Election Prospects

[M.Dancer]

Sounds like another brilliant Harper strategy. Run against something that no longer exists.

Sorry what doesn't exist?

Mr. Ignatieff said earlier that he was open to supporting the government if the budget is acceptable, potentially scuttling the plans of a Liberal-NDP coalition to take the reins of power. But he adopted a substantially more forceful tone than his predecessor, Stéphane Dion, maintaining that the coalition option is still viable while also criticizing the Prime Minister for raising national tensions in a fall economic statement that, among other things, proposed to remove voter subsidies from political parties.

“I am prepared to vote non-confidence in this government. And I am prepared to enter into a coalition government with our partners if that is what the Governor-General asks me to do,” Mr. Ignatieff said.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/sto...1/BNStory/Front

Edited December 11, 2008 by M.Dancer

[August1991]

Harper will either write a budget in consultation with Iggy, or he will lose his job. Iggy will hold the coalition card over Harpers head until Iggy decides to force the election. Harper is too dumb to realize that he has given the Liberals a weapon to use against himself. Dion he could beat, Iggy he won't.

Harper is not dumb and I think it will rather be Harper holding the coalition card over Ignatieff's head.

I can understand why Ignatieff wants to delay an election until later in 2009 but my first instinct was to say that Harper wants that too. Now, I'm not so sure.

By the end of January, things will have calmed down, we'll be in the middle of winter, after the holidays and we'll have a better idea of the economic situation. It's to Harper's advantage to run against Ignatieff as Leader of the NDP-Liberal coalition. So, Harper may aim for a defeat in the House. This strategy carries the risk that the GG asks Ignatieff to form a government after a motion of non-confidence. If the GG refuses Harper's request for an election in March 2009 (only six months after October 2008), then we'd have a constitutional crisis.

I think Harper will present a reasonable Throne Speech and budget in January 2009 but it will contain a few items definitely unpalatable to the NDP and Bloc and a few items difficult for the Liberals. Then, we will all see what unfolds.

Like it or not, this is the nature of politics.

[Jerry J. Fortin]

I will suggest that the Throne Speech will be found acceptable, but the budget will not.

[jdobbin]

I can understand why Ignatieff wants to delay an election until later in 2009 but my first instinct was to say that Harper wants that too. Now, I'm not so sure.

Hallelujah. You've seen the light.

I kept saying this no vote by the Opposition to the economic statement was in large part due to the fact the Opposition believes Harper was going to call an election before May anyway. His first step was to cripple them financially, then put off any real work on stimulus so that they wouldn't be hurt by what choices they made or how much it cost and then, they were going to pull the plug and run against Dion before the Liberals had a new leader.

Now, Harper will try and pull the plug again in the new year and run against the coalition even if it isn't around.

[blueblood]

Hallelujah. You've seen the light.

I kept saying this no vote by the Opposition to the economic statement was in large part due to the fact the Opposition believes Harper was going to call an election before May anyway. His first step was to cripple them financially, then put off any real work on stimulus so that they wouldn't be hurt by what choices they made or how much it cost and then, they were going to pull the plug and run against Dion before the Liberals had a new leader.

Now, Harper will try and pull the plug again in the new year and run against the coalition even if it isn't around.

That's three of us now...