Election 2015

[Kirkhill]

For those who wonder why defence and foreign policy are not campaign issues, Jeffrey Simpson says, in this article, which is reproduced under the Fair Dealing provisions of the Copyright Act from the Globe and Mail  that it's because we, Canadians, are a smug, self satisfied, inward looking bunch of freeloaders, and we like it that way, and, therefore, we're not about to discuss the policies that give us our unearned sense of moral superiority:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/globe-politics-insider/were-a-country-comforted-by-untruths/article26504246/
I don't often agree with Mr Simpson, just as a stopped clock is right twice a day, so he, too, must be right from time to time ... this is one of those times.

Ici aussi, deux fois.

 

[Kirkhill]

I'm of two minds: First, I don't like minority government because good public policy must, always, be compromised for the sake of power brokering; and, Second, the CPC is old, tired, and out of ideas and it needs (deserves) a "time out" to rethink it's policies and leadership, but I wouldn't trust either M Mulcair or M Trudeau with a majority.

When we talk "ideas" are we talking "visions"?  I voted Tory because they weren't selling "visions" they were selling "governance" and promising to be boring.....  And boring they are.

The other reason I voted Tory was I detested the concept of a "Natural Governing Party" and Justin Trudeau is ample evidence that it, and the underlying assumptions (Jeffrey Simpson and Lawrence Martin - avatars) are not dead yet.

With respect to defence and aid - if Jeffrey wants to start punting for a defence budget of 1.8% of GDP and a foreign aid budget of 0.7% - together with a decision on a fighter replacement and Big Honking Ships to transport troops, tanks, aid workers and refugees - then I would consider paying for his articles.

As for health and education?  Nothing preventing the provinces and cities from going to their own taxpayers and hiking taxes locally.

The Tories are tired, they are boring and they are as venial as any other mob - but they have not completed my primary task - the "reset" of the Liberals and all those that support them. Not the people that support them because of their policies but those that support them because of their Gravy Train.

 

[Kirkhill]

The Globe and Mail reports on a new Léger poll under the headline: "NDP losing momentum in Quebec in new Léger poll."

The Globe and Mail says the latest Quebec number are:

BQ:  20% ⇧ 2%
CPC: 18% ⇧ 5%
LPC:  22% ⇧ 2%
NDP: 38% ⇩ 8%

Remember, there are 25 days to go ...

Three long times and an event?

 

[Kirkhill]

So where's the caterwauling now that the NDP has hired a TFW?

The Americanization of the NDP.

 

[Pencil Tech]

I want to see a conservative minority government just to see how the legislative session plays out.
With regard to party finances do you not think the first thing a Liberal-New Democrat government (no matter how short lived) would do is reinstate the vote subsidy

They should reinstate the voter subsidy.

 

[Edward Campbell]

I'm putting this here, rather than in the Ontario election thread, because Justin Trudeau has, often, appeared to be joined at the hip with Premier Kathleen Wynne.

Now, the Toronto Star reports that scandal has washed over Premier Wynne and her party.

The article says, in part:

  "Huddled around their leader in the east lobby of the Ontario legislature, Liberal MPPs saw something they had never seen before in the normally unflappable Premier Kathleen Wynne.

    Fear.

    It was moments after a searing question period and Wynne was still absorbing the jarring news that Pat Sorbara, her deputy chief of staff and campaign guru, ‎had been accused by Elections Ontario of the “apparent contravention”
    of bribery laws related to the Sudbury byelection."

And:

    "Wynne appeared to some witnesses — including a Star reporter glancing through a doorway — to be rattled as she implored her colleagues‎ to circle the wagons around Sorbara and Sudbury Liberal organizer Gerry Lougheed.
 
    Both operatives are being in investigated by Ontario Provincial Police for allegedly offering a job to former Liberal candidate Andrew Olivier in exchange for him clearing the way for then-NDP MP Glenn Thibeault to defect to the Grits."

Will this stain, this renewed stench of Liberal corruption, tarnish M Trudeau's image?

 

[The Bread Guy]

Reporter/analyst David Akin is both decent & charitable in sharing the facts of this case, where an NDP candidate in the Hamilton area (who also happens to be the vice-chair of the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board, with a Masters degree - in social work, admittedly) told a reporter that she didn't know what Auschwitz was until when she had to apologize for a tasteless social media posting.

Really?  Really?  Are my expectations tooooooooooo high here?  :facepalm:  As David said in his piece:

Can a party fire one of its candidates for unbelievable, jaw-dropping ignorance?

Well, if political parties started doing that, we probably wouldn’t have many candidates on our ballots ....

 

[Edward Campbell]

Reporter/analyst David Akin is both decent & charitable in sharing the facts of this case, where an NDP candidate in the Hamilton area (who also happens to be the vice-chair of the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board, with a Masters degree - in social work, admittedly) told a reporter that she didn't know what Auschwitz was until when she had to apologize for a tasteless social media posting.

