'll tank if they choose any of the leftists nutjobs that are clamouring for Muclair's head. Their only hope as a viable party is a Layton-esque centrist. Considering Trudeau has swan-dived out of the mushy middle, its ripe for the taking.

They need a much better campaigner

 

[PuckChaser]

I see that partly as a party failing. They do not resonate outside Quebec or union strongholds. They burned the Quebec bridge by supporting the niqab despite strong dissent from their base. Had they chosen to side with Harper, we'd have a Tory minority government right now, Liberals would have swept Atlantic but been in gunfights for every Quebec seat.

 

[Altair]

I see that partly as a party failing. They do not resonate outside Quebec or union strongholds. They burned the Quebec bridge by supporting the niqab despite strong dissent from their base. Had they chosen to side with Harper, we'd have a Tory minority government right now, Liberals would have swept Atlantic but been in gunfights for every Quebec seat.

I don't know if you saw that guy live, but I went to his rally and the man is wooden as it comes.

He came to town and was talking about all the work he would do to help a specific sector of the economy...

Problem was, that sector was half a country away. Trudeau and harper came to town and spoke about local projects and local industries.  It takes what, a 30 minute brief on the plane/bus to get up to date on where you're talking? Couldn't even do that. I don't like Harper(surprise) but I give credit where credit is due, he can talk to a crowd. Trudeau can as well.

Mulcair is either boring, or in the case of the first debate, creepy. He's a creature of a bygone era, great in the HoC where 9 out of 10 Canadians will never see what he does outside of 15 second clips, and terrible on the campaign trail when 9 out of 10 Canadians tune in briefly to try to care about their goverment.

 

[a_majoor]

I don't know if you saw that guy live, but I went to his rally and the man is wooden as it comes.

He came to town and was talking about all the work he would do to help a specific sector of the economy...

Problem was, that sector was half a country away. Trudeau and harper came to town and spoke about local projects and local industries.  It takes what, a 30 minute brief on the plane/bus to get up to date on where you're talking? Couldn't even do that. I don't like Harper(surprise) but I give credit where credit is due, he can talk to a crowd. Trudeau can as well.

Mulcair is either boring, or in the case of the first debate, creepy. He's a creature of a bygone era, great in the HoC where 9 out of 10 Canadians will never see what he does outside of 15 second clips, and terrible on the campaign trail when 9 out of 10 Canadians tune in briefly to try to care about their goverment.

Kind of sad in a way. My personal observation of both Harper and the Young Dauphin are 1800 from the media portrayals (Harper is actually much warmer in person, while the Young Dauphin essentially telephoned in a speech then quickly left). Mulcair comes across in the Media as a pretty smart guy policy wise, and campaign ads really are much like looking at a Big Mac on television: carefully posed and lighted.

Still hope to find an opportunity to see Mr Mulcair in person, just to get that reality check.

 

[Kilo_302]

They'll tank if they choose any of the leftists nutjobs that are clamouring for Muclair's head. Their only hope as a viable party is a Layton-esque centrist. Considering Trudeau has swan-dived out of the mushy middle, its ripe for the taking.

Leftist nutjobs? Define please. You understand that many of their policies are in practice in places like Sweden, Norway, Denmark etc etc and are quite successful. Are you then by definition a right-wing nut job?

 

[Remius]

Leftist nutjobs? Define please. You understand that many of their policies are in practice in places like Sweden, Norway, Denmark etc etc and are quite successful. Are you then by definition a right-wing nut job?

You realise that he is talking about the leftist nutjobs that reside in the party and want Mulcair gone in order to push the party back to it's leftist roots.  Leap Manifesto types come to mind...

 

[Kilo_302]

You realise that he is talking about the leftist nutjobs that reside in the party and want Mulcair gone in order to push the party back to it's leftist roots.  Leap Manifesto types come to mind...

