Layton meeting Harper

[punked]

I hear Layton is meeting Harper today. Maybe he can get some progressive policies Iggy couldn't to keep the government alive. Do you think he asked for the concessions Iggy couldn't get on EI? Do you think he asks Harper to roll back his assault on womens right Iggy passed no questions asked? Here is hoping a leader who can lead starts to push Harper in the right direction.

[M.Dancer]

Harper must have the patience of Job...either that or he want to learn how to use Outlook.

[Moonbox]

My guess is Harper is meeting Layton to make it appear he is trying to make the government 'work'. i doubt anything will be worked out between the two, strictly on idealogical grounds.

[fellowtraveller]

Last election Jack ran for Prime Minsiter and came up a few seats short.

Maybe he is taking Stve for lunch in hope of getting a few tips.

[punked]

Last election Jack ran for Prime Minsiter and came up a few seats short.

Maybe he is taking Stve for lunch in hope of getting a few tips.

Well a few hours he must be a fast study becuase I think Iggy had a meeting with him all summer if I remember their deal correctly.

[madmax]

Well a few hours he must be a fast study becuase I think Iggy had a meeting with him all summer if I remember their deal correctly.

Here is the meeting of the blue ribbon on you tube.

Opps.... that was Pabst Blue Ribbon.

[Jerry J. Fortin]

Somehow I doubt that Jack and Steve are planning the demise of Iggy or the Bloc.

[waldo]

Here is hoping a leader who can lead starts to push Harper in the right direction.

apparently... Jack couldn't get er done!

"The NDP would be the least likely of the political parties to support the Conservatives in office because we have very fundamental differences with the direction they're taking the country," he said.

"As of today's meeting I can't say that I feel any optimism that they're going to change direction."

... but... "it was a lively debate" - fer sure!

hey punked - nice to read Soudas raising notice of the "ominous" coalition. Ya still in?

[madmax]

hey punked - nice to read Soudas raising notice of the "ominous" coalition. Ya still in?

The Pictures funny. It must be difficult for Liberals to be voting with the depised Conservatives and to do so for 3 years and heading towards 100 consecutive confidence votes.

It is the LPC propping up the CPC and silly pictures don't change that fact.

It is Ignatieff and the Liberals who choose to support Harper, and not to work with the NDP or get the BQ off everyones back for 18 months.

Edited August 26, 2009 by madmax

[Topaz]

Well it looks like Harper lost any support from the NDP, if he had any, Jack ready to go for an election over EI. There's over 800,000 on EI and I would think they will support the change needed. http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/686514

[Mr.Canada]

I hear Layton is meeting Harper today. Maybe he can get some progressive policies Iggy couldn't to keep the government alive. Do you think he asked for the concessions Iggy couldn't get on EI? Do you think he asks Harper to roll back his assault on womens right Iggy passed no questions asked? Here is hoping a leader who can lead starts to push Harper in the right direction.

Wow, just a few short months ago Ignotieff was akin to the second coming, what happened?

I thought he was going to wipe out Harper the instant he was parachuted into power of the Liberal Party...

We tried to tell you guys but you wouldn't listen...silly Liberals

[bush_cheney2004]

Wow, just a few short months ago Ignotieff was akin to the second coming, what happened?

I thought he was going to wipe out Harper the instant he was parachuted into power of the Liberal Party...

We tried to tell you guys but you wouldn't listen...silly Liberals

Maybe the Obama wannabe has suffered the fate of his namesake and Harvard chum. That's what happens when many things are defined in American terms.....tsk...tsk...tsk.

[jdobbin]

It is the LPC propping up the CPC and silly pictures don't change that fact.

It is Ignatieff and the Liberals who choose to support Harper, and not to work with the NDP or get the BQ off everyones back for 18 months.

True. But then it is the NDP that seems to want an election 90 times that changes nothing in the dynamic.

Or they want a coalition with the very party they believe is responsible for supporting the Conservatives.

Make up your mind.

[punked]

True. But then it is the NDP that seems to want an election 90 times that changes nothing in the dynamic.

Or they want a coalition with the very party they believe is responsible for supporting the Conservatives.

Make up your mind.

Sometimes you can't support things which you are against. Sorry Dobbin if Harper calls it a vote of confidence the Liberals wet their pants but the NDP are ready to not vote or something they don't support. You keep on support the stripping of womens rights, and the rights of all Canadians becuase you are afraid of the public we wont.

[jdobbin]

Sometimes you can't support things which you are against. Sorry Dobbin if Harper calls it a vote of confidence the Liberals wet their pants but the NDP are ready to not vote or something they don't support. You keep on support the stripping of womens rights, and the rights of all Canadians becuase you are afraid of the public we wont.

Which means the NDP want an election 90 times or so.

Or barring that, they will vote to support a government by the Liberals.

Funny that, huh?

[punked]

Which means the NDP want an election 90 times or so.

Or barring that, they will vote to support a government by the Liberals.

Funny that, huh?

See you keep putting the blame on the NDP but if the Liberals would grow a spine the Conservatives wouldn't push them around, and maybe not be able to Hammer through their agenda in a minority government. I know the idea of the Liberals threatening an election while they are in no shape to go to an election battle escapes you but the NDP are ready to stand up for what the people voted them in to stand up for.

[fellowtraveller]

There is a simple reason why Layton wanted to meet with Harper: optics. Poor Jack has utterly vanished from the public eye while Harper gets daily press while travelling in the Arctic. Harper took the meeting ebcauswe he knows he must be seen to be at least trying to work with intransigent tools like Jack.

Meanwhile, his party languishes in the polls, still a fringe party with little chance of influence in this or any Parliament, in large part because Jacko sees unrelenting, unthinking opposition as somehow endearing himself to voters. Little stunts like proclaiming his oppostion to an unseen budget don't go unnoticed, he looks a fool for this and a steadfast refusal to contribute anything to the actual governance of the country.

