For clarification, the following examples don't qualify:
-Benign press releases, that nobody reads anyways.
-Relying on surrogates for counter, prompting the obvious questions.
-Rationalizing the absence of response, by releasing itineraries for the coming weeks, as though adequate or FORCEFUL. Not that I disagree with what you're doing January 22nd, but that hardly addresses something called a "newscycle".
You get the gist.
As one reporter commented today, there is a "casual" feel to the Liberals. Let me offer a humble opinion, should this vibe continue, expect to get our ASSES KICKED.
You drive me crazy, Liberal Party of Canada, you really, really do.
34 comments:
Whooee! SteveFeller, I been sayin' fer awhile that the Greens oughta swallow up the Libs like the Reforms swallowed up the PC's. We treehuggers got a well-liked, dynamic leader who ain't afraid to open her yap on the important issues. With Harper now touting a carbon tax, we're seein' more proof that the GPC has had the best policies well ahead of the old line do-nuthin' parties.
Yer a bigtime poll-follower, Steve. Imagine if the GPC portion was always added to the LPC portion. The New Libergreens might have a better chance of winnin' over some soft Dippers an' some of the disillusioned non-voters who make up 40% of the electorate.
A merger'd be a good excuse to dump Iggy, too.
Could not have said it better. Milk toast and honey won't work.
SaltAir
"Casual"? Try firmly in the bosom of Morpheus instead. It's like the Bill Murray movie "Groundhog Day." The Libs utterly squandered the opportunity presented when Harper first prorogued Parliament and they seem bound and determined to repeat that blunder this time.
There's one person we know won't be wasting this recess and that's Stephen Harper. He knows the Libs have no policy platform and he knows they're so "casual" that he can recall Parliament, call a snap election and, once again, catch them completely unprepared.
Setting aside our feelings about Harper, can you blame him when the Ignatieff Libs are virtually handing this to him on a platter?
Ignatieff and Layton, too, are indeed squandering a golden opportunity. In other dictatorship with sham democracies, opposition leaders take big risks. The whole world knows the names of Afstan's Abdullah Abdullah a Iran's Mousavi.
We have nothing less than an assault on democracy happening here. Pro-Democracy Rallies are being planned for cities across Canada on January 23.
More than 10,000 have joined the anti-prorogue Facebook group in just 4 days.
The politicians are letting us down but the people are mobilizing. Too bad neither the LPC nor NDP seem to understand what such a popular uprising could mean for them.
I know exactly what you mean here Steve, I've felt frustrated about this for a while now. The LPC needs to get out there in front of the media and challenge Harper at every turn. I can't remember the last time I saw Mr. Ignatieff on the "six o clock news", and when it came to the response time to counter those attack ads against the party leaders, well. The LPC drives me crazy too Steve, however the parties principles (which should be that oh elusive platform) are the most aligned with what makes me Canadian. fairness, equality, prudent financial management, and an over all goal to make the world a better place to live in, these are all qualities the Conservatives will never have. As for the NDP, the only thing that drives that party is the acquisition of Liberal votes at all cost. The Greens, although I think Ms. May has and will continue to play an intricate role, the only way for her to get a seat seems to be some type of candidate strategy amongst party leaders as Chantal Herbert suggest in her most recent column.
I am feeling the same as you Steve and maybe we need to bombard the Liberals contact site with the way we are feeling about their do nothing attitude right now. I know I will be sending them a letter right away with my views.
Hopefully we will see some concrete action and a better 2010 attempt at being a viable opposition party.
Unless the Liberals are prepared to actually bring down the government, this is just more of the tough talk and abstentions that made Dion so impotent.
Only a strong, well funded party can win an election and that only comes when people unite behind a common vision. The leader isn't providing that common vision.
I share your frustration Steve although I disagree with Mound about the Liberals lack of policies.
I would like to see the Liberals react faster and more forcefully when the Conservatives make glaring mistakes like they have made in 2009. However, I happen to like the idea that the Liberals are not putting forward concrete policies at this time. The Conservatives have demonstrated again and again that they are willing to distort Liberal policies and the media has demonstrated again and again that they are willing to let them. Nothing positive can be gained by releasing specific policy proposals in that environment.
