from breadwithcircus.com
I didn’t see this coming at all. It looks as if the parties of Canada’s divided-majority left (Liberal Party, Bloc Quebecois and New Democratic Party) are about to join forces and defeat Stephen Harper’s Conservative minority government. Personally, I’m excited about this prospect. The proposed coalition could be the most representative government of my lifetime, it could perhaps be the most democratic government in Canadian history. The coalition government’s survival would depend upon appealing to the differing interests of the three parties involved. This would be good for democracy as the interests of a greater number of Canadians are represented. The coalition would be forced to act in good faith with measured compromises and political accommodation. Though Stephen Harper may have failed to understand it, this is how a minority parliament is supposed to work.
Let’s look at this by the numbers.
Seats
Stephen Harper’s Conservatives – 143
Coalition Parties – 163
Seats by %
Stephen Harper’s Conservatives – 46
Coalition Parties – 53
Popular Vote Share by %
Stephen Harper’s Conservatives – 38
Coalition Parties – 55*
*not including the 8% who voted for the Green party.
The Conservative talking points are calling what is happening a coup, but that’s nonsense, particularly if you look at the raw data and have an understanding of the way parliamentary democracy is supposed to work. Whoever controls the House of Commons makes up the government. Harper failed to win a majority of the house in the last election so the opposition has the right to govern. The Conservatives should have known that their survival depended upon appealing to at least one of the other three parties. Harper, however, has behaved as if he didn’t need to compromise. Perhaps he didn’t believe that the opposition would ever be able to put aside their egos or have enough of a spine to stand up to him. Regardless, Harper acted like an autocrat and now he’ll pay the price for it. The nearly two-thirds of Canadians who did not vote for the Conservative Party will be represented in government if the proposed coalition takes power. It is all up to the Governor General now. I hope that her decision is one that best serves the will of the people.
I just read that the Governor-General is going to let Harper have his way until January when Parliament reconvenes. A representative of the Liberals has said that Harper is only postponing the inevitable — he’ll be gone by February and good riddance to bad rubbish.
I confess I don’t follow Canadian politics closely, but I was made aware of Harper because he tapped some of the Bush Gang to run his campaign and still gets back-channel advice from them — in other words, he is a neocon in a world that is rejecting that philosophy.
Perhaps Harper can buy a luxury home in Dallas down the street from Junior — they can then sit together by the pool and revise history at their leisure.
Comment by RS Janes — December 5, 2008 @ 7:31 am
The world isn’t rejecting the neocon philosophy, only the country-club philosophy. The republicans deserved to lose.
BTW, neo- means renewed. It’s actually a good prefix. I like it.
Comment by grimgold — December 5, 2008 @ 4:34 pm
Grim, you mean ‘New-Con’ is good? I don’t know about you, but if someone tells me they’re going to play a ‘new con’ on me, I keep my hand on my wallet.
Comment by RS Janes — December 5, 2008 @ 6:54 pm