The Hook

Minimal media coverage

This is pretty damaging news for the NDP Bloc Liberal coalition . There seems to be a media void going on around this story . Nothing on the CBC , Nothing on the National Post. The Globe allowed 3 comments and squashed the story only CTV and the Hook are reporting on it. What's up with that.

Atom

Probably because few see any problem with what was said or any problem with the Bloc and NDP talking to each other.

Jack Layton, NDP Leader

"And I’ll just say one other thing about the issue of the Bloc: nothing could be better for our country, than to have the fifty members who’ve been elected to separate Quebec to actually helping to make Canada a better place."

Glad to know that you're all for knocking the wind out of the separatists sails and a strong, united and better Canada Jack. I wonder how the hard-core Bloquists will think. Maybe you should bounce this plan off of Pauline Marois too. If you don't someone else will.

realisticman

Of course you said nothing against the Cons when they were talking to the Bloc back when it was the Paul Martin gov't they wanted to defeat.

Martin gov't in 2002?

"Blog commenters are already pointing out that Harper himself talked to the Bloc and NDP in 2002 when he thought the minority Paul Martin government might be overthrown by a coalition."

I think you mean 2005, Crawford.

realisticman

As Gilles said in the debate, he's the only one saying "buy Canadian". Guess he's got a streak of patriotism in him after all.

As for Iggy, I'm sure he'd be delighted.

Harper Socialists and Separatists

The fauxTory sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander...

http://www.cbc.ca/sunday/harper.html

By now, Harper's hubris must be apparent to any reality-based sentient being :

http://blog.macleans.ca/2008/11/28/a-trip-down-minority-government-memory-lane/

How soon they forget

Now what position did Lucien Bouchard have in Brian's cabinet?

Two can play that game my friend - I think as long as the Bloc are at the table that's a good thing - but then, I remember when the FLQ was kidnapping people and blowing up mailboxes.

Funny thing about sitting down and having dinner with a bloke, it makes both of you realize neither of you have spots.

I don't think the Liberals are being dragged anywhere - thankfully there are a few of them who care for the future of the country too.

But really, I'd like to have been behind the scenes when Harper and his mates cooked up this 'boner' [jeff simpson's term, not mine].

Six of one.........

From Ambrose Bierce's The Devil's Dictionary :

"When Adam dolve and Eve span, who then was the gentleman?"

Thanks for that Red Tory

I especially liked this, the irony being, as it were so rich:

The government can only be brought down because it alienates several parties in the House. And the first obligation in this Parliament, if the government wants to govern, it has to come to Parliament and it has to show that it can get the support of the majority of members, through the Throne Speech, through legislation, and through budget and supply, and the government to this point has made no effort to do that, but that's its first obligation.

I wonder if Stephen has that little aphorism on his wall?

CBC Reports

Well I just listened to the CBC's spin on this story . They did not print or play the recording but selectively quoted a few small parts leaving out anything damaging then had interviews to get the Liberal and NDP points of view. Truly abysmal journalism . And to think we as tax payers spend nearly 2 billion a year to keep the CBC running.

Atomicrayco

Tune in Global - when they're done rebroadcasting cheap American entertainment I'm sure they'll give you something more to your taste...

You can get the whole story here:

http://billtieleman.blogspot.com/2008/11/mexican-standoff-in-ottawa-are-they-all.html

Last post on comments page - CBC news release

And, just for verisimilitude

And to point out that if events unfold as they seem inclined to do that there appears to be little or no choice in the matter of what the GG will have to do:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081128.wGG29/BNStory/Front

Now maybe Harper will declare the War Measures ACT - there's always that.

It's not news, just common sense.

Does anybody here really believe that the that the three parties in opposition would not be talking to each other about ways to keep Harper honest, amoung other issue of mutual concern? I think they would have to be incompetent not to do that.

I Now find myself considering real estate in Arizona

What's sauce for the goose...

Why, it seems like an eternity that we had progressive Americans ready to flee North if their country couldn't get its shit together.

With this bone-headed power grab by the discredited opposition parties, I now think "hey they have it together down South...maybe I'll check in those depressed housig markets---before ours crumble under this weak-kneed bunch of idiots".

Please check out how well coalition governments work in other countries. I know I'd be proud to throw my hat in with: Germany (at each other throats, highest tax regime in EU), India (they shoot their anarchists there, so maybe not so bad after all); Afghanistan (!!!!) Iraq (!!!!), Gaza (!!!); Lebanon (!!!) Israel (!!!!)---what can we say about that part of the world?---Belgium (french/anglos coalition and we know how well that works) and Italy. Well, at least you can get a decent espresso in Italy---though not a train.

