Elizabeth May's mixed messages

capricorn · October 11, 2008

Green Party Leader Elizabath May is confusing her own candidates with talk of supporting Stephane Dion for prime minister, says the Green candidate for Simcoe North.
Valerie Powell is equally incensed at the Liberals, who she says are engaging in “old political tricks” by trying to appeal for Green voters at the last minute.

May is “making it definitely confusing, and a lot of a Green candidates are really upset,” Powell said at the Orillia Farmers Market today, where Dion showed up at a rally to back the local Grit candidates. “It’s confusing for us as candidates.

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Powell said May had approached NDP Leader Jack Layton before the campaign to try to develop a strategy for defeating Harper, but Layton wouldn’t agree, and Dion agreed on a partnership only for the riding of Central Nova, where May is running. Because of their refusal to co-operate earlier, Powell said, the big parties should not be trying to woo the Green vote now.

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While Dion pitched to the market crowd for votes from other left wing parties — and even from Conservative supporters — Powell and her supporters held up Green signs in the background. The Orillia Farmers Market, she said, “is a bastion of green support.”

http://calsun.canoe.ca/canadavotes/news/20...11/7054611.html

IMO Elizabeth May has failed as leader of the Green Party and lacks integrity. How far will she go in negotiating away the hard work done by Green supporters and candidates? For one thing there's a rumour she will ask her supporters to vote Liberal on October 14.

If by some miracle she was elected in Central Nova, she would enter the House of Commons, not as Green Party leader, but as an adjunct of the Liberal Party.

Oleg Bach · October 11, 2008

I percieve May as the doinky bucky girl in grade nine that could not get a boyfriend so opted to be head of the science club...what does she have to offer ? GREENS are not a Canadian party - they are internationnalists - do we need a nerd traitor wanna be globalist running our buisness?

PoliticalCitizen · October 11, 2008

http://calsun.canoe.ca/canadavotes/news/20...11/7054611.html
IMO Elizabeth May has failed as leader of the Green Party and lacks integrity. How far will she go in negotiating away the hard work done by Green supporters and candidates? For one thing there's a rumour she will ask her supporters to vote Liberal on October 14.

If by some miracle she was elected in Central Nova, she would enter the House of Commons, not as Green Party leader, but as an adjunct of the Liberal Party.

Steven Harper has failed as a leader of Conservative Party and lacks integrity.

He called an election he promised NOT TO CALL in hopes of getting a majority.

I hope the combined efforts of the other parties hand him a LESSER MINORITY at best.

I approve of all possible motions by Greens / NDP to join Liberals as long as the Conservatives get a seat less.

betsy · October 12, 2008

http://calsun.canoe.ca/canadavotes/news/20...11/7054611.html
IMO Elizabeth May has failed as leader of the Green Party and lacks integrity. How far will she go in negotiating away the hard work done by Green supporters and candidates? For one thing there's a rumour she will ask her supporters to vote Liberal on October 14.

If by some miracle she was elected in Central Nova, she would enter the House of Commons, not as Green Party leader, but as an adjunct of the Liberal Party.

Indeed. It does look like she only used the Green Party for her own interest. There are rumours that she'll be given a position by Dion if she doesn't win Central Nova.

I feel sorry for the true Green supporters held hostage by their own supposed leader.

Jobu · October 12, 2008

Latest polls have McKy up by nearly 20 points in Central Nova. Thankfully, she's not going to the HoC.

capricorn · October 12, 2008

By the looks of it, neither will Dion be in a position to offer May a plum government position. I wonder what the Green Party will do about her after they fail to elect a single MP.

PoliticalCitizen · October 12, 2008

By the looks of it, neither will Dion be in a position to offer May a plum government position. I wonder what the Green Party will do about her after they fail to elect a single MP.

I don't think she's going anywhere. Jim Harris was the Green leader before and he also didn't get elected.

But at least she wasn't parachuted into a green-leaning riding (if such exist).

PoliticalCitizen · October 12, 2008

Latest polls have McKy up by nearly 20 points in Central Nova. Thankfully, she's not going to the HoC.

I've heard from people living there that he actually doesn't give a goddamm about his constituency.

PoliticalCitizen · October 12, 2008

Indeed. It does look like she only used the Green Party for her own interest. There are rumours that she'll be given a position by Dion if she doesn't win Central Nova.
I feel sorry for the true Green supporters held hostage by their own supposed leader.

I feel sory for our electoral system that doesn't allow us to get the representation we deserve.

capricorn · October 12, 2008

Latest polls have McKy up by nearly 20 points in Central Nova. Thankfully, she's not going to the HoC.

I read on a blog she's running third in the polls.

nothinarian · October 12, 2008

I read on a blog she's running third in the polls.

Not a hope in Hades but her support will traditionally move nationally to the Libs so expect a bounce for Dion that should be offset by RW libs going to Harper

Rovik · October 12, 2008

Not a hope in Hades but her support will traditionally move nationally to the Libs so expect a bounce for Dion that should be offset by RW libs going to Harper

I disagree. Green support will move to all parties..(even a small faction of Greens will vote for the Conseravatives.) In fact, there will Green voters who will feel betrayed by May's informal alliance with the Liberals...and if they decide not to vote for the Greens, they will neither vote for the Liberals on principle.

Edited October 12, 2008 by Rovik

Moonbox · October 12, 2008

Elizabeth May has effectively killed the Green Party. Her party members are furious with her and Green supporters will never feel it's worth it again to throw their vote away at a party that's just going to give up and encourage voters to vote for another party.

