Friday, April 13, 2007

Lizzie an' Stephane, Huggin' a Tree...

... K-I-S-S-I-N-G.

Whooee! Well friends an' foes, the gal I adore, Earth Mother Lizzie May, an' the accidental leader of the Liberals done some bigass wheelin' an' dealin' that's got the pundidiots all hammerin' their keyboards t' beat the band. Some boogers think they're both crazy. Crazy like foxes, sez I.

I been leavin' a couplafew comments out in the boogeysphere an' I'll try t' roll 'em up inta this here boog story.

I reckon this wheelie-deal is fer the good of Canada. I been worryin' a little about how us Greenies might help Harpoon get a majority. I maybe ain't as worried about that possibility as Dion an' Lizzie. I don't see any party gettin' a majority so long as the rotten separatist BlocHeads stay strong like they are in Q-Beck.

Over t' John Murney's fine boog, I commented with somethin' like this --

I been in correspondence with a coupla NS voters an' they say there's considerable anti-MacKay sentiment.

Ultra-partisan polyticks-as-usual with it's kindergarten antics an' House o' Comments name-callin' is wearin' real thin on Canajuns lookin' fer real action an' not just stoopidity in Parliament.

This deal is a shocker mainly on accounta it's something Canajuns ain't seen much of -- co-operation fer the good of Canada.We've entered an era where we are likely to see nothin' but minority gummints fer quite a spell. If parties can demonstrate an ability to co-operate in the highly charged atmosphere of an election campaign, it bodes well for a co-operative and productive parliament.

One o' Murney's commenters sed - "Rule number 1 of any political campaign, don't give your enemy any ammo with which to use against you."

Enemy? Ammo? Is this democracy or war? In a recent speech in Brantford, ON, Lizzie May decried the use of military terminology in party politics and campaign rhetoric. The phrases "war room" and "war chest" were specifically singled out as offensive and unproductive.

The concept that one's fellow Parliamentary candidates are "enemies" upon whom "ammo" is to be discharged is exactly what's wrong with our current stalemated Parliament. Candidates running for Parliament are not enemies. They are concerned Canadians who want to serve their country. They deserve respect but the paleo-partisans cannot bring themselves to work for Canada above working for their party.

What the Cons and NDP need to accept is that the strength of the BQ means that we will have minority government for a long, long time. If we are to be freed from instability and a US-style continuous election campaign, Parliamentarians must learn to co-operate for the good of Canajuns. May and Dion are demonstratin' that such co-operation is possible.

When politicians put the long term good of the country above the short term good of the party, Canajuns win.

JimBobby

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well said. They are simply doing what they are going to have to do in a minority parliament anyway.

Rosie said...

I agree thoroughly. Great post!

Balbulican said...

Very interesting analysis, Jimbo. And this definitely ratchets up the interest factor in the riding.

I was thinking last night about The Debate again, and thinking that lobbying to get Ms. May included should begin NOW, rather than when everyone is all distracted with other issues, and CBC can wring its hands and say "Gee, sorry, too late". Are the Greenies working on that now?

JimBobby said...

Thankee fer chimin' in, fellers an' gal. Balbu, the GPC has been gettin' signatures on a petition re the TV debates for several months. This does afford an opportunity to ratchet that up, like yer sayin'.

I been on this TV debate horse fer a few elections an' I've always sed that if one of the invited debaters threatened to boycott any debates that fail to include the GPC, the Broadcast Consortium would have little choice but to make room. With Lizzie an' Steph all kissyface now, that possibility is perhaps stronger. If I was Lizzie, I'd o' wanted somethin' like that in the deal an' who knows...?

JB

Charles J said...

Brilliant as always.

Ardvark said...

If May is endorsing Dion for PM, what is the point of having her in the debates? To hold Dions hand after he gets smacked around by Harper?

She obviously does not want the job of PM so she should not be in the debates.

Al

JimBobby said...

"She obviously does not want the job of PM so she should not be in the debates."

I've got just two words fer that - Gilles Duceppes.

Ardvark said...

Everybody at the debates is trying to get voter support for themselves/their party, including Duceppe.

You cant have 2 people in the same debate supporting Dion, it just won't work.

Hey Jimbobby, how many Green Party members/supporters do you figure walked away from your party today?

Al

JimBobby said...

Al, the leaders are definin', explainin' and defendin' their parties in the debates. The GPC is, so far, forfeiting just one riding - Dion's. The party is still running against the Liberals in 306 other ridings. Voters in those ridings deserve to know what leader has to say and how she fares versus the men in suits.

Here's how Lizzie pit it in her email to members --

"Please be prepared for this historic step to be misunderstood and deliberately mis-characterized. Adriane Carr, Deputy Leader, is running in Vancouver Centre. We have made it a priority that she win, defeating Liberal incumbent Hedy Fry (by the way, Mr. Dion never asked me to withdraw or alter any other ridings than those of the leaders.) Across Canada, Greens will be running against Liberals. We have significant (huge, when one considers NAFTA and other policy areas) disagreements."

Hardly an endorsemnet of Dion, sez I.

Sadly, co-operation is sorely missing from parliament and with the BQ as strong as it is, minorities will be the norm. Co-operation between parties is not just one way of getting things done - it's the only way to get things done.

How many Greens walked? Who knows? Some, I don't doubt.

How many from other parties are now taking a more serious look at the Greens?

How many who quit voting altogether due to disgruntlement with the system are going to be inspired to vote by this new spirit of co-operation for the sake of the countrty and the planet?

The only GPC members who will be denied a chance to vote for their party will be those in Dion's riding. They have the most to complain about. Like other fiscal conservatives, Greens haven't done too well in Q-Beck. They came in a distant 5th in Dion's ridin' in 2006.

Most Greens I been readin' are sayin' it was a smart political move. I think it'll end up workin' in the party's favour.

JB

Anonymous said...

I love you, JimBobby, because you brighten up lame-ass Fridays at my desk job. Particularly enjoyed your comments on Saskboy's page today. Keep 'er up.