Nice crowd to be associated with. Give yourselves a pat on the back, people.

Harper's lesson

What Harper and his acolytes never understood is they are in the same position as the Liberals and NDP. Not enough seats to govern as they wish. The difference is the Libs and NDP are willing to work with other parties, the CPC not so much.

Sounds good on paper - Frank

The difference is the Libs and NDP are willing to compromise their ideals and commingle with the other parties and have plotted this caper for a long time, as Jack Layton categorically told us yesterday. The NDP got together with the Bloc, he said, and they had the outline of the prank. The second act was written as a template and when the Conservatives presented their Economic and Fiscal Statement they just slotted it into the previously hatched plan, irregardless of what the Statement contained.

Even Will McMartin, here at the Tyee, attempted to analyze the Statement on November 28th to guess at what so incensed the opposition. This was, as we now know, a futile task since the horse had already bolted on cue regardless as to the reason why.

The posters and pundits that supported this subterfuge have also been following a script. Reading Jack Layton's conference call transcript we can all now clearly see how the propaganda was dictated to the troops, with all the key anti-Harper buttons highlighted for consistency and emphasis, in the prayerful dream that something might stick on the gullible public, and the Bloc, to maintain the momentum which would suck up the Liberals as it slithered onto the national stage.

This pre-cooked coup scripted by the party that garnered 18% of the vote in the last election (that means 82% didn't vote NDP), with the connivance of the party unwaveringly dedicated to break up the country gives a clear idea as to the type of governance and subterfuge we can anticipate if they do indeed pull the wool over our eyes and we tolerate Act 3.

Would the Conservatives like to work constructively with these people? I hope not so much.

Coalition governments not so shabby

Countries which often operate with coalition cabinets include: the Nordic countries, the Benelux countries, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Turkey, Israel, Pakistan, India Switzerland and New Zealand.

Et too Jack

I am shocked and dismayed by the recent actions taken by Jack Layton
All of this talk of needing a stimulus was just BS the GDP grew by 1.3% the BMO showed a record profit unemployment is at it's lowest in 30 years the economy is doing fine except for Ontario, It was not about federal funding It all seemed like lame excuse for voting out Harper.
There is no economic emergency.
Now I find out that Jack has been cooking a back-room deal up with the Separatist Block. the party that wants to ruin Canada . This is no fabrication by Harper and his cronies Jack was caught red handed. I read the transcript. And worse ,teaming up with the corrupt liberals . This looks like nothing more than an opportunistic power grab,
What happened to NDP morals . As of a day ago the NDP could hold their heads high as keepers of the moral high ground in the house,They may not have achieved power but we were the social conscience of the country. Now they are even slimier than Harper and Dion. This move by Jack has seriously damaged the credibility of the party and is more something worthy of teflon John Chretian or Mulroney
I am disgusted ,

Adam Ray

Atom

You're not disgusted by the Conservatives mimicking Richard Nixon and taping an NDP caucus meeting eh? Instead you're disgusted that the NDP and the Bloc were talking? Whatever.

The true Conservative spots

From the Hill-Times :

"Meanwhile, Conservative sources, in not-for-attribution-based interviews, said Mr. Harper's attempted strategy to cut public subsidies to political parties was a brilliant attempt to "kill" his political enemies.

"This is brilliant. This is good stuff, it's just that the timing is really bad. There's just so much money for the Conservatives right now, it doesn't harm them one little bit. In fact, I'm sure they'll get more money by doing that from the grassroots. It's good stuff and it really hurts the other parties. It kills them, it kills the enemy," said a former senior Conservative Hill staffer."

Let's see now, killing the NDP, Greens, Bloc and Liberals would leave us with just one party. The party that realisticman and Atom like to see have no opposition to their plans of stripping the right to strike from workers, getting rid of pay equity for women and watching the manufacturers of Canada slide into the abyss with nothing more than a cheery wave from the bleachers.

Without opposition parties this would mean they could gleefully rejoice in reports of abused children being blacked out because it didn't say anything positive about the dominant party.

Politics are a dirty game,

Politics are a dirty game, no matter who, or where.

So, what else is new ? What's to be upset about the obvious? So, they talk behind the scenes? Some of my best friends here are red hot Reform/CRAPP/BCLib supporters, so what ? We can still have good times and help each other, we just don't fight.

A coalition could work, just as a business can work with the management and the employees being members, or supporters of various political parties and religions,with all of that nonsense buried to make a living.

The same applies to running a country. If the Conservatives and Labour could work together in Britain's coalition during the war years, with business, instead of ideological idiocies on their minds, the PQ can also work with the other two on bread and butter issues.

In any case, the deal they've cooked up, is only for 2.5 years and I hope they can make it work.

As far Dion being whatever and under resignation, Trudeau also resigned after having been beaten by Clark, then came back with a majority.

Dion may be a poor communicator and showman, but could indeed become a good coalition leader.

Nice to see Adam now signing his name and hope others will follow suit.

No paper will publish letters under phony names, with some very rare and serious exceptions, I can't see why these blogs are permitting this nonsense.

Ed Deak.

Frank - here's that Hidden Agenda

You're getting a bit provincial and Provincial but I guess that is all part of Jack Layton's game, now we see his Hidden Agenda. Jack gives all the troops, and I guess you're one, the key phrases to sing over and over as he planned it long ago; he tells us. So all you need to do is follow the script and keep singing the NDP hymn and glory shall be yours.

It's going to be an electric show!

The stock-market has responded to these 'experts' taking over. By noon today the TSX is down 700 points! More than 7%! Better not take that retirement yet because your pension plan might be a bit short.

Meanwhile, illuminating the disaster as Jack and commies see it the economy is actually still OK. Just like Stephen Harper and Jim Flaherty said it was.

Globe and Mail Update

December 1, 2008 at 10:21 AM EST

OTTAWA — The Canadian economy managed to expand at a 1.3 per cent annual pace in the third quarter, despite continuing declines in the export sector and rapidly fading personal spending by consumers.

It was the strongest pace of growth in a year, and made Canada one of the few advanced countries in the world to show any expansion between July and September.”

realisticman

Actually it was the Conservatives that sent out the memo to you and your buddies. You can read it in the Globe if your email was down and you missed it.

As for the TSX, geez, its been falling most days while your Cons are in power but sudden;y today its the NDP's fault. Is the US market also falling because of the NDP in Canada? I would think that would make a fun column to read in the Wall Street Journal tomorrow.

Here's some quotes you'll like

"The North American automakers are on the verge of bankruptcy. Plants are closing, including Magna International's recent announcement of 850 layoffs in the Toronto area. Consumer confidence is at a quarter-century low, according to the Conference Board. Everyone, it seems, is asking for a bailout.

"People are definitely afraid and the real bad numbers are yet to come out," Drummond said.

"The U.S. is free falling like a stone. We haven't seen it spread to Canada fulsomely yet despite the whacking of the forestry and the automobile industry, but I still think that's got to drag us down."

Many analysts see the string of not-awful real numbers coming to a quick end as early as this week with the release of the jobs report and new figures for home and auto sales.

"The important figure is the unemployment rate," says Mike McCracken of Infometrica economic research firm. "That is the first test of what is happening in November (after the stock market crash)".

Economists see Canada shedding between 20,000 and 40,000 jobs in November, and they see those numbers as the beginning of a slide that could last two years.

There is clear evidence that Canada is about to go through a milder version of what has been happening in the United States since January, where one million jobs vanished in 10 months. Or perhaps not a mild version at all.

How bad could it get? Very bad.

McCracken says his pessimistic scenario - which is becoming more realistic by the day - is for Canada to lose 600,000 jobs over the next two years. That's opposed to the about 300,000 jobs growth annually the country had been enjoying."

This should be investigated.

This should be investigated. It is very 'Nixonisque'...It also makes one wonder what other 'questionable' and potentially 'illegal' activities the cons are doing?

Frank

The Watergate affair was an illegal break in . The NDP foolishly invited a con by email to join their conversation giving him all the information required, The two are not alike at all. It was not an illegal act. Underhanded but mot illegal.
I am very surprised but glad to know what kind of back-room deals are going on. Layton is bad news for the NDP. He has brought a respectable party down to the level of the Liberals and cons .
I'm just glad the Green Party has the sense to stay clear of all this.

Atom

You're splitting hairs in an effort to avoid the gross morality of the Conservative move.

As for backroom deals being new to you, oh please.

Here's an article in the Vancouver Sun about the "morally superior" Harper who would never make a backroom deal in your view.

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/columnists/story.html?id=526f16ae-8d46-4825-9685-8a71da334f6f

Atom

Oh, and you don't want to read about the Chuck Cadman affair either if you think Harper is above making deals.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_Cadman

Frank

Where did I say Harper would never make a back room deal. Look hard ...nowhere. You are very quick to jump to conclusions Frank, I'm not a con I didn't vote for Harper but I will say Layton is no better. And acting like he is doing what he is for the benefit of Canada is a laugh .
I'm really not interested in reading opinion pieces that shape your point of view . They offer no greater credibility than anyone else's opinion just because a columnist wrote them, I prefer to think for myself.
Wikipedia as a source for facts give me a break. Any one can post on Wikipedia with out any verification.