Brison Defects To Liberals

[Neal.F.]

Well, no surprise here. Scott Brison has defected to the Liberals. I wonder what kind of plum Martin offered the little weasel to go over. I have more respect for Joe Clark and the others who opted to sit as independents.

Now the Liberals have their own little Svend Robinson..albeit a fiscally conservative one. Ever since he came out of the closet, he's been nothing but a troublemaker for Tories.

One week ago, he's considering a run for the leadership of the new party, the next he's crossing the floor. Interesting he does this even after so-called "moderate" Jim Prentice decalres his leadership bid.

Pure opportunism, and the voters of Kings-Hants will tell him they see it that way too, when he faces them at the polls later in 2004.

Atlantic Canada is the one place in Canada where tarditional Liberal voters vote Liberal, and traditional Tories Vote Conservative.

Another one whose riding voted to support the merger too.

I hope he likes working with Dan McTeague, Tom appell, David Kilgour and others who see HIS issue no diffwerently than Elsie Wayne did.

Good riddance.

[Michael Hardner]

Well, no surprise here. Scott Brison has defected to the Liberals.

You weren't surprised ?

That a potential leadership candidate would defect as the campaign is getting under way ?

CTV is calling this a 'serious blow' to the new CPC.

[Neal.F.]

No, I'm not surprised. Since he came out of the closet, he has become a strident gay activist. The Liberals are now saddled with their own Svend Robinson now.

The Conservatives are lucky to be rid of him. He was hoping to outlast Elsie Wayne in the PC Party, and wanted her dumped for her "homophobia" . Whining little crybaby. Yes, he called for her dismissal as deputy leader.

How soon we forget, it seems. If not for Elsie Wayne, the PC party would not have lived to see 1997, and he never would have been elected.

Now the Conservatives can concentrate on being a conservative party and not have to sell out the social conservatives to keep poor old Scottie happy.

He defected, because Paulie Waulie is probably promising him a senior cabinet post that he would prefer not to wait another 4 years to get.

Whether Paulie Waulie will deliver remains to be seen. We have seen what happens to Tory defectors: Just ask André Harvey, Diane St. Jacques and David Price.

[dnsfurlan]

CTV is calling this a 'serious blow' to the new CPC.

No Kidding. If Stephen Harper were to cut himself shaving CTV would call it a 'serious blow" to the new 'CPC'.

There is NO ethical consistency in this move.

He certainly did set himself up as a potential leadership candidate.

He also voted YES for the merger - just the other day.

Now he's crossing the floor over to an entirely other party?

Sure, in the short-term this doesn't look good for the Conservative Party - a gay man doesn't see a place for himself in the new party. In one easy move Brison makes the Liberals look more tolerant than the new pary.

However, I think I would have to agree with Neal. For someone to show such a lack of consistency within a matter of days might be a sign of a politician who has some ethical problems of his own to deal with.

[Michael Hardner]

Anyone else that you wouldn't be surprised to see leave ?

[Neal.F.]

I thought that Bachand and Herron would have shown more intelligence and extended their carreers in the new party.

However, the only other one I think mighty consider jumping ship is Rick Borotsik. Every day he stays on, reduces that possibility.

[dnsfurlan]

I'm surprised Borotsik is still on board. He must be extorting some promises from someone, since he's been bad-mouthing this merger since the day negotiations became public.

[Neal.F.]

The Liberals have probably told him they could offer nothing but a seat between Andre Harvey and David Price.

He's a young man, and a strong performer in Parliament. If he gets on board, he could well be an asset.

[Galahad]

He also voted YES for the merger - just the other day.

Now he's crossing the floor over to an entirely other party?

I would have to agree with Neal.

Neal's speculation that ... "He defected, because Paulie Waulie is probably promising him a senior cabinet post" ... is a good one.

ANOTHER possibility is that Harper told him to stop being gay. To seek the treatment that many CAers believe in.

[SirRiff]

maybe he just wanted to be in a winning party for a change?

else that or he had to undergo electroshock treatment to get rid of all those gay thoughts. cause we all know gay thoughts are what break up heterosexual families and cause people not to go to church

at the same time i find it amusing the loony conservatives are getting even more hammered, it doesnt help democracy in Canada to have a dominant federal party. especially when Martin will attain God like powers in Canada soon.

would the normal conservatives please stand up and contribute to society?

sirriff

[RT_1984]

