Well, the polls are closed in Victoria, Calgary, and Durham, ON so it’s time for some results. Since the voters of Durham were foolish enough to stick with Oda after her first waves of scandal until she burned out from too much $16 orange juice, they obviously stuck with the party of election fraud, and voted another Conservative drone into Harper’s harem. In Calgary, things were much more interesting, as the Liberals and Greens both have returns thus far as well over 30% and 24% respectively. The Greens last time got 10%, so this may signal that Chris Turner is awesome, or that Calgary isn’t as the Conservative ‘majority’ suggests it is.
What the results in Calgary also show is that the Liberals, Greens, and NDP are going to have to co-operate before the next general election in order to game the system as the Conservatives have. Why pretend the old traditions matter, when doing so ensures national defeat and disgrace? As Brandon explains, it’s not like Canada is a functioning democracy right now anyway. It can be again, with the right people in power, willing to fix our democratic institutions upon election.
Before you get indignant and say, “We can’t ‘game the system,” I have to remind you that Harper did with election fraud, statistically demonstrated, with audio recordings and reporting in the media of the resulting crimes. By comparison, co-operating to decide using votes which candidates party leaders will authorize to run in specific ridings, is not a crime. We actually expect our politicians to work together to make our country better, except now they have to do it outside of the House, and where the personal stakes are higher. Are they up to the task?
Every single one of them is dreaming of the day they get to wield that power for themselves.
The day they get to reshape Canada in their image.
That’s why Canadians are left to *facepalm* as we watch the Left push and shove and denigrate one another.
While the Right stands quietly to the sidelines and snickers.
For some reason the Left has refused to learn the lesson that by helping each other we all win.
And so the Right takes the crown with the plurality of votes, under the shadow of a compromised Electoral process.
And Canadians end up the losers.
Let’s stop being losers, and set aside partisan politics for one whole year as if we were at war with an enemy hell bent on destroying our democratic systems our Greatest Generation fought tooth and nail to protect. It’s not so far-fetched a scenario.
UPDATE: There’s the little matter of Victoria too, tonight:
https://twitter.com/0_Canada/status/273287262140235776
You should read this about Galloway in Victoria.
Well it’s almost 1am here, and it looks like the NDP has kept Victoria, with the Greens about 1100 votes behind, just 3%.
UPDATE: Turner adds his thoughts.
Saskboy's Abandoned Stuff 
In a way, perhaps the Liberal resurgence under the insubstantial, but very handsome, Justin Trudeau, could help snap the NDP out of its self-imposed stupor. Work together to defeat the genuine threat to democracy. Legislate proportional legislation and destroy the harpercons as a political force.
That is what should have been done, in the Federal election. There should have been a coalition, to keep Harper out. It’s too late now, Canada is all but destroyed and sold out to China, by Harper. The only politician that spoke up against Harper’s treachery, was Elizabeth May. As Elizabeth May said. Harper gave China the right to sue anyone blocking them from, doing anything they choose to do to Canada.
In a dictatorship. There is no Democracy. Our Civil Rights and Liberties have been taken from us. Our Freedom of Speech under attack. Even our Human Rights are being eroded.
What have the opposing party’s done about this treachery? Absolutely nothing.
Doncha’ just love when lefties speak?
Hate to be the one to tell you Julie… but you had a coalition. Don’t you remember? It was the one signed by Count Iggy, E Jack U Layton and Gilles Duceppe? Sound familiar? They were gonna’ share power together with Lizard May if the Conservatives didn’t get a majority. Now do you remember?
Imagine, back room old boys deals as to who would get to assume power and your party didn’t even tell you about it.
Wow, that’s democracy? Hmmmmmmm….
Idiot.
It should’ve worked. It’s been done before, after all, with democracy none the worse for it.
So let me get this straight… in order to ‘protect’ Canada’s “democratic systems” from the “enemy” you want to “game the system”. In such a way, to protect our democracy, that “party leaders will authorize (which candidates)” will be allowed to run in the election. “party leaders” will decide which political party’s are allowed to run in each riding.
[ADMIN: They already do decide. When more Canadians see that awful power they’ve entrusted to party leaders, they’ll be more able to understand how party politics works and how it doesn’t resemble the democracy they think they live in.]
Who will be allowed to run for office, as decided by “party leaders”, will be decided by … what?… ‘special vote’? Do ‘special people’ get to decide? Will the vote be open to all? Don’t we already call THAT an election?
[ADMIN: That will be worked out by people looking to defeat Conservatives, so you don’t get a direct say.]
What happens to your partys principles when there is divergence of opinion, in say hmmmmm… ethical oil sands? You talk of threat to democracy but you are willing to give up all pretense of beliefs and values in order to achieve that ever elusive throne of power. To rule as the Gang of Four. Interesting that, the Gang of Four… a similar regime. Interesting THAT… gang. This very blog has decried the tactic of bullying, yet, when the time convenient, has no qualms of joining that very gang. Funny that.
[ADMIN: You can’t count. 4? Green, NDP, Liberal. Hmm, 4? Idiot.]
