After years of Liberal and Conservative mismanagement

[windyman]

After nearly 30 years of having both Conservative (Clark, Mulroney, Campbell, Harper) and Liberal (Trudeau, Turner, Chretien, Martin) Prime Ministers, is it time for an NDP government to be elected in Canada? It's not like either the Liberals or the conservatives have anything better to offer other than partisan politics and hot air.

Do you think the NDP has a legitimate shot at winning power in Ottawa? They represent the views of the majority of Canadians (support for social programs, and social equality) yet they have never been elected.

I think that Layton has a shot at winning Ontario (Dion will have troubles in English Canada) and doing reasonably well in the west and the maritimes, Layton could win the next election with a majority.

[eyeball]

I only voted yes because I've had it with the lack of any meaningful difference between Liberals and Conservatives. That said, the very last thing I want to see happen under our first past the post system is an NDP majority. Sure as shit the NDP would come into contact with power and wealth and ...poof... like anyone else who comes in contact with these things they'd most certainly screw things up, piss everyone off and reduce my chance of ever seeing those values I share with the NDP get reflected in Canada's policies.

I'd rather scrap first past the post, move to proportional representation, put a lot more issues to referenda and...oh yeah, I'd love to wire the PMO's office with a camera and microphone, several of them in fact.

[Carinthia]

As much as I like Jack Leighton I would not vote for them on a federal level. I have to admit I would be tempted but from what I've seen here in BC everytime they've been in power, I am not convinced that they would stick to their mandate, whatever that is now.

Edited February 3, 2008 by Carinthia

[August1991]

Do you think the NDP has a legitimate shot at winning power in Ottawa?

No.

[jdobbin]

I think that Layton has a shot at winning Ontario (Dion will have troubles in English Canada) and doing reasonably well in the west and the maritimes, Layton could win the next election with a majority.

There has not been a single poll to indicate the type of breakthrough you are talking about.

The most current poll has the Liberals and Tories in a statistical tie. The NDP is usually third or lower. In some polls, the Greens are nipping at their heels.

[rbacon]

NDP/LIBERAL all the same. And it has been the Liberals who got us in this mess, they have been in power about 95 of the last 110 years.

[Borg]

Snip - Do you think the NDP has a legitimate shot at winning power in Ottawa? They represent the views of the majority of Canadians (support for social programs, and social equality) yet they have never been elected. - Snip

Despite my lack of love for the liberals and my B+ grade for the "other team" - I have to hope that those darned canuckleheaded voters have at least a pea sized brain and will keep the ndp'ers out of anything other than a token opposition.

Taliban Jack and his ilk?

Gimme a break.

Please dear God keep them in Hog Town (land of insanity, gangs and drugs) with their limp wristed whining friends and let folks with a realistic vision run the country.

Borg

[Topaz]

Perhaps the NDP should takes lesson from Harper and if you want the PMO then you should either join another party but make sure that the name "Alliance" isn't any way connected to you! If you notice though alot of the top ministers are former Alliance members and he picked the three rejects from Harris' Ontario gov't. If/when the Conservative are voted out I'm not sure it when be Harper leading them. So Jack has to do is join another party and change their name and you're in. The NDP do have good ideas and I do think all parties should have a chance to show what they can do. Voters would only give NDP a minority government like we did with Harper.

[Rue]

After nearly 30 years of having both Conservative (Clark, Mulroney, Campbell, Harper) and Liberal (Trudeau, Turner, Chretien, Martin) Prime Ministers, is it time for an NDP government to be elected in Canada? It's not like either the Liberals or the conservatives have anything better to offer other than partisan politics and hot air.

Do you think the NDP has a legitimate shot at winning power in Ottawa? They represent the views of the majority of Canadians (support for social programs, and social equality) yet they have never been elected.

I think that Layton has a shot at winning Ontario (Dion will have troubles in English Canada) and doing reasonably well in the west and the maritimes, Layton could win the next election with a majority.

Prime Minister Jack Layton. Deputy Prime Minister Olivia Chow. Oy.

Edited February 3, 2008 by Rue

[VIV3LAR3VOLUTION]

The problem lies not with political parties or governments, but with capitalism itself.

[rbacon]

In the case of Canada, the problem is the system itself. Harper the PM a man elected by only 41,000 registered voters speaks for 33,000,000 people like a monarch. He appoints our Head of State the GG. He appoints the Heads of State of all the Provinces. He appoints 50% of the government the Senate. He appoints all judges all accross Canada. He appoints the Privy Council. He appoints the heads of hundreds of Crown Corps. Canada has a severe lack of Democracy and accountability. The title PM is not mentioned once in the Constitution.

[Muddy]

If Layton and his band of semi commies ever got power the average Canadian would be equall with most of the population. Equally poor!

[MontyBurns]

This poll was meant to be a joke right? Does anybody really want a Bob Rae type government running the country?

[capricorn]

Does anybody really want a Bob Rae type government running the country?

Considering that Bob Rae is the primary architect of the Liberals' new Red Book (yet to be released I should add), that's exactly what we'll get if the Liberals win the next election. To top it off, Rae is a serious contender as the next Liberal leader.

[Topaz]

Considering that Bob Rae is the primary architect of the Liberals' new Red Book (yet to be released I should add), that's exactly what we'll get if the Liberals win the next election. To top it off, Rae is a serious contender as the next Liberal leader.

So what is your point?

[capricorn]

So what is your point?

Huh?

[HistoryBuff44]

The problem lies not with political parties or governments, but with capitalism itself.

