Free Speech?

Hmm, I have heard this argument before.

The Conservatives are defending themselves against allegations they broke election spending rules by arguing it's all a matter of freedom of speech.

From the NCC which used to be run by our current PM.

This, says NCC president Stephen Harper, is a gag on free speech. But it’s not the amount of the limit that troubles him. “I object not simply to the limits. I object to the entire scheme of regulation," he says. "Our view is fundamentally that communicating a political view to fellow citizens is a right; it is not a privilege granted by the government.”

The NCC argues that “In a democracy all citizens should have the opportunity to freely express opinions and to criticize or praise politicians.”

Sounds pretty good, but if you recall that what the law restricts is paid advertising in excess of $150,000, what they’re really talking about is freedom of speech for those few who can afford to spend huge sums on election advertising.

When are national election TV ads not national election TV ads? When you tack on the MP's name at the end of the ad.

A Conservative advertising initiative designed to allow Tory candidates to claim expenses for TV commercials produced for the party’s national campaign in the 2006 election was a potential fraud that subverted spending limits under the Canada Elections Act, the Liberal party says.

Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
Canada, politics, Conservatives, Harper, Liberals, NCC, election advertising,election, prorogue,

Reading Entrails

The other reason Harper acted as he did yesterday, in pushing the Liberals buttons, is that he has read the entrails; the polls.

He is laying the groundwork to piss off the opposition enough that they get sucked into a confrontation that will lead to an election. Clever that.

He will wait till after March 26 to really begin pushing their red election buttons.




Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
Stephen Harper, PM, Stephane Dion, Conservatives, Government, Question Period, Canada, politics, federal government, opposition, MP's,

Glass Half Full

CTV / Globe and Mail focused their reporting about their latest poll on Mr. Dion vs Mr. Harper, as usual.

That's a glass half empty.

On the other hand the glass is half full.

As their polling also shows that at this point it is just as likely to be Mr. Layton vs. Mr. Harper.

Meanwhile, when asked which party leader had the clearest vision of where he wants to take the country, Harper showed a significant lead over his rivals (percentage-point change from a Dec. 3-4 poll in brackets):

• Stephen Harper: 50 per cent (+ 18)
• Stephane Dion: 22 per cent (- 16 from when Paul Martin was leader)
• Jack Layton: 20 per cent (+ 1)
• Gilles Duceppe: 8 per cent (- 4)

More than half of respondents also felt that Harper is the most decisive of the party leaders.

• Harper: 53 per cent
• Dion: 19 per cent
• Layton: 20 per cent
• Duceppe: 8 per cent

Dion also lost out on charisma, which he himself defended shortly after becoming leader of his party.

"I would not have been able to win this race if I had not been able to connect with Canadians ... I have a capacity to communicate with passion and with reason," he said last December.

But respondents seem to have felt otherwise in the poll. Here are the results when voters were asked who was the most charismatic (percentage-point change from a Dec. 3-4 poll in brackets):

• Harper: 35 per cent (+ 18)
• Dion: 20 per cent (- 9 from when Martin was leader)
• Layton: 36 per cent (- 2)
• Duceppe: 10 per cent (- 4)

Lack of charisma, indecisive, and a whiner.....Dion slams Tory attack ads; wants Harper to withdraw them as matter of honour

Yep, it's as much a race between the NDP and Conservatives as it is the Liberals and Conservatives. Between Layton and Harper as much as it is Dion versus Harper.

And it's a dead heat on the environment. So much for the greening of the Liberals under Dion.

If there is a party in Canada facing a failure in leadership this poll shows only one; The Liberals.

Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
Liberals, Conservatives, Canada, politics, election, NDP, leadership, Layton, Dion, Harper, polling,

A Year Later Get Over It

Following up on my post about folks who need to get over it, the Liberals need to get over blaming the NDP for forcing the election last year. Martha Hall Findley brought up this tired old canard on Mike Duffy Live yesterday. Sigh. Enough already.

First the Liberals planned to commit political suicide in the spring of 2006 anyways. The winter election simply hastened their imminent demise. Really does any Liberal really believe that Canadians were not going to turf them out?

Second, Paul Martin ran a pathetic tired old campaign. He failed to fight the good fight, he knew it, the Liberals knew it, Canadians knew it and so he fell on his sword for the good of the Party. It was a campaign fraught with mistakes. But even if it had been picture perfect the Liberals were doomed anyways. Canadians were out to punish them for their moral turpitude.


Finally they had the opportunity to win the NDP's support. They could have simply agreed to look at the NDP proposals to strengthen the Canada Health Act to preclude privatization, an opportunity they were offered and rejected. Rejected arrogantly at the time. The same week they suffered the leak to Bay Street on Income Trusts. Which was the straw that broke the camels back.

In their arrogance the Liberals committed political suicide pushing aside the only party left propping them up with an attitude of a schoolyard nyah, nyah dare ya.

The Liberals lost the election just as they lost the NDP's support because they were arrogant. Pure and simple. So lets quit blaming the NDP when the blame falls squarely on Paul Martin, his handlers and his cabinet.



Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
Liberals, Canada, NDP, politics, Jack Layton, Paul Martin, Gomery, Income Trusts, 2006 Election,