NeoCons NeoCan’t bully Canadians
Cats: Canada, politics|The NeoCons won in Canada last night – but they only won a minority.
More than anything, NeoCon Harper wanted his majority so he could let his NeoCon pit bulls out of the pen and push his NeoCon agenda down the throat of Canada.
But he didn’t get his majority, did he? And he wanted that majority. That’s why he broke his own law on fix-date elections and pulled this election out of the hat, one year before he said he was going to call it.
It’s actually not a bad scenario for those of us who don’t buy into his ideologically driven political party and thinking. He didn’t win because Canadians like him or his politics. He won by exploiting weakness in the other major party.
With a NeoConservative minority, the Liberals now have a chance to jettison Leader Dion and find a better alternative to Harper.
And with a recession looming, market losses, job losses, economic uncertainty, Harper will have a tough job pushing through his hard-headed NeoConisms.
There were moments in this campaign when it looked as though he might get his coveted majority.
But he didn’t.
Harper can bully those around him. But he can’t bully the electorate.
And that alone is cause for celebration.
October 15th, 2008 at 10:16 am
What an apathetic country we have though. Fifty seven percent of voter turnout? Are you kidding me? Now we are stuck with Harper again? Not that I expected anything different, Canadian’s seem to forget the past as easily as they forget to vote.
October 15th, 2008 at 10:38 am
I wasn’t surprised with the result, but I was sadden by the voter turn out rate. One of the lowest in years. That’s depressing me today.
October 15th, 2008 at 11:40 am
The low voter turn-out was shocking!!! It should be a federal crime not to vote, like in Australia! And I am dead serious … it should be as key to the straight and narrow as paying income tax … but without the no-pay threshold.
October 15th, 2008 at 11:55 am
Lisa it is depressing.
Allison, and sad, as you say.
Tonardo, of course the last thing most politicians – save the Greens – want is for everyone to get out and vote. Harper would be toast. But it would be funny to see you average complacent Canadian getting hitting the streets to protest their right not to vote.
October 15th, 2008 at 5:02 pm
As a newcomer to Canada, I’ve been watching the election unfold with interest. I think the main problem has been that many people identify more with the liberal platform, but they can’t picture Dion as leader of the country. I have a hard enough time picturing him as the leader of a scout troop. Hopefully now, as you say, someone with a more realistic chance of running the country can now come to the fore. I’d like to see Ignatief, myself.
October 15th, 2008 at 6:58 pm
I knew the Conservatives would win in my riding, followed by the NDP, and then the Liberals. I voted, but not voting wouldn’t have changed the outcome, which may be why people aren’t voting.
With proportional representation your vote would count, and more people would probably vote.
October 15th, 2008 at 11:40 pm
Your post is the most positive take on the election I have seen all day. Thanks for helping me feel better about the whole thing.