tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28423454.post4972359614739724856..comments2023-10-10T05:02:26.827-07:00Comments on WesternGrit: If Mr. Dion Were To Resign... New Rules For LeadershipWesternGrithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06658358114507615351noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28423454.post-83538313792652390222008-10-16T10:12:00.000-07:002008-10-16T10:12:00.000-07:00Regional meetings would be interesting, but the ca...Regional meetings would be interesting, but the candidates themselves would have to all be at one location, and no way would a bunch of delegates not want to be at the head table.<BR/><BR/>Maybe have one general meeting, but if you don't want to make it out to Vancouver, hold regional ones that broadcast the main events. That way, those who don't have the energy/time to fly around to the main event don't have to, but will still have their say, whereas those who do can still go to the big event.<BR/><BR/>As for fundraising/campaign spending, how about instead of lowering the max, how about simply limiting how many loans candidates can take out? So, keep the 1M spending limit, but make sure each candidate cannot spend more than 100k or 200k more than they actually have cash in the bank. That way you at least have a limit as to how much debt could possibly come out of the whole thing.UWHabshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04040081354928054972noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28423454.post-49864488646927506742008-10-16T01:13:00.000-07:002008-10-16T01:13:00.000-07:00Re. The expected demonization of the next Liberal ...Re. The expected demonization of the next Liberal leader, whoever he or she may be: I seriously think there should be systematic training of all condenders in how to successfully and effectively counter this phenomenon. There is plenty of training material available in the recordings of Question Period going back to the beginning of 2006, which could be interspersed with the odd real rabid attack dog with teeth bared and foaming at the mouth.ijhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03875036083583562901noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28423454.post-78298422959031425722008-10-15T19:55:00.000-07:002008-10-15T19:55:00.000-07:00I hope Mr. Dion stays on as leader, he has shown t...I hope Mr. Dion stays on as leader, he has shown tremendous growth throughout the last two and a half years. Some of the points brought forth in these blogs confirm Steven Harpers continuous attacks on the Liberal leader Stephane Dion, however if you remember the leadership race the conservative attack ads were already portraying Mr. Ignatieff as being an absent Canadian, having lived outside Canada for a time. They also had the attacks ready for Mr. Rae as well, showing him as a failure in the provincial leadership of Ontario, I believe it did not matter who the leader of the Liberals was going to be, the conservatives had already formed their lines of attack towards poor leadership, they are very calculated that way. I have to agree with some of the bloggers that we Liberals have to be very cautious not to play into what Steven Harpers wants, the master chess player has this all figured out, we should not rush to act towards quick remedies, that may be his next line of attack, "policy on the fly". What is more than likely going to happen is that Canadians will finally be fed up with Harper with in the next two and half more years, and we will see a revolt to throw him out of office the way we Canadians threw out Brian Mulroney! I don't believe it matters at all who the Leader of the Liberals is in the next election is, when Canadians make up their minds about something that's, that and we don't need the polls telling us what we already know. Sadly to say however that a high profile name like Justin Trudeau could help fight for the odd seat back here and there, no offense to Justin, I love the way he has launched his political career and stewarded the truly important values of Canadian politics. As Steven Harper has shown, it is often salesmanship not statesmanship that wins elections, however, it is Statesmanship not salesmanship that wins Canadian hearts. Canada needs intelligent and diligent hard working politicians to win back our confidence in our electoral system, until this happens we have our country being ran by individuals who win with less than forty percent of the general support and voter turn out of less than sixty percent!Frankly Canadianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09939737123658813199noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28423454.post-36292059865362393182008-10-15T19:54:00.000-07:002008-10-15T19:54:00.000-07:00Above all, the undemocratic delegated voting syste...Above all, the undemocratic delegated voting system must be scrapped -- this is the main reason why the party has had this albatross (Dion) around its neck. If the Liberals want to demonstrate their commitment to democratic principles and values, they will have to switch to a one-member-one-vote system.<BR/><BR/>And I would go further by adopting the rule in place in the UK: before anyone is put on the list of leadership candidates, he or she must collect a minimum number of endorsements by sitting MPs. This, too, would have prevented Dion from entering the race in the first place.Georgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10434442702660664636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28423454.post-89890323180836188292008-10-15T19:36:00.000-07:002008-10-15T19:36:00.000-07:00That would just be insane. Harper may be many thin...That would just be insane. Harper may be many things... but completely nuts, he's not. <BR/><BR/>Let's get serious here. Calm... but serious.Red Toryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00422305796158017027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28423454.post-60388518449976602572008-10-15T19:25:00.000-07:002008-10-15T19:25:00.000-07:00Am I the "conservative troll"? Because I don't th...Am I the "conservative troll"? Because I don't think that fits, and I don't think I ever remember saying anything about "success" or the past election at all. Rather, I was just trying to get you to clarify what exactly you mean by a "liberal" ideology. "Centrist and moderate" isn't really an ideology, but rather a position between