He lives in the heady days of last fall, when for a few minutes he and the NDP had a slight glimmer of relevance, his brain is still inflamed at the memory of power observed at close range.

Layton will ultimately be a blessing to both the Tories and Liberals.

[Jerry J. Fortin]

There is a simple reason why Layton wanted to meet with Harper: optics. Poor Jack has utterly vanished from the public eye while Harper gets daily press while travelling in the Arctic. Harper took the meeting ebcauswe he knows he must be seen to be at least trying to work with intransigent tools like Jack.

Meanwhile, his party languishes in the polls, still a fringe party with little chance of influence in this or any Parliament, in large part because Jacko sees unrelenting, unthinking opposition as somehow endearing himself to voters. Little stunts like proclaiming his oppostion to an unseen budget don't go unnoticed, he looks a fool for this and a steadfast refusal to contribute anything to the actual governance of the country.

He lives in the heady days of last fall, when for a few minutes he and the NDP had a slight glimmer of relevance, his brain is still inflamed at the memory of power observed at close range.

Layton will ultimately be a blessing to both the Tories and Liberals.

Given the current economic circumstances it would not surprise me to see a rise of support during an election for the NDP.

[jdobbin]

See you keep putting the blame on the NDP but if the Liberals would grow a spine the Conservatives wouldn't push them around, and maybe not be able to Hammer through their agenda in a minority government. I know the idea of the Liberals threatening an election while they are in no shape to go to an election battle escapes you but the NDP are ready to stand up for what the people voted them in to stand up for.

You see, your party keeps running back to the Liberals for a chance at power. This seems to escape you.

[madmax]

Given the current economic circumstances it would not surprise me to see a rise of support during an election for the NDP.

I disagree. I would have expected Liberal forunes to rise and rise significantly in the face of these economic times, not the least of which followed the fiscal incompetence of the CPC from 2006 to 2008. The NDP or its CCF origins may have been created during a great depression, yet the CCF and NDP tend to do better during better economic times. Obviously that hasn't totally been the case for the Federal NDP in which they were in a painful 6% in the mid 90s vs a modest 13% during the late 90s and early into Laytons era of 15% to 18%.

The surprise is that the Liberals should be riding 10 points above the CPC but appear to be either 9 points behind or deadlocked at best during a very bad recession. They are supposed to be the government in waiting, and the natural government and it looks like its going to take something greater then the current crises for the Liberal vision of natural government to run its course.

[jdobbin]

The surprise is that the Liberals should be riding 10 points above the CPC but appear to be either 9 points behind or deadlocked at best during a very bad recession. They are supposed to be the government in waiting, and the natural government and it looks like its going to take something greater then the current crises for the Liberal vision of natural government to run its course.

And you don't think the BQ has anything to do with it?

[madmax]

See you keep putting the blame on the NDP but if the Liberals would grow a spine the Conservatives wouldn't push them around, and maybe not be able to Hammer through their agenda in a minority government.

The Liberal Agenda is getting through with the CPC government. Everything the LPC support in confidence is measures that they embrace. This is the party that reduced EI, Took From EI, reduced Transfers, etc, and the party tat supports reducing tax revenues while increasing spending... all while supporting the loss of womens rights and voting for the loss of those rights.

While the CPC can make an argument why they do not support pay equity, the LPC also do not support it, but will not dare say it in public.

[madmax]

You see, your party keeps running back to the Liberals for a chance at power. This seems to escape you.

One thing punked appears to understand, is that the LPC are the ones who will sellout for power. And if that means embracing some NDP values, they will do it in order to get support and look good in public.

[jdobbin]

One thing punked appears to understand, is that the LPC are the ones who will sellout for power. And if that means embracing some NDP values, they will do it in order to get support and look good in public.

And the NDP don't want power? Is that what you are trying to tell me? And you don't think they sold out their values by supporting the Liberals when they wanted out of Afghanistan? Is that seriously what you are telling me?

Edited August 26, 2009 by jdobbin

[madmax]

Which means the NDP want an election 90 times or so.

Or barring that, they will vote to support a government by the Liberals.

Funny that, huh?

Looks like you missed something along the way.

Last November, when the NDP was in the midst of queing up their 60th or so vote of Non Confidence for the Harper Government, a funny thing happened. Harper kicked the Liberals in the nuts, and they turned to the NDP for the pickup. On the way, they found feet below their knees and where a spine was located. They set aside differences with their decades old enemy the BQ (the friends of the CPC), who also wondered why Harper flinging sand their way.

And then the revenge of the nerds happened. Yes bully boy Harper took his ball and wouldn't bring it back for a week as he sulked. Then, he ran away to the Governor Generals Apron and crying and balling... "they won't let me be Prime Minister anymore" boo hoo, waaaaahhhh. If nothing else, the Prime Minister behaves like a suck on too many occasions.

Realizing his problems, Harper backed off on some of the things most important to Liberals, like womens rights, erm no, sorry, it was public financing, something important to the Liberal Party.

And a grand coalition was made, yet nothing was leveraged and the support of the LPC came at no cost to the CPC.

Govern as you wish, you are on probation.

The LPC then rewarded the CPC in fiscally stupid policies, by supporting them and eliminating rights women fought for 30 years to achieve.

THere is a difference between standing up and standing down. THere is a difference between supporting a government and getting something in return, and selling out completely.

And yes there is risk, there certainly was risk last November, risk for all the parties involved, but Harper, for a very very very brief time, got the message that he too is vulnerable.

So, clearly, when Harper saw that he could lose the Prime Ministership of Canada.

He shit his pants. And that was less then a month after returning to Ottawa.

Edited August 26, 2009 by madmax