What the heck was the point? We all knew Green's wouldn't win the election.

noahbody · October 12, 2008

She would be giving up $1.75 per vote unless she was reimbursed using envelopes.

tango · October 12, 2008

The party system is no longer democratic nor useful, imo. I am glad to see some people who are willing to work across party lines for the good of the country. It's only politicos who see a problem with this, but they don't understand Canadians anyway and they don't know how little we care about 'the party'.

Edited October 12, 2008 by tango

Moonbox · October 12, 2008

The party system is no longer democratic nor useful, imo. I am glad to see some people who are willing to work across party lines for the good of the country. It's only politicos who see a problem with this, but they don't understand Canadians anyway and they don't know how little we care about 'the party'.

I'm not really angry about this. I couldn't care less really. You can't deny that the Green Party is probably done after this though. At least the NDP has an independent platform and takes shots at everyone. It truly is a real political party. The Green Party under May, however, has so completely aligned herself with another party that it can hardly even be looked upon as such anymore. By basically agreeing with everything the Liberals have said, May has reversed ANY accomplishments she made by getting in the Leadership debate and put the party enormously backwards on top of this.

I doubt it will even continue to exist.

Edited October 12, 2008 by Moonbox

Bryan · October 12, 2008

I'm not really angry about this. I couldn't care less really. You can't deny that the Green Party is probably done after this though. At least the NDP has an independent platform and takes shots at everyone. It truly is a real political party. The Green Party under May, however, has so completely aligned herself with another party that it can hardly even be looked upon as such anymore. By basically agreeing with everything the Liberals have said, May has reversed ANY accomplishments she made by getting in the Leadership debate and put the party enormously backwards on top of this.
I doubt it will even continue to exist.

It will exist, but either as a low rent protest vote like some of the REALLY fringe parties (like marxist-leninist, libertarian, etc), or it will just become a think-tank/lobby group (like Frontier Centre, Cdn taxpayers Federation, etc).

Moonbox · October 12, 2008

Yep, pretty much. I think I called it a month ago when I said Elizabeth May was going to totally bork the party.

Jobu · October 12, 2008

Defence Minister Peter MacKay is far ahead of Green Party leader Elizabeth May in the riding of Central Nova, according to a Metro Halifax/CTV poll.

“At this point, just a few days from the election, it certainly looks positive for Peter MacKay,” said Craig Wight, vice-president of research for Bristol Omnifacts Research, which conducted the poll.

MacKay has 39 per cent support. The battle for second place is tight, with May at 22 per cent and NDP candidate Louise Lorefice just behind at 19.

http://www.metronews.ca/halifax/canada/article/123563

kengs333 · October 12, 2008

Elizabeth May has effectively killed the Green Party. Her party members are furious with her and Green supporters will never feel it's worth it again to throw their vote away at a party that's just going to give up and encourage voters to vote for another party.
What the heck was the point? We all knew Green's wouldn't win the election.

I'd like to know where you get your information. Got a lot of connections in the Green Party, do you?

I don't know how she's "killed" the party considering she finally got it included in the leadership debate and that it is polling higher than it ever has. Even if the Greens only get half of what they're polling, they will still get about 150,000 more votes than last time.

kengs333 · October 12, 2008

Defence Minister Peter MacKay is far ahead of Green Party leader Elizabeth May in the riding of Central Nova, according to a Metro Halifax/CTV poll.
“At this point, just a few days from the election, it certainly looks positive for Peter MacKay,” said Craig Wight, vice-president of research for Bristol Omnifacts Research, which conducted the poll.

MacKay has 39 per cent support. The battle for second place is tight, with May at 22 per cent and NDP candidate Louise Lorefice just behind at 19.

http://www.metronews.ca/halifax/canada/article/123563

So all it takes is 9% points from the Liberals and NDP each to shift on election day...

kengs333 · October 12, 2008

I'm not really angry about this. I couldn't care less really. You can't deny that the Green Party is probably done after this though. At least the NDP has an independent platform and takes shots at everyone. It truly is a real political party. The Green Party under May, however, has so completely aligned herself with another party that it can hardly even be looked upon as such anymore. By basically agreeing with everything the Liberals have said, May has reversed ANY accomplishments she made by getting in the Leadership debate and put the party enormously backwards on top of this.
I doubt it will even continue to exist.

So both the NDP and Liberals borrow heavily from the Greens's platform, and that leads you to believe that the Greens cannot be looked upon as a "real political party... anymore"?!?!?!

The fact that you are so adament and desperate to trash the Greens suggests that you're threatened by its existence and it becoming a significant player in Canadian politics.

PoliticalCitizen · October 12, 2008

I'm not really angry about this. I couldn't care less really. You can't deny that the Green Party is probably done after this though. At least the NDP has an independent platform and takes shots at everyone. It truly is a real political party. The Green Party under May, however, has so completely aligned herself with another party that it can hardly even be looked upon as such anymore. By basically agreeing with everything the Liberals have said, May has reversed ANY accomplishments she made by getting in the Leadership debate and put the party enormously backwards on top of this.
I doubt it will even continue to exist.

You'll see the Conservative party GONE before the Greens

PoliticalCitizen · October 12, 2008

It will exist, but either as a low rent protest vote like some of the REALLY fringe parties (like marxist-leninist, libertarian, etc), or it will just become a think-tank/lobby group (like Frontier Centre, Cdn taxpayers Federation, etc).

We'll talk about that before the next election, by which time the Green support may double again