It's a shame that Brison defected since he could have joined Keith Martin, Rahim Jaffer and other social moderates in the party. Brison had a lot of great ideas about how to stem wasteful regional subisidies in Atlantic Canada which was a refreshing change for that area of the country. Unfortunately as Mark Milke predicted, he will now have to learn to "bleat like the rest of the lambs" in the antidemocratic, elitist Liberal party. I usually deplore heedless partisanship, but in this case it will punish Brison when he gets kicked out. He probably took the risk in exchange for a junior cabinet position in time for Martin's cabinet announcement on Friday. I always disliked Brison's contradictory, conditional and hypocritical approach to the merger. His stance was that he would never serve under a party led by a former CA MP (since he knows MacKay is toast in a leadership and Prentice is unknown that amounts to saying: "choose me as leader or I'm leaving the party.") I think that you should be either helping to construct this new merged party or get out where you belong. We have our differences but we should settle them in private. MacKay and Prentice know this. He was also very unhelpful during the Larry Spencer debacle (he was more critical than the Liberals and Paul Martin) rather than trying to diffuse the situation in a more concilatory tone like MacKay and Prentice. In the end, I think this is a purification process where the political realignment is the key, in the face of a cynical public who can't see any significance differene between the parties (and would go with Martin because he's a good brandname). Brison and lefties like Clark never ever belonged and were only members because of blatant, substanceless partisanship which is the true source of cyncism for Canadian politics which must be reduced. Reducing partisanship was one of the main themes of reform and now we are coming full circle. The PC's are now realizing that the reform market fundamentalism echoed by the Thatcher/Reagan Revolution in the future for conservativism, and now preach it in every successful provincial government. Now we need a federal party that does the same. Mulroney Keynesians and Stanfield/Diefenbaker organic conservatism (social democracy) is already taken and is not our goal. Long live the Alliance. Harper is the one option for true change in a revolutionary way rather than watered back incrementalist self-proclaimed conservatives. Because in the end, I simply cannot find any compelling reasons to campaign for the CPC in the next election touting anyone like Prentice or MacKay is being significantly different and better than Paul Martin.

[Lost in Manitoba]

Borotsik is my MP. He's been talking for a couple of months now of either going Liberal or sitting as an independent. There is little doubt around here that he will win, no matter his choice.

[Neal.F.]

Nonsense. He only won last time because there were some personal issues surrounding Gary Nestibo, who still made it close.

He will be defeated unless he stays Conservative.

The riding only went Liberal ONCE (1993) In the entire history of its existence (since 1952)

[Goldie]

Let me make this perfectly clear, Scott Brison is a fine young man..... uh, I mean (CHECKS WITH HIS MINDER) yes that is right, we welcome him to the Liberal family, the gay son I never had.

SirRiff said it best when he said Scott wants to be with a winning party for a change. This is the point, take a shortcut instead of building something you could be proud of. The Conservative Party is nothing more than a wire frame waiting to be built upon and instead of being a builder, Mr. Brison walks away

If there was no merger do we honesly think Mr Brison would have stayed in a rump party when he could be a parliamentary secretary of say finance or justice? Paul Martin is courting PCers and playing into Jack laytons hands. This is why we had to have the merger, to save the PC party from oblivion. Four Alliance members will cross the floor to save the PC official party status. Your welcome Joe Clark and David Orchard.

These red Tories could have lost in the next election or crossed anyway. It is because of the merger that the PC party will survive. The merger pre-empted a dealthblow by Paul Martin.

The Canadian Alliance does have members that think homosexuality is wrong. Can I just say that in a small demographic like my workplace which happens to be unionized and therefore 80% vote NDP and 15% vote Liberal Federally there is a very high incidence of homophobia, about 50-60%. I should also note that my workplace is 98% female.

What this tells me is that in this demographic we find closet homophobes. Don't we learn in school that the most dangerous kind of bigotry is that which is hidden? So by this logic then coudn't the case be made that a large number of homophobes exist in such a large Liberal tent or is that a closet?

[SirRiff]

all the anti-Liberals talk and talk and talk and talk, railing against gays and whatever. but when it comes down to it, the liberals have more support then any other party. IF PCs or CA's or whatever the new party is, would actually DO something to improve government in Canada, maybe people would care. but this lack of real substance that they can bring to the table is just going to bring more liberal majorities again and again.

and as i have said before, that is not too good for democracy as a whole in canada.

thus i would be happy to see a viable PC alternative, yet when i listen to supporters, all i hear is the same desperate liberal bashing that elicits no respect or credibility.

brison is a great example, instead of realizing its a sign of weakness, they attack brison for not wanting to be in an anti-gay party, or wanting to be with a majority government. as if either of those are unexpected.

for gods sake, if this is all the right has for an alternative to Liberals, they should disband, go home, and make better use of thier time.

whatever happened to stockwell day?

[Galahad]

Don Martin has an excellent article on Benedict Brison in today's NP.

It is not in the Nationalpost.com yet but you can see it here (page A18).

http://ee.canada.com/Daily/skins/NationalP...W=1071214956734

[Goldie]

Paul Martin was Elected in 1988 with an anti free-trade and kill the GST party. Talk, talk, talk. We love those Conservative ideas.

Paul Martin eliminated the deficit. Talk, talk, talk. We love those Reform ideas.

Paul Martin wants to REFORM the way parliament works. We Liberals love those Reform/Alliance ideas.

Tax cuts you say! again we love those extremist ideas.

Well I haven't read the red book but I can spot all the Conservative accomplishments in this country all achieved in oppostion. Imagine what we could do when we form government. Dont slam The door on the way out Shiela Copps.

[theWatcher]

Lets see if Martin will do the right thing and eliminate the EI overpayments which was used to give him all of those nice surpluses.