The future of the CPC

[MightyAC]

I'm not sure that will do much for him. Harper isn't proceeding with the SSM review out of conviction; it's a bone he is throwing to the tory socons. He has come out in favor of abortion so he has to show he is willing to do something for his grumbling backbenchers. I am sure he has a plan underway to ensure that the resolution is defeated and SSM stays in place.

I hope so. I've already heard rumours that the question that will be asked will not be 'Should the traditional definition of SSM be restored' but something more like 'Does the topic of SSM need to be revisited'. So that's a good sign.

This leads me to some off topic questions so I'll start a new thread in the Federal Politics section.

I suspect you're right about Harper appeasing the socons. He wants a majority government and thus needs all the support he can get. I am pretty sure that he would love to be the real socon that he has been publicly for the last decade but he's smart enough to realize that he'd loose a lot of his red Tory support. He has to walk a fine line to please the two sects of his party. I couldn't imagine combining the Liberals and NDP and then trying to please both sets of voters, what a tough job.

With that in mind I wonder how long the CPC will last. In time will the socons get tired of the middle of the road policies and go back to reform or family coalition type parties? The ball is rolling towards proportional representation in Canada, considering PR generally produces coalition governments will that make it easier for the unholy alliance to split up and go back to the way it was? Bush is nearing the end of his term and his administration has left a bad taste in the mouths of most of the country. If the Democrats win the next election will that force the CPC to further suppress the socon voices thus making a split more likely? Is it possible that the CPC is stable long term in it's current form or will the party survive but drift left or further right?

[Michael Hardner]

AC:

I suspect you're right about Harper appeasing the socons. He wants a majority government and thus needs all the support he can get. I am pretty sure that he would love to be the real socon that he has been publicly for the last decade but he's smart enough to realize that he'd loose a lot of his red Tory support. He has to walk a fine line to please the two sects of his party. I couldn't imagine combining the Liberals and NDP and then trying to please both sets of voters, what a tough job.

With that in mind I wonder how long the CPC will last. In time will the socons get tired of the middle of the road policies and go back to reform or family coalition type parties? The ball is rolling towards proportional representation in Canada, considering PR generally produces coalition governments will that make it easier for the unholy alliance to split up and go back to the way it was? Bush is nearing the end of his term and his administration has left a bad taste in the mouths of most of the country. If the Democrats win the next election will that force the CPC to further suppress the socon voices thus making a split more likely? Is it possible that the CPC is stable long term in it's current form or will the party survive but drift left or further right?

Harper is a man of reason. Although social conservatism is more of a creed that is self-sustaining, ie. that doesn't need to be supported by evidence outside of itself, there is enough of it that makes sense to people across party lines. Although these days it's hard to think of social conservatism without thinking of the issue of homosexuality, there are some positive pro-family initiatives that Harper can pursue that might assuage his social conservative rock bed.

[Guest Warwick Green]

Harper is a man of reason. Although social conservatism is more of a creed that is self-sustaining, ie. that doesn't need to be supported by evidence outside of itself, there is enough of it that makes sense to people across party lines. Although these days it's hard to think of social conservatism without thinking of the issue of homosexuality, there are some positive pro-family initiatives that Harper can pursue that might assuage his social conservative rock bed.

He's already been pushing conservative issues - the crime bill, gun registry, the child support allowance, potential revisit of SSM, more conservative foreign policy. He is talking to the core constituency without alienating the moderates. The only conservatives annoyed at Harper are the hard-core socons and they are small in number.