Right the content in the Leap Manifesto is left of the Liberal Party, which is solidly center, center right. I don't see any truly radical ideas in the Leap Manifesto (worker rule etc) that justifies a label of nutjobs. It's wholly capitalist in fact. The left-wing of the NDP is closer to a Roosevelt style "New Dealer", or Bernie Sanders. These are not "nutjob" ideas. If we're defining them as such, "austerity" could be called the same thing.

 

[Remius]

Right the content in the Leap Manifesto is left of the Liberal Party, which is solidly center, center right. I don't see any truly radical ideas in the Leap Manifesto (worker rule etc) that justifies a label of nutjobs. It's wholly capitalist in fact. The left-wing of the NDP is closer to a Roosevelt style "New Dealer", or Bernie Sanders. These are not "nutjob" ideas. If we're defining them as such, "austerity" could be called the same thing.

take a closer look.  They want to end all trade deals, end capitalism and essentially try to create some sort of Utopia with no plan on how to actually pay for it?  They want to end large scale farming in favour of organic locally grown stuff?  Tax coprorations and essentially gut the military? Upheave teh economy witha  greater emphasis on low carbon things like teaching, caregiving and public interest journalism?  Yeah, that will pay the bill...

A lot of that helped tank Mulcair despite him trying to avoid talk like that.

Right.  No nutjobs there...

 

[Cloud Cover]

It confirms them to be naïve and probably financially secure enough to be able to think like that to begin with. The rest of us have bills to pay, which means working at the jobs we have for as long as we can keep them.  I don't think they are nutjobs, I think they are selfish hypocrites but they deserve a political voice. As one person once said somewhere on these boards, the best way to deal with the left is to facilitate an extreme left takeover, for it will be both temporary and monumentally bloody.   

 

[Kilo_302]

It confirms them to be naïve and probably financially secure enough to be able to think like that to begin with. The rest of us have bills to pay, which means working at the jobs we have for as long as we can keep them.  I don't think they are nutjobs, I think they are selfish hypocrites but they deserve a political voice. As one person once said somewhere on these boards, the best way to deal with the left is to facilitate an extreme left takeover, for it will be both temporary and monumentally bloody. 

Right and a large part of the Leap Manifesto is keeping jobs in Canada, and improving the CPP so when you retire you don't have to work at Wal Mart. These people aren't selfish, they are suggesting we even the playing field for a majority of Canadians. To my mind, the definition of selfish is corporations and the wealthiest 1% refusing to pay their share and threatening to move capital and jobs overseas if they don't get their way.

If you want to compete with workers making a dollar a day in emerging markets, see jobs continue to move overseas and see a rise in precarious labour and retirement poverty, by all means, support the prevailing system. This is exactly where we're going. You to ask yourself about the reason things are getting harder, not easier. Who's doing well right now, and who is having a tougher time?

 

[Good2Golf]

Right the content in the Leap Manifesto is left of the Liberal Party, which is solidly center, center right.

Kilo, you're awesome!  You come up with some of the funniest stuff!  :rofl:

If you push the Liberals too far over to the right, you'll squeeze out the Cons and they'll squirt out around the back and pop up on the left and turn your Dippers into Canada's centrist party! ;D

You should do stand up in Vegas!

G2G

 

[ballz]

Right and a large part of the Leap Manifesto is keeping jobs in Canada, and improving the CPP so when you retire you don't have to work at Wal Mart. These people aren't selfish, they are suggesting we even the playing field for a majority of Canadians. To my mind, the definition of selfish is corporations and the wealthiest 1% refusing to pay their share and threatening to move capital and jobs overseas if they don't get their way.

What is "their share" exactly? The last I saw, higher income earners pay far more of a "share" than those not earning as much. They are paying their share and then some.

When you go a road trip with friends, do you figure out who makes the most money and demand that person pays more for the gas / hotel rooms?

see jobs continue to move overseas

I didn't realize that jobs were moving overseas because employers think they aren't paying enough money to the government for things like C.P.P. for their employees.