Debate proposals

[M.Dancer]

If Tom Axworthy and his think-tank have their way, Gilles Duceppe and his Bloc Québécois will be blocked from the televised English-language leaders' debate in future elections.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politi...article1283068/

While I wonder how that will leave english quebeckers (not that 1 in 100 vote for the Block) I can understand the logic of excluding a party that had no intention of ever, ever governing...I would go a step further and exclude fringe parties and especially fringe parties that have no representation in Ottawa.

I would also eliminate the round table and make them stand behind a lectern.

[August1991]

While I wonder how that will leave english quebeckers (not that 1 in 100 vote for the Block) I can understand the logic of excluding a party that had no intention of ever, ever governing...I would go a step further and exclude fringe parties and especially fringe parties that have no representation in Ottawa.

I would also eliminate the round table and make them stand behind a lectern.

I agree entirely, Morris.

When the Greens have official status, then their leader can participate. Duceppe should not be in the English debate. And the table should go. It turns the debate into a bizarre kindergarten finger-painting game. IIRC, the 1979 debate had leaders sitting at chairs with no lectern.

I prefer the format where a moderator throws out a question and then the politicians hash it out between them. I don't like the US style press conference without direct debate between the candidates.

[jdobbin]

I prefer the format where a moderator throws out a question and then the politicians hash it out between them. I don't like the US style press conference without direct debate between the candidates.

Debate should only happen with parties that have 50 seats or more the House , got at least 20% of the vote and are running at least 300 candidates. ha

Edited September 11, 2009 by jdobbin

[eyeball]

I prefer the format where a moderator throws out a question and then the politicians hash it out between them. I don't like the US style press conference without direct debate between the candidates.

I'd like to see the moderator insure the "hash" stays on topic. Its annoying as all hell watching politicians turn most questions on their ear and use them to launch an attack on an opponant or a string of promises unrelated to the topic.

As for the Greens or Duceppe, I have no problem with them being in any of the debates. I'd also like to see a lot more debates between all parties and some one on one debates too. The more the merrier, with the caveat that the moderators do their damn jobs properly.

[ToadBrother]

I propose a taser, and every time one of the leaders goes off topic or doesn't directly answer a question, 50,000 volts is delivered into his chest. Now I realize that that will likely mean four smoking corpses half an hour into the debate, but I would think that would be a pretty fair end result.

[Argus]

Debate should only happen with parties that have 50 seats or more the House , got at least 20% of the vote and are running at least 300 candidates. ha

I would actually not have a problem with that.

IMHO the debates should be between the two men who stand a chance of being prime minister.

[jdobbin]

I propose a taser, and every time one of the leaders goes off topic or doesn't directly answer a question, 50,000 volts is delivered into his chest.

Perhaps that should be aimed back at the moderators from time to time too.

[Dave_ON]

I would actually not have a problem with that.

IMHO the debates should be between the two men who stand a chance of being prime minister.

I concur, as I recall that's the way it was many years ago. Seems to me that's the way it was back when it was Mulroney vs. Turner.

I expect Punked to post a rather indignant response to this suggestion in the very near future.

[madmax]

I concur, as I recall that's the way it was many years ago. Seems to me that's the way it was back when it was Mulroney vs. Turner.

I expect Punked to post a rather indignant response to this suggestion in the very near future.

Don't know how far you are going to have to go back to get a TWO leader debate. Considering the CCF/NDP were regular participants, going back to the age of televised debates.

The arrogance of the LPC never fails to surprise me. The Opportunism of the CPC never fails to surprise.

Yup, No Preston Manning, no voice, no future alliance, No future CPC, and Conservative Idealogy in the dust heap of failure.

That's how important the smaller parties are.

The problem is that last years debates STUNK.

The threshold was set, and the guerrilla strategy of the GPC were successful in getting into the debates with public support, only then to put us all asleep.

And yeah, could you imagine a two man debate in the last election. The CPC would be sitting with a Majority that would surpass the Mulroney era, and Dion would surpass the all time lows of Turner.

Seriously, as I have said elsewhere. Harper spent the debate hiting base runs. Layton made some of the best lines of the night. May sounded intelligent, but her finger made her look stupid. And Dion was Hapless. Duceppe hasn't had to change script since his first debate.

Bottum line, Television bowed to the will of the public, and couldn't create good television. The format sucked. It was BAD, and the Media have themselves to blame for putting on such a shitty show. People tuned out pretty fast.

At least the media are talking about changes.

I doubt that you will see a Debate without the BQ or the NDP. Media don't like being the story.

Edited September 11, 2009 by madmax

[jdobbin]

Don't know how far you are going to have to go back to get a TWO leader debate. Considering the CCF/NDP were regular participants, going back to the age of televised debates.

The arrogance of the LPC never fails to surprise me. The Opportunism of the CPC never fails to surprise.

You realize I was joking, right?

Still, it is getting crowded around the table.

[M.Dancer]

Debate should only happen with parties that have 50 seats or more the House , got at least 20% of the vote and are running at least 300 candidates. ha

Good proposals all around. I might add if the party has been implicated in major multi million dollar fraud and party bworkers convicted, they should be asked to sit out a few elections.

