.

[ReeferMadness]

Not when her party gets less than 4% of the popular vote. That's not "lots of support" at all.

"Fringe party". "less than 4%". You're dancing around the fact that well over a half million people voted Green in 2011 and that figure will be almost certainly much higher this time around. There is no reason to push Green off the stage.

[G Huxley]

Not only that, but if you label them fringe then you have to label May's riding fringe. You've essentially negated the majority of an entire riding and labelled them fringe. Or maybe they are Canadians like you and me and using their brains voted for Green.

[cybercoma]

Your number is just an exclusionary tactic. Guaranteed she's going to get more than 4% this time.

My number is the proportion of voters who cast ballots for the Green Party, excluding those who didn't vote.

[cybercoma]

Polls from Canadians have shown that she is the most respected party leader in Canada

Nobody has said otherwise. I've even said in this thread that she's not only the best person to be prime minister, but also the best parliamentarian we've had in a generation.

Guess what? None of that matters. People still don't vote for her.

[cybercoma]

"Fringe party". "less than 4%". You're dancing around the fact that well over a half million people voted Green in 2011 and that figure will be almost certainly much higher this time around. There is no reason to push Green off the stage.

I'm not dancing around anything. You just keep ignoring the fact that half a million people is meaningless when over 10 million people cast ballots.

[G Huxley]

Nobody has said otherwise. I've even said in this thread that she's not only the best person to be prime minister, but also the best parliamentarian we've had in a generation.

Guess what? None of that matters. People still don't vote for her.

Then how on earth is she fringe??? If even you think she'd make the best prime minister.

Suggesting that people don't vote for her is false. She got elected with a majority in her riding.

[G Huxley]

I'm not dancing around anything. You just keep ignoring the fact that half a million people is meaningless when over 10 million people cast ballots.

No half a million people casting ballots out of 10 million people casting ballots is not meaningless. If you think their 500,000 ballots are meaningless then you don't believe in democracy itself.

[cybercoma]

Then how on earth is she fringe???

I'll say it for the two dozenth time. The Green Party is fringe because very few people vote for them. It's really not that difficult to understand.

[ReeferMadness]

I'm not dancing around anything. You just keep ignoring the fact that half a million people is meaningless when over 10 million people cast ballots.

That's your view. It's certainly not the first time in history that someone has rationalized systematic discrimination of a minority based solely on numbers. It's just a little disappointing coming from you.

[G Huxley]

I'll say it for the two dozenth time. The Green Party is fringe because very few people vote for them. It's really not that difficult to understand.

'Fringe' is just a discriminatory label. 500,000 votes it not 'hardly anybody.'

[G Huxley]

That's your view. It's certainly not the first time in history that someone has rationalized systematic discrimination of a minority based solely on numbers. It's just a little disappointing coming from you.

Exactly. It's just a form of discrimination relegating 500,000 people to 'second class citizens' subhumans. 'The fringes of society' who aren't to have their votes taken seriously.

Edited September 22, 2015 by G Huxley

[cybercoma]

No half a million people casting ballots out of 10 million people casting ballots is not meaningless. If you think their 500,000 ballots are meaningless then you don't believe in democracy itself.

More platitudes about democracy. Half a million people is a drop in the bucket when the Liberals had nearly 6 times as many votes, the NDP had 9 times as many votes and the Conservatives had over 11 times as many votes. Just keep ignoring the math.

[cybercoma]

That's your view. It's certainly not the first time in history that someone has rationalized systematic discrimination of a minority based solely on numbers. It's just a little disappointing coming from you.

Trolling much? It's not my fault you don't understand that elections are based on counting.

[G Huxley]

You don't understand the meaning of the word democracy, which is 'the rule of the people' the demos being the personification of the people. If you relegate a considerable portion of the populace to second class citizens then you are anti-democratic.

[G Huxley]

Democracy is about choice so let there be a visual fair and even-handed choice and quit making excuses.

[cybercoma]

Exactly. It's just a form of discrimination relegating 500,000 people to 'second class citizens' subhumans. 'The fringes of society' who aren't to have their votes taken seriously.

