Now, the Trawna Star speculates that maybe Lizzie's workin' alongside Dion and not really upstaging him.
The Green party, meanwhile, will leap out ahead of the Liberal announcement today with a detailed accounting of its carbon-tax proposal. With its more sweeping taxes and savings, the Green plan may help pave the way to making the Liberal plan look more modest and practical, though Green Leader Elizabeth May, already in an informal co-operation pact with Dion, says that's not the motivation.
Here are the big differences, based on what's known now of the plans.
The Greens are calling for $40 billion in tax increases on carbon – $50 a tonne – including higher prices at the gas pump. Sources say Liberals will propose more modest tax increases – about $14 billion, and no increases in gasoline prices.
The Greens and Liberals are both promising "revenue neutral" tax shifts. But the Greens, with larger increases, are proposing more sweeping decreases in income taxes, including "income splitting" to allow couples to pool their income to pay the lowest tax rate. It's said that income-splitting is not foreseen in the Liberal scheme.
The Liberals' plan includes large personal and corporate income tax refunds, including wider use of "refundable" tax credits that put money in the pockets of those who don't make enough to pay tax. The Greens also propose to ease the tax burdens of seniors and students.
I ain't sure how much of what Lizzie announces today will be new policy. Vision Green spells out pretty much everything the Greens propose on tax-shifting, carbon taxes and anti-poverty solutions. These policies are contained in different sections of the policy book. I suspect Lizzie'll just be wrapping up existing GPC policy in a neat and tidy package so the public and MSM can wrap their brains around it more easily without reading 150+ pages of Vision Green.
The timing is interesting, I'll allow. Since our GPC policy has been relatively accessible for some time, I don't think the timing is too big an issue. It ain't like Lizzie's coming out with some brand new policy, like Dion's gonna be doin' tomorrow. Also, the media ain't gonna give Lizzie's announcement the sorta coverage they'll give Dion. I don't even know when or where Lizzie's gonna be stumpin'.
I think Lizzie's timing speaks to the fact that Greens have gained big support over he past couple years. Dion, as I blogged earlier, is actively wooing GPC supporters with a message crafted to attract soft Green votes. The same Star article I quoted above says the Liberals are planning to use the slogan, "Shift happens." How original!
JimBobby
UPDATE: Plan is released. http://www.greenparty.ca/en/releases/18.06.2008
3 comments:
Strikes me that it is just good timing for May. As you say, the GP doesn't get the same amount of press as the LPC, but there is attention focussed on this issue now and perhaps May will get more press than she otherwise would. If she waits until after Dion, it may get lost in the pro-con of the LPC plan.
Personally, I was hoping "shift happens" was just wrong press. I have a lot of respect for GP messaging because it is informative and positive. (Nothing wrong with critical, as long as it is informative.) But slogans based on wordplay with profanities seem a bit lazy and negative. Occasionally it is clever (fcuk made out on this because of the double take required) but this is rare. Maybe the GP as an up and comer can get away with this, but I hope the LPC doesn't use this slogan.
I agree with you, Catherine, on the profane slogans. To me, it just seems juvenile. Like that "Flick off" thing. I'd seen it used before wrt the GPC tax-shift but I don't think it was widely adopted. Just like to rub it in that the Grits are lifting GPC stuff, lock, stock and barrel.
JB
I like what you said on Scott's blog, Jim Bobby. Just as the Liberals have the right to steal policy from the Greens, the Greens have the right to fight to keep their supporters. I think that's a good line to use.
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