ideologies, as I see it. Just asking for clarification is all, no need to get defensive.Olafhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12434267803807108634noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28423454.post-43504031865675126892008-10-15T19:21:00.000-07:002008-10-15T19:21:00.000-07:00...Just to add, there is nothing keeping Harper fr......Just to add, there is nothing keeping Harper from calling an election for the Fall, since it is the law of the land. I wouldn't put it past him to try. <BR/><BR/>We may well be in one this Fall... Another $400 Million down the chute...WesternGrithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06658358114507615351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28423454.post-32080946978035960422008-10-15T18:52:00.000-07:002008-10-15T18:52:00.000-07:00I think it's quite obvious that Liberalism and lib...I think it's quite obvious that Liberalism and liberal ideology (centrist and moderate) will always be there. Liberalism is THE form of government preferred by modern liberal democracies - hence the name. <BR/><BR/>Conservatism, on the other hand, has taken quite a hit. Conservatives need to look carefully at what has gone on down South. The ideology is dying. Lassez faire capitalism running amok is simply not the answer. The US system almost destroyed 90% of the world economies over the past few weeks... We still don't know what will transpire, but the answer about NeoCon ideology is quite clear.<BR/><BR/>A conservative troll need not comment about "success" or not on this board, when your total votes were lower than they were in the last election - even though the Canadian population has grown significantly since then... You also (as stated on the 6pm news tonight) failed to gain a foothold in Newfoundland, Quebec, or the major urban centers AGAIN.<BR/><BR/>Red: I know you mean well. No worries. My leadership headline was just to get readers to focus in on my proposed changes to our system of leadership selection. What did you think of those?WesternGrithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06658358114507615351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28423454.post-45761815271117103272008-10-15T18:24:00.000-07:002008-10-15T18:24:00.000-07:00Like a "war on terror" it is really interesting ho...<I>Like a "war on terror" it is really interesting how he would try to attack an ideology.</I><BR/><BR/>The Liberals have an "ideology"? Which one, pray tell?Olafhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12434267803807108634noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28423454.post-27085914085117270842008-10-15T18:21:00.001-07:002008-10-15T18:21:00.001-07:00I singled you out, but it wasn't meant to be offen...I singled you out, but it wasn't meant to be offensive. Just wanted to make that clear, okay. I happen to think that a little time for pause and reflection is called for, that's all.Red Toryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00422305796158017027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28423454.post-18987308303106781522008-10-15T17:04:00.000-07:002008-10-15T17:04:00.000-07:00I say NO to merging. We are the centre and that ha...I say NO to merging. We are the centre and that has defined the liberals from the beginning. I just noticed though that since we started moving from the centre to the centre-left, we keep on losing supporters left and right. The new leader, if in case Dion do resign, must take us back to the centre.<BR/><BR/>Liberals steered Canada away from deficits because of sound policies. We have a pool of talent in the party, but selling the liberal brand is a tough job right now. I just hope we don't make the same mistakes as before. <BR/><BR/>As much as I want us to have a new face to lead us, probably rushing to have one may actually help Harper more. It will give him a lot of time to demonize the new head.saiihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01416154368553949028noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28423454.post-65451310529757629162008-10-15T16:35:00.000-07:002008-10-15T16:35:00.000-07:00Thanks for the comment. Good points. We need to ...Thanks for the comment. Good points. We need to simplify it, or we'll lose more of our potential base. It's obvious that MOST Canadians are center or center-right. The right - even the "expanded/governing right" is a mere 1/3 of those who voted. <BR/><BR/>We need to ensure we tap into the vast resource of available voters, AND at the same time, maintain our "center" philosophy. We're not "desperate" as some would suggest, and we don't need to merge with anyone. I would venture that a merger would hurt us more, as it would scare many in the middle over to the Conservatives. Also, if we polarize politics, we will be cursed with a "revolving door" similar to the US, where it swings from Republican to Democrat every 4 to 8 years. That gives the Conservatives a chance to form the government more often than they have in the past. By being "THE party of the center" we've been able to benefit from the best of both worlds. Sound fiscals, and great social policy. I dread the day we get labeled a party "of the left"... shudder. We are not of either wing - we are of the middle. <BR/><BR/>Change the way we do things before any thought of a merger...WesternGrithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06658358114507615351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28423454.post-47445921335884807022008-10-15T16:21:00.000-07:002008-10-15T16:21:00.000-07:00I really agree with what you said here. I hope the...I really agree with what you said here. I hope the liberal party would listen to grassroots though because times have really changed. Long gone are the corporate fund raising and conventions that cost thousands of dollars. Hey, I was one of the people who wanted to go to last time's convention. But since I'm a middle class student, I cant afford to fly from Toronto to Montreal and pay money to be a delegate.<BR/><BR/>Many people want to be engaged; but with a lot of hindrances like funding, etc. it's a hard thing to achieve. Technology is one media which has long been available that the Liberal Party has ignored. We need to change it! We got to establish the new Liberal party from the grassroots up, not the reverse.saiihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01416154368553949028noreply@blogger.com