Monday, December 01, 2008

Let There Be Grown Ups.

Jiffy-Pop heads are popping all over the place as the poor, addled Cons throw themselves to the floor in fits of high drama. The Conservative Television Vehicle (CTV) site has yet more grand tidings for the big, blue weepers and gnashers of teeth. Seems the momentum toward forming a coalition is holding steady and gaining substance. Not only will President Steve be unseated but all of the thoughtful, nuanced economic ideas and diligent recovery efforts of Wee Twinkles Flaherty will be undone. The pending coalition is seeking the help of a council of four elder statesmen to guide the government through difficult financial and economic times. The comments at CTV are hilarious, the talking points have landed!

CTV's Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife reported Monday that the council would comprise Frank McKenna, Paul Martin, John Manley and Roy Romanow.

"This is a way to assure Canadians the economy would be managed properly," Fife told CTV Newsnet.


I can only imagine that Fife, the greasy little Harper suck up, must have gagged and shed a bitter and forlorn tear penning those words. Oh no, not grownups, no fair!

Fife also reported that the coalition government would introduce a $30-billion economic stimulus package and roll back $50 billion in planned corporate tax cuts.


Uh oh. Better hope there are some spare leaf springs from one of the dying SUV plants lying around, 'cos they'll be needing to beef up the shocks on the fainting couches. Poor Twinkles Flaherty, stumbling about in the middle of the road as the blinding lights of political mortality bear down on him. A sweeter repudiation of the Harris team I couldn't ask for, now the only thing trickling down will be the bitter piddle of fear filling Flaherty's shoes.

I don't have much faith in either the Liberals or the NDP but what the hell, better a weak coalition that understands positive compromise than an arrogant minority that can't spell the word. The only thing I'm going to wish for now is that they offer Duceppe a cabinet post, the exploding heads would be audible from quite a distance.

6 comments:

Beijing York said...

Icing on the cake would be: Duceppe, Minister of Canadian Heritage.

Hee, major fireworks.

sassy said...

Beijing - GREAT idea ;), but seriously, we could do worse, at least the Quebecers, as do many other Canadians, understand the importance of culture.

(Without prejudice)

Mike said...

psa, I see we are on the same page.

:D

Southern Quebec said...

Beijing: I was just about to post that...hahahha.

Sassy: The Cons don't need no stinking cultcha...

The Seer said...

I left for the four-day American Thanksgiving talking about Stockwell Day sending Canadian sticks in the mud to reeducation camps. I crawl back into the intertubz Monday morning and everyones all civil unrest all over Canada and threats of a civilian coop de tat (it's Canada, after all, wouldn't want no military in a Canadian coop).

Can somebody bring me up to date and explain for me what's going on?

Cameron Campbell said...

Seer, I'll try. Minority governments can only function if everyone else plays along. Within the rules exists the possibility for the other parties to form a coallition government (I like how everyone points to Italy, as if that is the only place where this happens: New Zealand anyone?).

By constitutional tradition it would appear that since the government is about to fall without even really ever having had the chance to be in charge the Governor General has to give the opposition parties the chance to form a government.

It would appear that the Liberals and the NDP are willing and able to do that. The catch is that htey don't outnumber the Bloc Quebecois. So they need a formal agreement from the Bloc to support them on a day to day basis. For optics reasons they can't invite them into the government and for optics reasons the BQ couldn't accept anyway. So, what you'll have is the BQ supporting them on everything that could possibly bring them down and probably doing some of the heavy lifting when it comes to running interference/attacking the Conservatives (which 1) is what the ROC expects of them and 2) plays well at home).

My guess is, at best, the coallition will be able to hold together for a year (max) and by then: a) The LPC will have gotten a leader b) The NDP will have not made an ass of themselves long enough that people won't freak about them as a bigger party c) Harper will be gone (provoking: c1) A shift to the right with someone even less palatable or c2) A shift to the centre).

Exciting times.