TANSTAAFV

TANSTAAFV-There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Vote.

Same Sex Marriage and Missile Defense, two issues that will now face the Canadian parliment as Free Votes. Be still my beating heart. Parliment will now have the Conservatives allow its MPs free votes,though how it intends to force the other parties not to whip their votes well thats a horse of a different colour. And the difference between a Whipped vote and Free Vote is......nada, nothing, zippo.

In the past sitting of the Parilment the Conservatives voted en block on issues, no significant variance amongst them. Ok one or two voted for SSM and then Stronach crossed the floor, because of the shunning that such Free Voters got from the rest of the party apparatchiks. But on Bil C-48 they voted as one,it was a budget bill after all, which is why Stronach left . On other less contentious and media watched issues everyone on that side of the house in the Official Opposition voted as the one. See How'd They Vote?"

So then what is this sacred cow the Conservatives have embraced this oh holy of holies the Free Vote? It is the last vestige of the Refrom Party that dwells in the Conservative Party, sort of like the vestigious reptilian portion of our brain. Once upon a time it was about the Reform Party doing politics differently, being a Party that allowed its MP's to vote on behalf of their constituents following their consulting with their constiuents. The last MP to do so was Chuck Cadman, who remained the last Reformer standing on principles. The rest moved to political pragmatism and expediency to gain power. Chuck's constinuency has elected an NDP member to replace him, not a Conservative!

In todays Conservative autarchy the Free Vote is, as the Bard said, much 'ado about nothing.'


With apologies to Robert Heinlein who wrote : TANSTAAFL (There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch) One way or other, what you get, you pay for.


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