2006/11/30

The Liberals' Big Day fast approaches!

Who will emerge as the next leader?

The Lurch-like Michael Ignatieff? The elfin Bob Rae? Perhaps even the semi-literate Gerard Kennedy? Or maybe one of the other guys?

Who can say? A Liberal convention is even harder to call than normal elections since more things go on 'behind the scenes'. As far as anyone can tell Ignatieff has the first ballot support of about 30% of the delegates. It could be higher, no one is sure. But this is sure: If Ignatieff doesn't hit well over 30% of votes on the first ballot, he is doomed.

Why is this? Because all the other candidates hate his guts, including his supposed good buddy Bob Rae. So if the first vote doesn't show definite movement towards Ignatieff, he will receive insignificant increases in support in subsequent balloting.

Assuming that Iggy gets little more than 30% on the first ballot, what will happen? It will be a competition amongst the other candidates to become the 'anyone-but-Ignatieff' candidate who will, I believe, end up winning.

In my heart, I hope it is Dion, but judging from what I have read over the last few weeks my head tells me it will be Rae.

Either Dion or Rae (or even Kennedy!) would be infinitely better than Ignatieff, but recent polls appear to indicate that Rae has the best chance of any of the candidates to help the Liberals deny the Conservatives a majority in the next federal election.

It saddens me, because I would like to see the NDP gain a greater voice in the Commons and Rae (or to a lesser extent Dion) would grab votes from border-line NDP supporters like myself.

On the other hand, if Harper's Conservatives form a majority government, it would be a catastrophe. And according to the aforementioned polls, Bob Rae is the best person to prevent that.

Still, I hope for the miraculous victory of Stéphane Dion. Mostly because I really like Frenchies!

Addendum
: I should mention that it seems to me that although Martha Hall Findley was the most personable, well-spoken, and non-'full of shit' of all the candidates, she was never given serious attention. Luckily, she is young, so I hope that we will see more of her in Liberal leadership campaigns to come.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

You can be sure that the leader chosen will not be kissing Québec's caboose. We already have a prime minister that is eagerly performing this act while on his knees doing the imaginable to our friends to the south. One can only imagine what the PM would like to do with the Pacific rim as it were.

Anonymous said...

And think of the possibilities what the PM would do down under!!! Given the opportunity.

PALGOLAK said...

"You can be sure that the leader chosen will not be kissing Québec's caboose."

Anon, you couldn't be more wrong. The primary goal of any successful candidate is to KISS QC'S BUM! As long as the Liberals can get a majority in ON and QC, and respectable numbers in the maritimes, the rest of Canada can go fuck themselves.

The (non-urban)prairies and interior BC will vote Conservative regardless, it is QC and non-urban ON that will decide the next election.

And I believe the present PM is studiously avoiding any foreign 'entanglements' with the Pacific Rim.

Anonymous said...

You must be a sovereignist. You got your way with M. Dion.

PALGOLAK said...

So, Anon2, you think that having a strong federalista francophone championing the Liberals in the next election will be a boon to the sovereignists?

I don't follow your line of reasoning. Perhaps you could elucidate?

Anonymous said...

Having a francophone puppet these days at the helm either federally or provincially is simply a facade to give the PQists the old stroke up front and at the same time hit them from behind. They are an oppressed society and giving them a very French speaking - the man can hardly speak Henglish - gives them collectively something to live for.

PALGOLAK said...

I heartily support giving anyone, even francophones "something to live for".

There, it is now on the public record.