Chooses himself over his party. If Dion loses this election, and let's be honest, it looks like they will, Dion promises to fight to stay on as the Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada.
While this is likely good news for the Conservatives, it is horrible news for the Liberal Party. Stephane Dion was almost no ones first choice as leader. When he was elected the leader, half the Liberals in the room turned on their heels and left.
Dion is not a leader, if he was a leader he would step aside for the good of the party. It is like his French citizenship, he would only renounce the citizenship if it would hurt his electoral prospects. By Dion staying on as Leader of the Liberal Party, he will start another civil war.
Dion's strident tone may raise eyebrows in Liberal circles where private reaction to his campaign performance has typically ranged from tepid praise to hand wringing. Dion, a political scientist and former professor of public administration, has a reputation for tenacity and a mile-wide stubborn streak.
Of course as a Conservative, I welcome this war, it will allow Harper to govern as if he has a majority even if he doesn't. However I do think it shows Dion's lack of judgement, integrity, and sense of good for the party he professes he loves.
Stephane Dion is not a leader.
11 comments:
I agree with your findings except for one. It would be foolhardy for a leader to say in advance that he would step down if he looses the vote. That says that if I cannot run the sandbox I don't want to play.
He is best to wait like P. Martin did until after the vote is held. I would imagine that Dion will stay on as leader until the next leadership review as a caretaker, then he will have to fight to retain it and likely lose to an even more left wing nutcase - B. Rae.
Some people can never take a hint. I suspect Dion is one of them.
In a losing position, if the electorate reduces the number of seats held by any party, it would normally be a pretty clear indication to any leader that while they may think that they and their policies/leadership are good for their country, their country thinks otherwise.
In the end, it really matters not, as the decision about who will lead the Liberals will be made by fellow Liberals and in that respect when looking in my crystal ball, his chances for being there through the next election don't look good. He may be permitted to hold on to the position until they find themselves on a better financial footing but that will be the sole reason for permitting his leasehold on the leadership.
If the Liberals go beleow 80 seats DIon will be forced out if he doesn't resign. I think the big question will be whether or not Stepehn Harper would stick it out until the next election - he'll probably have to becasue the minority can fall, but maybe he'll resign. If he does, who will replace him, Peter Mackay? Jim Prentice? Jim Flaherty?
I am not calling for his resignation, just speculating.
I still think a Grand Coalition could be a possibility!
80 seats or 95 seats, Dion is history if Harper gets a renewed minority mandate. Dion is disliked by everyone who matters - voters, Liberal candidates and Liberal leadership hopefuls -- he has zero chance of surviving the mandatory leadership review at the next AGM. The longer he stays on, the less monies the party can raise. He will be bought off with promises to repay his massive debts and he will slink into the night. Should he win, I will slink off to some distant corner where I can await the return of sanity to my beloved land.
But who would they choose to be interim leader if Dion were to step down? Rae? Iggy? Imagine the turmoil then - knives out, gentlemen!
If there is going to be an attempt at a grand coalition, the one person you want leading the Conservatives is PMSH.
I'm deeply concerned about our country. Time after time Quebekers run to the Bloc to hold the rest of Canada hostage.
I just can't help thinking that our best will never be good enough for Quebec.
''Grit insider Ray Heard:
"Its all part of a secret deal between Dion and May. ....This, friends, is another Liberal farce that will end in tragedy. I shall be the first (admittedly sorely jaundiced) Liberal to call for Dion's head when the votes are in late Tuesday."
http://bourque.org/
I doubt that they will choose someone who is a possible new leader. Perhaps they would choose someone from thier new generation such as Ruby Dhalla. I doubt that a lot of the old guard will be interested.
Under no circumstance will be a grand coalition between the Liberals and the Conservatives.
They are, at least for now, the yin and the yang of Canadian politics, which frankly most voters need in order to arrive at a decision on election day. Too many choices and it becomes even more of an exercise in dart board technique for the majority of voters who pay very little attention to the actual platforms of the respective parties. That is why we see, with some regularity, fear-based advertising during election campaigns. The ads generally work because most voters are motivated by how they 'feel', not by how they 'think'. They don't know how they 'think' because they have never spent much time learning about the issues, but they always know how they 'feel'.
You might see one or the other of elected MP's crossing the floor but there will never be a mass agreement to cooperate.
Any coalition will be between the NDP and the Red/Green (read Liberal) Party. As was seen during the Peterson Liberal days in Ontario. That was only the prelude to disaster as it set the groundwork for acceptance of the NDP government that eventually followed.
I certainly hope the Nutty Professor has to be dragged kicking and screaming from his leadership post in the Liberal Party. That should drive a further wedge between the various factions. With the Liberals already being in debt over their heads this should provide a wonderful spectacle for us all.
Quebecois are shrewd operators, they know that no matter what happens, a strong Bloc contingent gets them coddled for the next session of Parliament.
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