Does he actually think he can win a federal election??? Or is he just bringing down the Liberal government because he can?
Canada’s opposition is set to bring down the minority Liberal government on November 28 and force a January election, Conservative leader Stephen Harper said on Wednesday.
Harper said he would prefer to move earlier but would stick to a timetable agreed on Sunday with the two smaller opposition parties.
I can understand why the Bloc is doing it. They expect to gain seats in Quebec in a federal election, and the momentum will be useful for an upcoming provincial election and sovereignty campaign. Sovereignty is of course the primary goal of the BQ so it makes sense.
I can even understand why the NDP is joining in. Their arrangement to prop up the Liberals was contingent on them being able to blackmail the Liberals to get policy concessions. Martin finally stood up to Layton, and this is his payback. Besides, the NDP never had the goal of actually getting elected; they just wanted to broaden their base and get their message out there. An election will help those goals.
But Harper? Is he seriously delusional enough to think that he can win this election? Even with the sponsorship scandal, the Liberals’ numbers are ahead of the Tories’. And Harper’s election goal is nothing short of a win; another loss should essentially finish his political career.
So, as they say in police work, cui bono? Who benefits from bringing down the Liberal government and forcing an early election, when all indications point towards a re-election of another Liberal minority government? Unless Harper has some as-yet-unseen tricks up his sleeve (highly doubtful, or else he would’ve used them in the last election), I just don’t get what he possibly hopes to gain from this?
Yes, I am serious delusional enough.
Oh, I vote Conservative and I agree with you. It seems pointless calling an election that, realistically, we’re not going to win this time around. I think the Tories should sell themselves as a viable alternative first *then* bring down the government. All this premature ejaculation of an election will do will increase the Bloc tragedy even further. What happened in Quebec in 2004 was bad enough to convince us to move out, but I still love the province and am not particularly forward to seeing a repeat performance with pretty much every remaining Liberal riding outside of the West Island, the western part of downtown, the Eastern Townships and the Outouais going Bloc Blue.
Has anyone considered the possibility that Harper is bringing down the government because it is the right thing to do! The current crowd of liberal criminals should, at the very least, be forced to face the electorate. This may not work to Harpers advantage but doing the right thing is not the same as the right thing for yourself.
Altruism and politics are like oil and water, Klein. Anything that isn’t 99.99% calculated for self-serving reasons is a political myth.
(Nah, I’m not cynical or anything… :))