Wow, that last entry was rambling...
Anyway, politics! A Conservative MP, Belinda Stronach, just jumped over to the governing Liberals the other day, just before a vote on the budget that could unseat the Liberals, and the right-wingers are NOT happy. I'm loving it! This has shown the vitriol and sexism in many conservatives with comments like "whoring herself" and "prostituting herself" let alone the usual sexist crap in the papers. Way to hurt yourselves in Ontario, guys!
While I'm no doubt there may well have been some ambition and opportunism involved in her crossing over to a new party, it's no like she didn't have issues with the Tories as they are now, far more to the right than she is socially and salivating to topple the government ever since the polls have shown them with a bit of a lead, and she has made it clear that she wants to wait for the Gomery inquiry into Adscam finish before going into an election. A lot of whiners are complaining she could have sat as an independant, and sure she could have, but frankly an independant has little future in Parliament other than a vote, and while that makes a difference when votes are as close as they have been lately, usually that's not the case. Of course it doesn't hurt that I'm a Liberal myself, so of course this whole thing delights me!
What also delights me is the hypocrisy of Conservatives talking about honour and doing what's right for the country when their leader and deputy leader both used to lead the Canadian Alliance and Progressive Conservatives respectively and they both made promises not to merge with each other and then, well, merged into the Conservative Party. This Conservative Party, so shocked by Stronach's ambition and the Liberals doing whatever they can to stay in party, is the same party that promised to wait until the end of the Gomery inquiry to force an election until polls showed them with a lead, and then they jumped into bed with the separatist Bloc Quebecois to ensure they have (had) the votes. Hip deep in hypocrisy, but that's acceptable here in Alberta because dagnabit, they're conservatives! The West wants in! Why won't that damned Ontario elect right-wingers? Waaaaaa!
The only party to show decorum, taste, and morals are the New Democrats, but I know I'll be too scared of a Conservative win to vote for them. I'm in Anne McLellan's riding anyway, and I like her. She hasn't been tainted with the scandal and I love how badly the right-wing wants her voted out and how hard they've tried election after election.
The Liberals do need to change though, and though I am a lifetime Liberal voter, I'd like to see them out of power for a few years, but only with an NDP government in power. I shudder at the damage Stephen Harper's Conservatives would do in power to our social safety net, and don't get me started on same-sex marriage and other gay rights (the "gay agenda" = equality and fear-free living, how horrendous). What's so scary about debt repayment and lower taxes? I live in Alberta. I've seen the human cost of conservative economics. The only reason we have any sort of safety net left is because of oil.
Which brings me to Albertans bitching about those damned Ontarians. The voice of Western separation is growing! Either BC, Alberta, and Saskatchwan would go together, and both those provinces have elected Liberals and New Democrats to their legislatures and so Alberta would still be pissed off, or Alberta would go it alone, and that would only do well until the oil runs out. It's easy to be an economic conservative when you're flush with oil wealth. Not only that, Alberta hasn't voted a new party to provincial power in over 30 years! They have some gall whining about Ontario and Liberals being in federal power for ten years or so. Damn it, Edmonton wants in! Why won't the rest of the province vote like us so we can have a voice? Waaaaa! It's time for Edmonton to secede from Alberta and form our own province!
posted
by Tabby at 5/19/2005 09:46:00 a.m.
