Warren Kinsella penned a very good note recently on all of the Grit/Dipper Mergecoalicooperation (new word!) which drew some equally insightful comments… as Kinsella’s columns often do…

James Bow correctly pointed out the following:

You need to be clear about what’s on the table, here. Electoral cooperation, coalition and merger are three very different things, each with wholly different implications for Canadian voters.

And I agree. There is some confusion over these terms that are being thrown about rather haphazardly these days.

Electoral cooperation

This is akin to voting strategically, except on the side of the parties rather than on the voters. There are certain ridings where, in the pursuit of defeating Harpy and having a House with a Progressive Agenda, there can be tacit agreements that the Grits will support the Dippers in some way, or vice versa depending on the circumstances during and election campaign.

For example, say the Cons won a seat by a small margin and one could realistically expect some voters from the 3rd place party to support the second place party if encouraged to do so by the third place party. Take Nunavut for example:

2008 General Election Results:

Even if only 25% of the NDP voters went to the Grits, that would be more than enough to unseat the Cons because it would be highly unlikely that any of the Dipper votes would vote for the Cons… most Dippers would rather burn their union cards than do THAT!

The cooperation could take many forms. Sharing workers, running low-keys campaigns or weak candidates, even an outright endorsement of the opponent – all are possible. But do not. I repeat, do NOT run less than a complete slate of candidates. That is a coalition – not cooperation. And the Harperites would pounce on that like a mongoose on a cobra!

I predict that this is the most likely development we will see in the next election. And it may, just may further the Progressive Agenda.

Coalitions:

Yes, they are legal. Yes, western democracies do use coalitions as a way to bring together different parties under one banner with an agreed upon legislative agenda. Nothing wrong with it.

However, because of the way that the Cons portrayed the last unsuccessful attempt at a coalition between the Grits and Dippers (and NO, the Bloq was NOT as part of the coalition) any notion of a working coalition by the two should be stated up front in the course of the campaign. Give the voters the opportunity to vote for a Progressive vision and still allow them to keep the faith for their own respective parties.

This scenario might happen. But I’m not sure Iggy has the balls or the inclination to do so. His ego might get in the way.

Merger:

Admittedly this is my preference but for a variety of reasons, I don’t think it will happen in the near future, and here is why:

• Too easy a target for the ReformCons. Can’t you see the ads? “Michael Ignatieff and the liberal party have chosen to partner with the tax and spend, nationalizing, pro-Taliban socialists”. Yes, a pile of crap, but the Tim Horton crowd would eat it up.
• Many Blue Grits would rather head for the DeceptiCons than merge with Jack Layton. And many Dippers would just stay home. There is a long history here and to ignore it would be perilous. The combined party – at least right now – may garner fewer votes than the two parties combined as separate entities. That being said, the two parties of the Left and centre Left MUST coalesce at some point in the future if we are to avoid years and years of right-wing bullshit.
• Don’t forget that it took 4 or 5 years before the current Cons won as high a percentage of the vote as the PCs and the Alliance put together during the 1997 & 2000 election campaigns. The internal schism, even if it was temporary, would open the door to a Harper majority; something all Progressives in this country definitely do NOT want to see!

But, hey, for political junkies like me, these are the best of times!

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

There is an interesting opinion piece in the Star today penned by Glenn Wheeler on how it is up to the rank and file of the Grits and Dippers to start the coalition ball rolling.

To be clear – while I have been a member of both parties in the past, I am not so currently. But one thing I am sure of is that I am a progressive.  And I would actively support any arrangement that would move the progressive agenda forward to counter the social conservatism that has been dominant on the Hill for the past several years.

But – sigh – this has been talked about again and again and again… so I am slightly less than optimistic that an effective coalition under strong and clear leadership is waiting in the wings.

To the leaderships of both parties – put the egos aside and start working toward a partnership that would provide Canada with a clear and progressive path forward!

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

…although the CBC has it wrong - the ReformCons have a slight lead because the gap is outside the margin of error.

Why no big surprise? Well, look at the calender, dummy! It’s the dead of winter! Folks down east are dealing with another dumping of the white stuff. Separatist Quebecois folks are all aghast at Lucien Bouchard’s latest remarks. Ontarians are worried that they’re going to get hit with a huge winter storm cuz it has been such a tame winter so far. And everyone to the west of Ontario is too busy skiing or watching the Olympics.

Wait till spring and then we’ll see if either party can take a step or two forward…

Remind me again why the Grits and the Dippers aren’t talking about merging???

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

Well, if the ReformCons aren’t interested in working with the NDP to keep the current session of Parliament afloat, they sure aren’t showing it!

The Globe is reporting that the CPC is offering an olive branch to the Dippers in the form of EI reforms in an effort to keep the minority government from being defeated. Olive branch? That is a freaking tree!

Yesterday, I posted a piece about the Dippers’ change of heart. Now, it’s the Harperites turn to turn the canoe around and paddle upstream. Just a while ago, Harper said that the EI system was just fine, thank-you.

In early May, Stevo said:

…the recent federal budget made improvements to the system, including an extra five weeks of benefits for recipients.

“Canada has a very generous system of employment insurance that was, in fact, enhanced in the most recent economic action plan of this government,” he said.

and now, in September:

In a bid to stave off defeat, or at least shame the parties that force it, Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s embattled minority government announced plans to table legislation that would expand employment insurance for long-tenured workers who lose their job.

And as far as the NDP are concerned, it might just do the trick.

“This proposition is a very serious proposition,” NDP finance critic Paul Dewar told reporters, just minutes after Human Resources Minister Diane Finley and Revenue Minister Jean-Pierre Blackburn announced the expanded benefits. If the legislation truly does assist the unemployed, he said, “we would be irresponsible not to seriously consider and support that.”

I’m not necessarily against staving off an election since from my anti-Harper perspective, the chances of bringing down his government later are greater than they are now, IMHO.

And I, apparently unlike the majority of my countrymen and women, absolutely LIVE FOR elections.  But I want the next one to turn out more to my liking. So if the Dippers and the ReformCons want to play footsie, then go for it!

"OH NO! He's gonna throw up and I have to pretend I don't care!"

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario