Tories Want Into Gong Show

[cowman]

Well Linda I will admit I voted for the Green Party last time! I figured they were a nice safe protest party.
And I suspect that a spring election would not put any party in a viable position to effectively govern the country. I do believe however that this is a good thing?
Consider this scenario...solid Conservative vote in western Canada, wishy washy Ontario support, a BLOC sweep in Quebec, and of course solid Liberal support in the Maritimes...and probably a hostile PQ provincial government within a year? I would say that scenario could be a western seperatists dream? So that is my rationale for voting Conservative!
However, I fail to see how anyone can support proven thieves...not politicians who weaselled out of a promise, but blatant thieves? And furthermore Martin can't shirk the fact he was the finance minister while all this was going on? He was either totally incompetent or he was as dirty as the rest? I suspect the latter.

[15444]

Cowman, although I can see how Stephen Harper might be the right fit for Alberta, he sure has scared the crap out of Ontario and the rest of his party. Just look at Manning and Harris making the announcement for private healthcare for the Fraser Institute a couple of weeks ago. If you had read the comments in the Globe and Mail or the National Post on that topic, you would realize that position alone will keep a bunch of people from voting conservative. Then you have the whole Alliance/Conservative curfuffle that took place during the leadership convention to reaffirm Harper's leadership...remember McKay storming out in a huff? There is separation within the party and the Conservatives need a former PC member as leader if they are going to win Ontario. It would not surprise me if down the road, we see a movement by old PC members to split off from the party again...just depends on what kind of support the Conservatives get in the next few elections as I doubt the next one will form a majority.

To even think about who will win is a mystery itself. It all depends which sect of society goes out and votes. If the under 30's get out, we might see a larger proportion of the vote going to the NDP than the polls suggest. If the older groups get out, than maybe Conservatives will hold true to the polls. But who is going to vote? Typically the younger generations have poor turn outs, but how disillusioned are the older voters with Canada? You know that Quebec will vote to change their country both provincially and federally (yes, I said country), but will Canada?

Even with radicals in the Conservative party like Randy White, I still voted for Conservatives last time as I figured they might turn the country around fiscally, and avoid the major social debates in the meantime. Seeing as how it looks like the Conservatives are finally ready to admit to being a party for the ultra conservatives in this country, I'll take my chances with the NDP next time around.

[cowman]

Well I shudder to think of an NDP government but you are probably right in your assessment that it is unlikely the Conservatives will ever really get the Ontario vote. Perhaps they might be able to squeak out a minority government, but I suspect that too would be a disaster?
The Conservative party is definitely a watered down version of the old Reform party! Obviously the Reform message never sold in Ontario and it looks like the watered down version doesn't sell either? And yet the people of Alberta bought into Reform in a big way! Does this suggest to you that we have a completely different mindset?
If the people of Canada continue to hold their noses and vote in outright thieves, then when is it time for the west to realize they can't win in this country? This country is polarized in its thinking and attitudes.
Why is it that private medicare is flourishing in Quebec and the federal government says nothing? But if Klein even mentions maybe doing something different the feds are all over him? I believe Quebec is a "country" and I believe the day is fast coming when all their aspirations are going to come true! Hopefully the same will happen for the west in the future...and hopefully we can all get along?