A statement like this should really be accompanied by some sort of argument, should it not?

[MontyBurns]

Considering that Bob Rae is the primary architect of the Liberals' new Red Book (yet to be released I should add), that's exactly what we'll get if the Liberals win the next election. To top it off, Rae is a serious contender as the next Liberal leader.

Dear God. If Bob Rae is running for the Liberals then that is sufficient reason to never vote Liberal ever again. Hasn't this leftist clown done enough damage already?

[Slim MacSquinty]

Have you read Bob Rae's latest book? It's nothing short of hillarious, I'll spoil the ending, he converts to capitalism! It seems after living most of his life on various government sponsored annuities, he finds himself the Premier of Ontario where for the first time in his life he discovers that you have to balance a budget! That brilliant discovery in his mid forties leads to the conversion.

If you seriously think the NDP are capable of running the federal government you should go over to the Rabble forum and see what a bunch of scary, self righteous nutbars have to say, Orwell was an optimist!

[eyeball]

(VIV3LAR3VOLUTION @ Feb 3 2008, 03:59 PM)

The problem lies not with political parties or governments, but with capitalism itself.

A statement like this should really be accompanied by some sort of argument, should it not?

I think one of the biggest problems capitalism has is how it balances the growth of our economy against the draw-down of the Earth's natural capital - the natural resources and sink resources (the ability of Earth's ecosystems to absorb our wastes) that underwrite our economic well being. The point is capitalists act as if there is only one side to this equation because mainstream economists take the view that the world is just an externality. To them there is no equation.

You can have a natural ecosystem without a human economy but not the other way around. To believe otherwise is like taking it on faith that the hereafter is more relevant than the here and now. People do that all the time too I notice.

Edited February 18, 2008 by eyeball

[Jerry J. Fortin]

There is no substitute for freedom. Capitalism for all its faults represents freedom in terms of economies. There is simply no better system of managing an economy than the free market system

That is not to say that there is nothing that can be done to improve the current system of things. The pursuit of profit should not be allowed to adversely impact society. When such a thing is confirmed to exist it should be dealt with immediately. We already have in place much legislation to protect ourselves from such things, but perhaps there is more that can be done.

From my little soap box I would suggest that a very serious debate be engaged in the public eye as to the differences of legal and natural citizens. My view is that natural citizens have rights and that legal citizens are accorded privileges by law. I see this as the essence of our current problems. It is from this basis that corporate governance is allowed to exist and that as such it is a threat to our democracy.

[DrGreenthumb]

There is no substitute for freedom. Capitalism for all its faults represents freedom in terms of economies. There is simply no better system of managing an economy than the free market system

That is not to say that there is nothing that can be done to improve the current system of things. The pursuit of profit should not be allowed to adversely impact society. When such a thing is confirmed to exist it should be dealt with immediately. We already have in place much legislation to protect ourselves from such things, but perhaps there is more that can be done.

From my little soap box I would suggest that a very serious debate be engaged in the public eye as to the differences of legal and natural citizens. My view is that natural citizens have rights and that legal citizens are accorded privileges by law. I see this as the essence of our current problems. It is from this basis that corporate governance is allowed to exist and that as such it is a threat to our democracy.

I am all for the free market, maybe somebody should tell Harper and his bunch that his prohibition laws will never overule the laws of supply and demand, at least not in a FREE society. How can conservatives yap about small government and capitalism and support a drug war approach that attacks the civil liberties of the citizens?

[rover1]

I think that the NDP could have done better for its own members than it has done under Jack Layton. Had it done so, it might have picked up a few more votes from others.

The idea that the NDP somehow represents the views of the majority of Canadians is absurd, although I agree that many of its members seem to think so. The NDP used to regularly claim some kind of moral superiority over the others. My observation is that they have not been morally superior to other parties, but probably no worse.

It seems unlikely that the NDP will ever have the opportunity to come to power nationally.

Edited February 19, 2008 by rover1

[Oleg Bach]

I think that the NDP could have done better for its own members than it has done under Jack Layton. Had it done so, it might have picked up a few more votes from others.

The idea that the NDP somehow represents the views of the majority of Canadians is absurd, although I agree that many of its members seem to think so. The NDP used to regularly claim some kind of moral superiority over the others. My observation is that they have not been morally superior to other parties, but probably no worse.

It seems unlikely that the NDP will ever have the opportunity to come to power nationally.

What is the NDP? Are they some sort of spritually driven benevolence society? Are they savers of the world through socialism because they deeply love humanity? No - they are simply the core of what we used to call the blue collar set. What is the dream of the NDP? Is it a Christ like spiritual non-material dream of achieving heavenly socialism and establishing a utopia? NO! The asperations of the NDP is to be arch conservatives - to be rich..to live in Forest Hill or Rosedale if they could.

The other asperation is to be a liberal social engineer and toy and experiment with society..to have power! The NDP are materialist plain and simple..there is nothing noble about them. They are just the bottom guys on the food chain who like all animals wanting to survive better ---yearn to be on the top...as far as Jack Laytons vision is concerened..he is a man that is not full aware of how systems work..the fact that he condones ones of his family members as a military man that serves in Afghanistan shows that Jack is foolish.

[Crimson Phantom]

I don't think that the NDP have a shot at forming a government. And I pray to God that I'm right.

Red Jack and his hippie, socialist, pot-smoking buddies would probably "expropriate" all foreign companies "for the proles", and let all Al Qaida "freedom fighters" out of jail to "liberate us" with packs of C4.