[Wilber]

I think if you can pull in over 10% of the vote for two consecutive elections without taking part in the debate, you obviously have a significant following and should be allowed in as long as you can exceed that threshold. Fall below it and you get dumped.

[M.Dancer]

I think if you can pull in over 10% of the vote for two consecutive elections without taking part in the debate, you obviously have a significant following and should be allowed in as long as you can exceed that threshold. Fall below it and you get dumped.

10% isn't significant. It's fringe.

[punked]

10% isn't significant. It's fringe.

3 million people are fringe? You know that is the same number of people who go to church in Canada right?

[Wilber]

10% isn't significant. It's fringe.

The BQ got 49 seats with less.

[punked]

I concur, as I recall that's the way it was many years ago. Seems to me that's the way it was back when it was Mulroney vs. Turner.

I expect Punked to post a rather indignant response to this suggestion in the very near future.

Your memory is wrong Ed Broadbent was involved in that Debate. I say the Debates should be between the two parties who do the most work in the house of Parliament how is that? So do you want to go by words spoken or private member bills? God you people hate democracy it isn't like the NDP sits on their hands in parliament they work hard and have had many ideas which have become law in Canada.

See dumb ideas all around to exclude people. If your party has a seat you get to debate. That is democracy deal with it or go home crying.

[M.Dancer]

? God you people hate democracy it isn't like the NDP sits on their hands in parliament they work hard and have had many ideas which have become law in Canada.

More NDP proposals though become the stuff of comedy routines....I wonder when they will propose again to nationalizing a bank ?

Anyway, I certainly wouldn't want to miss an opportunity to see Layton act like the swarmy hyp;ocrit he is and not give Canadians a reason not to vote for the socialist tool.

[Hydraboss]

More NDP proposals though become the stuff of comedy routines....I wonder when they will propose again to nationalizing a bank ?

Anyway, I certainly wouldn't want to miss an opportunity to see Layton act like the swarmy hyp;ocrit he is and not give Canadians a reason not to vote for the socialist tool.

I'd miss his oh-so-sincere, loving looks into the camera when he says, "an NDP opposition will fight for "Working Families".

I always get this insane urge to go buy a used car. Hope Jack stays in the debate. Even Greek tragedies had comic relief intermissions.

[punked]

More NDP proposals though become the stuff of comedy routines....I wonder when they will propose again to nationalizing a bank ?

Anyway, I certainly wouldn't want to miss an opportunity to see Layton act like the swarmy hyp;ocrit he is and not give Canadians a reason not to vote for the socialist tool.

Only eh bank? I don't think it would work just nationalizing one branch eh? Might take a few more then that.

[Bryan]

Instead of deciding on the spot who's in and who's not, the networks should develop a checklist of criteria. If you can fulfill the requirements, you're in, nothing to discuss.

At bare minimum, it should be limited to parties that actually have seats in the house. Something that requires the party to actually be national (running in more than one province, etc) should be there too.

[Alta4ever]

Instead of deciding on the spot who's in and who's not, the networks should develop a checklist of criteria. If you can fulfill the requirements, you're in, nothing to discuss.

At bare minimum, it should be limited to parties that actually have seats in the house. Something that requires the party to actually be national (running in more than one province, etc) should be there too.

It should only be federal parties that hold seats in more then one province.

[Bryan]

It should only be federal parties that hold seats in more then one province.

Perfect. Short and succinct.

Even Reform had seats in five provinces by their second election.

[M.Dancer]

I'd miss his oh-so-sincere, loving looks into the camera when he says, "an NDP opposition will fight for "Working Families".

I could tell you stories about Layton that would curl your hair....Yes Layton will fight for Working Families....not sure if he would recognise one if he saw one, having never had an honest job in his entire adult life....

...or those earth day photo ops where his aids would bring his cycling gear so that Olivia and him could jump out of their limos and hope on bikes to get their cheesy smiles on TV then hope back into their limos again..

And back in the day when Jack would make sure he made the scene and be seen at the Bamboo as he earnestly faked being hip in his pink tailored shirt...then off home he went to his subsidized flat....

[Molly]

I wouldn't want to see the Bloc disincluded.

There are anglophones in PQ for who have Bloc candidates on their ballots, but there are also plenty of folks like me outside that province, who want to see how the others respond to what the Bloc has to say. We are, after all, electing national governance, and not just on the basis of short-term, local effect. That dynamic is no small beans.

(For that matter, I was glad to see Elizabeth May involved last time, too, though I see far less justification for her presence. She honestly did add to the usefulness of the exercize. )

edit to add: If the debate is reduced to "Harper vs. Ignatieff" I likely wouldn't bother to watch it at all, because it would just be a long-winded rerun of the ad campaigns that are almost impossible to avoid. Pure horserace- no enlightenment- not even honestly representation of real world interactions between them.

Edited September 12, 2009 by Molly

[madmax]

You realize I was joking, right?

OPPS!!!

Still, it is getting crowded around the table.

Yup