As Layton told the media: he’s not supporting a government, he’s supporting a budget. If they change the budget to make it acceptable to the NDP why the hell shouldn’t they vote for it?
Just because the Conservatives think they have a good shot in the next election don’t expect all the other parties to speed up the process. The Reform party never learns it seems. Rush, rush, rush.
Excuse me, “Quebec is the least corrupt”? This whole scandal is about corrupt Liberal Party hacks from Quebec misappropriating taxpayer funds to make bogus payments to advertising agencies in Quebec, headed by Quebeckers, who then kicked back funds to the Liberal Party in Quebec. By what logic can you claim that this doesn’t show that the whole political system in Quebec is corrupt through and through?
The whole political system in Quebec? Step back a second, because while that used to be the case, back in the days when votes were bought on the provincial and municipal level with a $20 bill and a note wrapped around a bottle of booze, that is not what is happening here.
This adscam involves Chretien and members of his party, using their friends in the advertising/lobbying business to funnel money back into the federal Liberal party.
Or are you saying that since King Ralph roughed up a couple of homeless guys a few years back the entire province of Alberta systematically abuses the indigent?
Exactly.
If you look at the reaction of the province itself, I’d dare say that it is the Quebecois who are the most outraged about this scandal.
This knee jerk anti Quebec reaction most Canadians have is exactly what the Liberals are hoping for.
See? It wasn’t us it was those “other” people those evil Quebec Liberals. and In Quebec they seperate it further to It was those “other” people those evil Monteal Liberals. I’m sure in Montreal they have it divided by ridings and even streets.
I’m also sick of the phoney “other” people the Liberals always conjure up to make themselves look like the national champions against evil.
From the Mouth of our illustrious PM
“I’m Mad as hell that “some” people did this.”
“There are some people who didn’t want me to open an inquiry.”
“There are those people out there who don’t want a balanced budget”
Etc etc.
Ha!
That’s a larf, right there, Sam. I’m not terrified of the Conservatives because the big bad Liberals have “demonized” them. I’m terrified of the Conservatives because of they way they represent themselves.
If we could step into the wayback machine and posit the PC party of the 90s as an alternative to the current Liberals, I would actually consider a punitive vote for them. Not with the Alliance/Reform ideologues in their ranks, though.
This probably isn’t the place to debate the relative merits of the parties in a broad sense, though.
As for the quid pro quo that is the subject of the thread, I’m perfectly satisfied. I think it’s fucking ludicrous that Martin keeps saying that the compromise reflects Liberal “priorities” that he had intended to “implement in the future”, though. What abuse of language. “Of course housing, education, pension protection, health care, and foreign aid are Liberal priorities. It’s just that when it comes down to actually doing things, we’d give you corporate tax cuts unless we’re basically forced to.”
Uh… okay. You really think that voters are doughnut-eating morons, don’t you, Paul?
Yes, yes he does.
Hmmmm … Donuts …
No I’m saying that if the Tories, Grits and NDP parties systemically used their government position as a means to directly and criminally enrich themselves I would vote Green.
You’ve offering up criminal activity at an individual level, while I see the current scandal as criminal activity at a party level.
In my view it is more dangerous for a parliamentary system to accept institutional corruption than to allow for differing ideologies access to the levers of power.