English Debate Strategies

[August1991]

Harper: Say the same but in English.

Layton: Your accent will be better. But the audience less receptive.

Duceppe: Relax.

Martin: You missed Duceppe. Aim for Harper.

Overall: It's an interesting format. Can you keep on message? Credibly?

[Slavik44]

geting martin uncomfortable will be the key, harper is fairly good at looking relaxed, but if you can get Martin to the point where his behavior defeats himself the debate will be smooth riding. This strategy, of getting Martin to defeat himself, has worked well so far, so Harper should stick to it and let Martin do all the losing. As for layton potential voters will be on the left, so he should work at painting Martin as a right winger. duccppe should sit there, look pretty, and make sure to smile.

[idealisttotheend]

I think that Martin would do well to show some of his passion in the next debate. He did look sort of old and tired at times in the last debate and I think he has appeared so since the start of the campaign. He should stick to Harper's past statements, the social issues and use of the notwithstanding clause (where he scored points in the french debate) and the back into debt point where he also had Harper on the defensive. He should avoid losing his temper but he should try for some thunder and lightning in the english debate. He should ignore the NDP and Bloc as much as possible, even using the one on one's with Layton or Duceppe to attack the Cons policy.

Layton does smile too much. He wants to appear trustworthy and fatherly and all, something he manages but there is such a thing as trying too hard and appearing insincere. He should save the smile for the opening and closing remarks and look sincerely serious for the rest. He should attack the Cons but mostly the Liberals and stick as much as possible to issues significant and exclusive to the NDP. His "We don't agree at all" line kicked ass and he would do well to push the Libs on not keeping their childcare and democratic reform promises if he wants seats.

Duceppe did very well with his facts and arguments even if he was high strung. I remember his retort to Harper about whether or not Harper wanted power only for the sake of power or whether he believed in Democracy when Harper pushed him on whether people wanted Cabinent ministers from Quebec. Very good very unscripted. Unfortunately he is irrelevant in the English debate which is a damn shame and perhaps points out the tradgedy of seperation in this country.

Harper can be confident and witty. He looks a bit weasilish for some reason I can't quite pin down but I don't know what he can do to change it. He looks very uncomftorable on abortion and social issues so he'll have to work on being "very clear" with more confidence. He is easily the intellectual equal of anyone there so can use that to his advantage. He would do well to tie Martin to the bad parts of the Liberal record and not appear too arrogant when dealing with the NDP.

Just some thoughts.

[Reverend Blair]

I think Layton should concentrate on going after both Martin and Harper in equal doses. Harper has support in Saskatchewan and Manitoba...two provinces with a history of going from Conservative to NDP governments and back again. He's already gained the support he is likely to get from the left of the Liberal party, but moderate Conservatives can be brought over.

Even if those Conservatives only travel as far as the Liberal Party, the NDP will have much more influence with a Liberal minority than with a Harper minority.

Duceppe will continue to concentrate on Martin, as he should. Harper and Layton are basically non-factors in Quebec.

Martin didn't get rocked in the French debate, and I doubt he'll get rocked tonight. He needs to remain calm, but if he wants to gain points he has to show a little righteous indignation when they go after his record instead of trying to evade the questions.

Saying, "We were forced into cuts by the actions of your advisor and predecessor, Brian Mulroney, Mr. Harper. Your paltform bears a strong resemblance to his actions," would go a long way towards backing Harper up a step or two.

[August1991]

Saying, "We were forced into cuts by the actions of your advisor and predecessor, Brian Mulroney, Mr. Harper. Your paltform bears a strong resemblance to his actions," would go a long way towards backing Harper up a step or two.

I have always thought that Harper's "hidden" secret is that he's running as a Conservative and he can call himself a Tory. Linking Harper to Mulroney legitimizes Harper and puts him in a long thread of famous PMs.

The Libs would do best to imply Harper is a strange beast of no apparent origin. That's what PM PM does when he refers to Alliance Conservatives.

[Argus]

I think Layton should concentrate on going after both Martin and Harper in equal doses.  Harper has support in Saskatchewan and Manitoba...

Or not. The latest polls and seat guestimates put the Conservatives as high as 127. That's getting into the range where the NDP could be kingmakers if they weren't too obstinate about their demands. If the Tories are pushed back so that they and the Liberals are a long distance from a majority, say 110 seats each or thereabouts, the NDP will have no power at all. It'll be BQ all the way.

The question is can the NDP possibly cooperate with the Tories on anything or would they simply sit back and vote against everything the Tories bring to the House?

[August1991]

It'll be BQ all the way.

I disagree, Argus.

Assuming the current predictions of a Tory minority government, then Martin will have to resign. While the Liberals run a leadership race, they will not want an election. They would support a confidence vote.

IOW, Harper would be able to gain support from either the BQ or the Libs depending on the issue. Harper shows all the necessary shrewdness to do this. In John Reynolds, he'd have a good whip. No MP would want to face a quick election.

[Remus]

I have always thought that Harper's "hidden" secret is that he's running as a Conservative and he can call himself a Tory.  Linking Harper to Mulroney legitimizes Harper and puts him in a long thread of famous PMs.

Remember that Harper was a aid to a PC MP in the mid Eighties before joining the reform party, He was also approached by PC MP's to run for the PC leadership in 1998. And so the Conservative Tory ties are real and go back a long way as with many Reformers. The new Conservative coalition seems a lot like the Mulroney coalition without the Quebec support that is needed for a majority.

[Reverend Blair]

Mulroney is likely Canada's most despised former PM among living, voting Canadians, August. To be tied to him raises some serious questions as to membership in the human race, never mind as a Tory.

I think the link is an important one to make.

The way that it could backfire on Martin is that he also looks and smells like Mulroney to a lot of us. I don't think Harper can point that out though...not without leaving himself open to being called as crooked as both Martin and Mulroney. Nobody wants to be accused of that.

[maplesyrup]

I wonder how Martin is going to handle Adscam as more devastating news for the Liberals came out today.

Starts in less than 10 miutes, eh!

[August1991]

Mulroney is likely Canada's most despised former PM among living, voting Canadians, August.

I'm not so certain that so-called right-wing Canadians have such a view Mulroney. The people who dislike Mulroney are the same gang who vociferously fought against him in 1988 and lost. These people are vocal and give the impression that they represent all Canadians. They don't.

... not without leaving himself open to being called as crooked as both Martin and Mulroney.

I don't think Martin and Mulroney are crooks. Mulroney was absolved of all wrong doing in the Airbus affair. (This Liberal exercise was costly to the taxpayer.)

Stevie Cameron was found to be an RCMP informer. I recall flipping through her book "On the Take" and finding so many errors of fact, I never bothered to read it. Nevertheless, perceptions are another thing.

IMV, history will certainly consider Mulroney differently.

[takeanumber]

Martin is doing good.

Duceppe is doing wicked.

Harper admitted that the agrees with the US on Iraq.

Harper is getting owned.

Layton is sucking. lol. He's like a child. It's quite funny.

Martin. Meh. don't know. Better than last night.