Oh, and one more thing, because you are such a dolt… that “Greatest Generation (who) fought tooth and nail to protect (our democratic systems)” were of ALL political stripes. They fought with their hearts and lives because they believed they held our future in their hands.
[ADMIN: And with this plan they’ll see all political stripes more fairly represented in the House, and an end to the Harper Conservatives reign of dumb.]
They were right.
Saskboy, the source of redjeff’s shamelessness is now totally clear. It comes from the level of stupidity that inspired this post of his!
He’s just a very, very stupid young man who hasn’t a clue what he’s saying. He has no idea what he’s defending or what he’s attacking.
I don’t think he has the excuse of being young, unfortunately.
So just to clarify… correct me if I’m wrong…
In order to ‘protect’ Canada’s democracy, ensuring fairness to all, you want to run parallel elections, elections in which only a chosen few, your friends and confederates (whereas “ADMIN: you don’t get a direct say.”), get to choose. After such a vote “party leaders” get to choose who the electorate can vote for.
These are the same “party leaders” (who will “will authorize (those) to run in specific ridings”) you entrust, yet at the SAME time you say “When more Canadians see that awful power they’ve entrusted to party leaders, they’ll be more able to understand how party politics works and how it doesn’t resemble the democracy they think they live in.”?
Isn’t that oxy-moronic?
Once you have achieved power by restricting peoples choice, and in order to protect democracy, you further want to alter our voting system to permenantly ensure that a coalition including yourselves will perpetually have power.
Yeah, that’s democracy for sure.
Oh, one more thing… “[ADMIN: You can’t count. 4? Green, NDP, Liberal. Hmm, 4? Idiot.]”. Green, NDP, Liberal and Bloc. They had that verbal agreement thingy to prop up the others, the libdipps couldn’t do it between the 2 of them.
Idiot is appropriate tho!!! ;)
You can’t add an extra party just to make your counting correct; I never mentioned the Bloc, there’d be no reason to include them in this plan, just as there is no reason to include you.
People don’t lose their choices if parties work something out, because people already have lost their choice, they just don’t understand yet.
Claiming that a proportional system will put “yourselves perpetually in power”, shows an intentional misunderstanding of PR, and democracy. The people should always be in power. To assume that only the left and moderates will benefit from PR is short sighted, but what I’d expect from you and Conservatives who can’t even remember as far back as 1993.
Friends, a chosen few, deciding how to contest general elections, is how this country and party politics works. You don’t have the right to join every party to elect every leader and nominate every candidate, even if you desire that much say. We don’t simply have to play by the rigged rules built so only the Liberals and Conservatives have a realistic shot at forming the governing set of MPs and selecting a Prime Minister.
You can’t subtract a party that was an equal partner to the hijacking of the democratic process… that would be called a lie. The fact that the Bloc-heads are a direct competition for the Quebec Democratique Partie doesn’t go unnoticed either!! Nycole Turmel… NDP chief AND Bloc Quebecois party member (at the same time!!!!). Yet by your OWN one sided vision “You don’t have the right to join every party to elect every leader and nominate every candidate”. Would NDP interm leader Nycole be one of those you disenfanchise?
By running parallel private elections for friends and family to restrict the publics voting choice, how do you come up with “People don’t lose their choices if parties work something out”. The same parties that “When more Canadians see that awful power they’ve entrusted to party leaders, they’ll be more able to understand how party politics works and how it doesn’t resemble the democracy they think they live in.”
I don’t thimk Canadians are too willing to follow your vision of ‘The people, Friends, a chosen few, should always be in power.’
My advice? Latch onto the lieberals ASAP… as soon as Justine is annointed Caesar there won’t be enough soil to bury the NDPQ corpses!!
I had a reply typed on another computer, and must have missed publishing it. Nevermind, here’s a fun link to throw at you
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2008/12/01/coalition-talks.html
You can see 3 leaders. Since you’re talking about the past, and I’m talking about the future, you couldn’t count then, and can’t count now, so I don’t hold out hope you’ll learn yet.
Your misunderstanding of proportional representation, and how it is a benefit for everyone (even Conservatives), is laughable too. You can’t remember 1993’s results for the PCs, it seems. 2015 should look about like that also if we have to wait that long for an election.
I know one thing about proportionate representation… the more pigs at the trough the more the farmer pays for slop. Look at Europe.
One ‘small’ question. Seeing as how each member of the Greenlibdipp Alliance is either broke or in debt, how do you propose to pay for these national (?) private for friends and family only elections?
I’m still fuming about the back-room deal between elites that robbed voters of the opportunity to vote for either the Progressive Conservatives or the Canadian Alliance.
And what about the elites in the MLPC who refuse to run a candidate in Forest Hill?? Depriving those citizens of their right to accept or reject socialist revolution at the ballot box.
I think red-shit-jeff-head is on to something here!
Do you think he cares how stupid he makes himself look? Nope, he has a throw-away ID that he’ll happily toss one day years from now when he tries to troll elsewhere.
I mean, he cannot count to three in an honest way.
http://montrealsimon.blogspot.ca/2012/11/will-progressives-defeat-themselves.html
http://www2.macleans.ca/2012/12/01/gaming-the-system-2/