Monday, April 25, 2005

Should Jack Support Paul?

Idle speculation time: There's been some talk of a deal between the Libs and the NDP where Jack would support the budget without the corporate tax breaks. It's a sensible deal, and Jack's a good MP for trying to put governance ahead of ambition.

That said, is it good for the party? Doesn't Jack risk being painted with the same brush as the Liberals when (not if) the government falls? At the very least, he's given Harper a simple retort every time Jack talks smack about the Liberals - "If you think they're so bad, why did you support them?" I think there's a reasonable argument to be made that Jack's doing exactly what he should be doing, but I honestly don't know if it will help him in the election.

On the other hand, it's put his name and the party in all the headlines for the last few days. You know what they say - no such thing as bad publicity.

Any comments? Who thinks Jack's doing the right thing? Who thinks he's writing his own epitaph? Does anyone else think that the Lenin quote "We support the Labour party like the noose supports the hanged man" is appropriate?

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

the public's memory is notoriously short. Let's see how the media swings it.

JimBobby said...

Whooee! JohnFeller, yer right as rain. I reckon it's the best thing coulda happened when ol' Fartin' Martin turned down HappyJack's offer. Now, ol' Laydown can say he tried t' do the good thing but Polly Wolly wouldn't play ball.

If they do end up makin' a deal, it'll be jest like you sez. All the votin' public'll remember's that Laydown an' Polly was in bed together. My ol' Pappy used t' say if you lay down with dogs, you get up scratchin'. Ol' Layton'll be scratchin' fer votes if he lays down with Martin.

Yores trooly,
JimBobby

Mark Richard Francis said...

Oops! Negotiations are back on again...

By not propping up the gov, Layton would be effectively lying in bed with Harper, no?

Is Harper not lying in bed with the Bloc? Not in terms of overt cooperation, but in terms of letting the Bloc get away with a likely increased seat count, and unfettered provincial influence. Duceppe will be heading to lead the PQ soon, you kown. Harper is looking at the PMs seat, and is ignoring his duty to this country to work for a while to get Quebec back onside. For goddness sake, even with the Bloc having this much support, one out of two Quebecers don't vote Bloc. Can't this be improved a bit before we go into an election? Shouldn't the CPC spend some time getting support there? Seems to me, as always lately, these conservatives treat Quebec as an afterthought, a lost cause. And Quebec notices.

Harper, I think, finds the premise of Canada as a country amusing. It's not something he takes seriously. He's regional man, and Quebec is something he's prepared to sacrifice.

Anonymous said...

So far, it looks as if the media have found it refreshing. And I suspect the public will as well. Just think--a politician interested in what policies actually pass, in what the government actually does!
The Libs, the Cons and the Bloc are all scrambling to put in the knives (or duck them in the case of the Libs). Who speaks for Canada? Jack Layton, that's who.

Anonymous said...

"Is Harper not lying in bed with the Bloc? Not in terms of overt cooperation, but in terms of letting the Bloc get away with a likely increased seat count, and unfettered provincial influence..."

If I'm reading this correctly, supporting graft & corruption is a better idea? Or ransoming said support? hmmm...

Alternatively, why are you not saying "the Bloc is laying down with Harper"? I believe that BQ has voted MORE with the Libs than the Conservatives - the main issue they agree on is the stench of Adscam and the other 28 and counting scandals.

If you check the papers, you'll see that the CPC IS getting candidates in place in PQ so they have an option between corruption & separation. Whether the voters in PQ take them up on it is up to them.

You may want to check the history books for politics between '72 & roughly '76/77 for what happened to the NDP the last time they were "lying in bed" with the Liberals.