Lie down, roll over, make whimpering sounds.
And hope it doesn't hurt too much...
Ignore the danger, pretend it couldn't happen.
And when it does happen, tell people you never saw it coming...
Or organize, unite, stop fighting each other.
And make sure it NEVER happens.
I think you know which option I prefer eh?
Fight them, fight them, fight them.
Don't let them WIN...
Recommend this post at Progressive Bloggers
I'm just new to your writings, so can I ask a related question - do you advocate strategic voting? I tend to vote NDP, but sometime hesitate at the polls when I'm nervous my vote will be the one that lets another conservative win a seat. (both the MP and MPP in my riding are conservative)
ReplyDeleteIn a situation like this, I'd suggest voting for the opposition candidate with the best chance of defeating the Con. (Or, if it's a tie between the Lib and the NDP which one to pick, choose the Liberal.) If we all did this, the combined opposition would win enough seats to send Harper packing.
ReplyDeletehi Sage...I'm willing to advocate ANYTHING as long as it defeats the Cons. Strategic voting has some drawbacks and dangers, but I just wish more people would spend more time trying to bring us together rather than driving us apart. I am not a huge fan of Michael Ignatieff, and my heart does tend to drift towards the NDP. But Ignatieff is not the enemy, and at a critical time like this one, we need to put our country before our parties. As soon as we win then OK, I'll be the referee, and the Libs and the NDP can fight each other as much as they like... :)
ReplyDeleteFarwestie, We, at Catch 22 Conservatives are promoting that kind of strategic voting you just talked about here. Are you a member?
ReplyDeletehttp://catch22campaign.ca/
Also for anyone else who wishes to join.
hi farwestie...as I told Sage strategic voting does have its dangers, unless we have up to date polling results for each riding. But whatever, the important thing is that we discuss and try to come up with new ideas about how to defeat the Harperites. We can't just roll over and give up. The stakes are just too high. I know we can do it. We may not be perfect, and lordy knows I'm not. ;)
ReplyDeleteBut we ARE better than them...
I have been a fierce critic of strategic voting in the past and will no doubt be so again someday, however the need to rid ourselves of this evil regime out weighs everything else and so until this is accomplished I will be voting for the candidate in my riding with the beast chance of winning.
ReplyDeleteSimon, while true that up to date polling numbers for an individual riding are difficult to come by most ridings have historical voting patterns that can be used to help us make our choice. Also we are not just better than them we greatly out number them as well
To Kev: "..we greatly outnumber them as well"--good point! This means it'd be easy to turf the present gov't. if everybody on the opposition side realizes how important it is get out and make our votes count.
ReplyDeleteTo ck: No, I'm not a member of Catch 22, but looks like it's time to get with it. Thanks for the link.
To Simon: Yes, "we ARE better than them" ! This may sound hopelessly partisan but any way you look at it, the Cons ARE letting the country down. It seems like they don't get what they're supposed to do--or if they do understand it, they don't wanna do it.
hi CK...well there you go eh? :)
ReplyDeleteThe more ideas the merrier. I find the progressive side very depressed these days, but the most important election in the history of Canada is looming, and we've got to get ready to rumble...
hi Kev...I'm not against strategic voting, I just wish the progressive parties would make public their polls just before the vote so we could try to ensure that a progressive candidate was elected. I know something like that is considered practically heresy. But as I have said before I believe the situation is so dire we need to put our country before our parties.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes we are not just better than them we are more than them... :)
http://www.electionprediction.org/
ReplyDeletecan help you decide how to vote in your riding as well. Remember that this poll has only minor safeguards against freeping but I have found it pretty insightful....
I will likely strategically vote liberal and send a cheque to the Green Party and NDP by way of apology.
I DO NOT like Iggy, I'm not sure he is much better than Harper. I think he will at least not show as much disdain for the traditions that hold the government to account. At the very least the base he has to appease is a little more to the left so we might get a bone or two.
So, there was an election called? :)
hi Peter...thanks for that link. I will gather them all up in a post soon or put them in my sidebar.
ReplyDeleteAnd I REALLY like this:
I will likely strategically vote liberal and send a cheque to the Green Party and NDP by way of apology
That's what I call a good or Solomonic progressive. :)
I am not a big fan of Michael Ignatieff either. But under the circumstance I don't see we have much choice but to wish him well.
Because ANYONE is better than Harper.
As for an election...it seems to me that Harper wants one, and if he does we will have one...
Harper must be desperate to go to the polls before the 2011 census begins in early May.
ReplyDeleteThe last thing he wants is to have the controversy over one of his most damaging mistakes rekindled in the middle of a campaign
So my guess would be an early spring election call.
hi Kev...that may be so, but I believe the real reason he wants to go early is because once interest rates start rising, and the high dollar destroys what's left of our manufacturing base. And their porky action plan is revealed to be a short term proposition, the bloom will be off the rose. All he has is this ill founded notion that he's a good money manager, so better now than later...
ReplyDeleteGood morning Simon, There does seem to be a ton of potential trouble on the horizon for the Cons, which is typical of most governments after 5-6 years in power, even for the competent ones which we both know these guys aren't.
ReplyDeleteOne more thing about their porky action plan, it's implementation was rushed with very little oversight. How much do you want to bet that there were more than a few mistakes made and likely a smidgen of corruption thrown in for good measure