As well, just because the Liberals have not been releasing these details does not mean they do not have them. Mr. Ignatieff has made some key policy speeches that have been largely ignored but would seem to indicate that there are policies in the hopper to be released at the right time.
What I would like to see more of is the Liberals talking about how they would govern. Mr. Ignatieff mentioned that in his non-confidence speech but we have not seen any follow through since.
I know some might argue that its the holiday season, nobody is paying attention. I would recommend a review of the summer "break" last year, a "dead" time we've never recovered from. On point, every single minute, every single day, every time, no matter conventional wisdom.
The Seattle Times has a story yesterday where the opposition party leaders were interviewed.
Liberal "house leader" Ralph Goodale and "leader of the NDP" Libby Davies.
This is symptomatic of the tone deafness of both the national opposition parties.
Next time I'm voting Marijuana. Fuck these people and their inability to gauge public opinion and work to shape it.
Michael Ignatieff is a God.
As a Liberal it kills me that Liberal MPs aren't on everything tv show, news paper, radio show and form of social media (twitter, facebook and youtube) with arguments against the government.
The media didn't pay any attention to Stephen Harper when he was running for PM with a five sentence platform, why does Michael Ignatieff believe they will hammer PM Harper on his erosion of Canadian democracy now?
I would add the what the Liberals need is a room full of mouth-breathing, partisans who require no sleep and know how to use the internet to do rapid response on every Con lie/falsehood/embarrassment/failure.
The problem is larger than the Liberals. It's the party system itself. It ain't working anymore. Certainly not in terms of serving and accurately representing the electorate.
Well said, Crystal Ocean.
Ignatieff has been a giant lunch-bag letdown. I'm furious with him and his Davey crew for bumbling away the entire Summer allowing Harper and his thugs the opportunity to strengthen their position - yet again. Either quite now or grow a pair....
Wow, you got linked by Paul Wells! http://www2.macleans.ca/2010/01/03/meanwhile-in-the-liberal-blogosphere/
Rapid response to what?
Where is Iggy anyway? In France?
I heard he's at Tim Horton's trying the new French Onion soup.
I haven't seen Iggy in person...but I did see his face on the back of a milk carton.
Sorry friends, but the Greens have no interest in doing a takeover of the LPC.
The NDP is philosophically aligned with the Greens, and the BQ voters will probably start going over to the NDP in 2014 (when new seats will make it possible to gain a majority without Quebec), since the NDP is a Social Democratic party and the BQ is a National Socialist party, so once again there is common ground.
Unless the LPC actually develops and articulates some real policies, I can see 2014 being the end date for the LPC. Orange Liberals will head for the new Socialist coalition (or whatever the NDP will evolve into) and the remainder will be as relevant to Canadian politics as the Progressive Canadian Party.
Hell of a way to end...
"The NDP is philosophically aligned with the Greens"
That isn't even close to true.
If Iggy is this laid back and nonchalant during a campaign, nobody is going to know he's even there.
Thucydides, you know which party (other than the Bloc) was National-Socialist? The Nazis. Are you saying the NDP and the Nazis have common ground too?
I must say, I do get the sense that Ignatieff does not want the job any more.
I suspect Gayle's right. Iggy never seemed adept at politics as a blood sport. If you don't swing back and swing hard, the schoolyard bully is going to have your lunch money. Ignatieff appears to like to hover above the fray rather than wading into it.
I'm not gonna give up on this party yet. That's why I'm running for VP-Organization of LPC(O). 'cause you can complain all you want, but if you don't have a seat at the table where the decisions are being made, your voice ain't never getting heard (aside from the Paul Wells link of course).
Just sayin'
Who's giving up?
I'm glad you came around.
Most of just want some signs of intelligent life.
Angst doesn't equate to quitting :)
Some of us have lived in angst for the better part of 9 years now. We know the feeling.
As an aside, only 73,000 members were set to have their memberships expire on the 31st of December.
That's nice James ;)
The Dems aren't doing much better these days, either. Both parties appear unwilling or unable to seize the discourse, and instead let conservatives dictate whatever the hell they please.
And I think Gayle has a point. Iggy already had to toss out all his friends and bring in Donolo and the Chretch Crew. Who knows what he's thinking at this point.
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