Really?  Really?  Are my expectations tooooooooooo high here?  :facepalm:  As David said in his piece:

More, here, including this bit:

    "Prior to earning a master of social work degree from McMaster University — where her thesis dealt with race, class, and gender dynamics — Johnstone spent two years studying social justice and peace studies at Western University's Kings College.

    According to the King's website, that program "encourages critical reflection on oppression and injustice, locally and globally.""


How in the name of all that's holy can anyone have a Master's degree in anything from a repultable university and not know what Auschwitz means? How can Western/King's have passed anyone in anything related to social justice and skipped over the Holocaust? In my opinion the problem isn't that Ms Johnstone is stupid, I'm sure she isn't; the problem is that she spent years and years in post secondary education and no one taught her anything ...

Maybe what's needed is a deep academic review of the academic standards at McMaster and Western, maybe they shouldn't be allowed to award degrees until we are sure they have qualified faculty doing real teaching about real subjects ...

 

[MARS]

I'm putting this here, rather than in the Ontario election thread, because Justin Trudeau has, often, appeared to be joined at the hip with Premier Kathleen Wynne.

Now, the Toronto Star reports that scandal has washed over Premier Wynne and her party.


 


Will this stain, this renewed stench of Liberal corruption, tarnish M Trudeau's image?

No, it won't.  Why would it?  i don't think it is any more serious or will taint the LPC anymore than Robocalls have tainted the CPC or the satellite offices ended by taxpayer dollars have tainted the NDP. Which is to say very little, if at all, in the long run.  None of these stories have the legs given how long a week is in politics.

 

[George Wallace]

Come on now.  The NDP faux pas' are getting really bad in the Hamilton area.  Thomas Mulcair addressed Alex Johnstone as "a wonderful man". 

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/news/ndp-candidate-not-upset-tom-mulcair-called-her-a-wonderful-man-1.3162730

 

[dapaterson]

Come on now.  The NDP faux pas' are getting really bad in the Hamilton area.  Thomas Mulcair addressed Alex Johnstone as "a wonderful man". 

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/news/ndp-candidate-not-upset-tom-mulcair-called-her-a-wonderful-man-1.3162730

[Life of Brian]

Don't you oppress me!

[/Life of Brian]

 

[The Bread Guy]

Come on now.  The NDP faux pas' are getting really bad in the Hamilton area.  Thomas Mulcair addressed Alex Johnstone as "a wonderful man". 

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/news/ndp-candidate-not-upset-tom-mulcair-called-her-a-wonderful-man-1.3162730

:rofl:

We couldn't make this s**t up, could we?

How in the name of all that's holy can anyone have a Master's degree in anything from a repultable university and not know what Auschwitz means?

Exactly!  Makes me feel kind of proud of only having a BA (also in the social sciences) and knowing about Auschwitz  ;D

 

[Edward Campbell]

And here is an updated Predictionator from David Akin:

The race is getting closer ...

And it looks, in the latest Predictionator from Sun Media's David Akin, as if things have changed in the last week or so:

 

[Underway]

I have a B.Sc. and still know what Auschwitz is.  But I would be willing to bet that most people you stop on the street in Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundas wouldn't know what Auschwitz was.  And that's a relatively a high income area with many supposedly educated people.  Its gonna be a non-issue.

 

[Underway]

I don't understand what has changed with this predictonator.  The polls are essentially still tied at approx 30% each.  Is the conservative vote really that efficient??

 

[suffolkowner]

I don't know, I think familiarity with Auschwitz should come with a high school education, never mind university. I am a big proponent that we need to return to a more turn of the century natural philosophy tradition.

Looking good for conservative minority. Doesn't look like any scandal will touch any party. Everyone's just used to it, I guess

 

[dimsum]

I don't know, I think familiarity with Auschwitz should come with a high school education, never mind university.

Totally agree.  I'm sure WWII is covered in high school history, and concentration camps are covered as part of WWII unless the the teacher is a Holocaust denier, in which case there are bigger issues.

 

[Edward Campbell]

I don't understand what has changed with this predictonator.  The polls are essentially still tied at approx 30% each.  Is the conservative vote really that efficient??

David Akin explains his Predictionator methodology here.

 

[Edward Campbell]

A pretty good NDP ad attacking Justin Trudeau.

 

[Edward Campbell]

According to the the national media commentariat M Mulcair "won" the debate, but no one, except, perhaps Ms May, turned in less that fully acceptable performances, and there were no "knock out" blows. Let's wait and see if it provokes any movements in the public polls ...


Ooops ... two small boo-boos, fixed them quickly  :-[

Further edited to add:

Further reading of the pundits suggests that:

    1. All of Prime Minister Harper, M Mulcair and M Duceppe turned in good, solid performances; but

    2. Since M Mulcair was seen as being the one with "the most to lose" he is, also, counted as the winner because he fended off attacks from all sides.

On a purely personal level: I'm sure that M Trudeau is a very nice young man and not, at all, in any way, less than bright, but ... he doesn't seem to belong in the same room as Prime Minister Harper and Messers Duceppe and Mulcair. He, and Elizabeth May, just seem, to me, to be a bit "out of their league."