You both are resorting to hysterical theatrics. Nobody called them second-class citizens or sub-human and since I'm considering voting Green in this election, you two can GFYs with that comment. Go learn what "fringe" party means, instead of what you two have decided it's going to mean in this conversation. It means nothing more than a "minor" party that has little support and that's exactly what the Green Party is. I have no idea how any rational person, whether a Green supporter or not, could argue otherwise.

[cybercoma]

You don't understand the meaning of the word democracy, which is 'the rule of the people' the demos being the personification of the people. If you relegate a considerable portion of the populace to second class citizens then you are anti-democratic

I understand that 500,000 people is a lot less than 10 million people.

Democracy is about choice so let there be a visual fair and even-handed choice and quit making excuses.

And what's your point? Are Green candidates not allowed to run? Do they not canvass? Are they not putting up signs in ridings? Is Elizabeth May not being written about in the newspapers?

People have the choice to vote Green. They don't.

So stop whining about it and go out there and do something to attract voters to the party.

PRO TIP: What you're doing here doesn't help.

[G Huxley]

"Nobody called them second-class citizens or sub-human"

Calling them fringe is a euphemism for that.

And no the Greens are a major party as they are a national party and have MPs in the house. In fact the PC party the antecessor to the current conservative party had the same number of seats in the house in 1993 and were allowed in the debates. This is simply a form of discrimination in order to prevent a fair democratic process.

Edited September 22, 2015 by G Huxley

[cybercoma]

"Nobody called them second-class citizens or sub-human"

Calling them fringe is a euphemism for that.

oh ffs. "Fringe" is how we describe minor parties in our political system. Would you rather I call them a "minor" party instead?

[G Huxley]

I understand that 500,000 people is a lot less than 10 million people.

And what's your point? Are Green candidates not allowed to run? Do they not canvass? Are they not putting up signs in ridings? Is Elizabeth May not being written about in the newspapers?

People have the choice to vote Green. They don't.

So stop whining about it and go out there and do something to attract voters to the party.

PRO TIP: What you're doing here doesn't help.

"I understand that 500,000 people is a lot less than 10 million people."

Irrelevant it's still a sizeable portion of the electorate. In a Democracy they are part of 'the people' and so should not be sidelined.

"PRO TIP: What you're doing here doesn't help."

Actually it is because it's publicly making apparent just how many anti-democratic people there are in the country and breaks the illusion that things are actually democratic.

I will not be slienced like the authoritarians are trying so hard to do to the other parties.

Edited September 22, 2015 by G Huxley

[G Huxley]

oh ffs. "Fringe" is how we describe minor parties in our political system. Would you rather I call them a "minor" party instead?

Why not just stop trying to sideline them and call them A Party and give them a fair chance?

[cybercoma]

And just being in the House of Commons doesn't make you a major party, unless you suddenly think Strength in Democracy is a major party. The Green Party has never been an officially recognized party in the House of Commons. That's probably an important step to being a major party.

[G Huxley]

The Official Party Status is completely irrelevant to the debates. It's an internal Commons thing and I would say that it is merely a means of entrenching the established parties and discriminating against other parties.

I would consider Strength and Democracy to be a major party too and they should be in the debates as well.

Democracy is about choice and voices. The public deserves a diverse choice treated fairly and equally in the election process.

Edited September 22, 2015 by G Huxley

[cybercoma]

Why not just stop trying to sideline them and call them A Party and give them a fair chance?

How am I sidelining them? I'm pointing out to you their lack of support and you're living in denial. That's not sidelining them. It's making you face reality.

I get it. You don't like that May isn't in the debates. Me neither. But guess what? I can understand that some debate organizers won't give her a platform because she hasn't earned that place yet. She's not a contender and when she is, there won't be a single organizer who will shut her out.

So you can sit here and deny reality or you can work to get more support for your party. Saying they are a major party when they so clearly are not is not doing anything for the Green Party. It's shoving your head in the sand.

[cybercoma]

The Official Party Status is completely irrelevant to the debates.

It's an illustration of how how little support the Green Party has. And the fact that there is so little support is exactly why they are not in the debates.