There is literally nothing left…
The Conservatives are now in government, where they have the privilege of outspending the Liberals. They have won power, at the price of conservatism. They have bested the Liberals, but defeated themselves.There is literally nothing left. Privatization, tax cuts, tax reform, EI reform, CPP reform, democratic reform: all gone, barely even remembered. Now its subsidies for “the arts” and subsidies for Quebec aerospace firms and restored funding for Status of Women Canada—even money for provincial daycare programs (wasn’t the last election fought over that?) andrew coyne
CPC appologists are out making the blog rounds suggesting that the spending increas is not actually that big looked at from the persepctive of the growth in the GDP. Or that, somehow, this is all a clever strategy to lull the voters into a state of such self satifaction that they will elect a Tory majority and then the real work will begin.
They are wrong and Coyne is right. The CPC has abandoned any pretence of principle. “Heritage sports” get money…Dear Lord take me now.
I find most attempts to paint Harper as George Bush stooge annoying; but it appears that Harper has taken a leaf from Bush’s playbook for electoral success. Spend, spend more, spend all you got and then some.
Essentially harper has reduced federal politics to a simple “it’s us or them” proposition. With this budget it is time to start seriously looking for a “them”. (The problem, of course, being, that the Liberals have lost their mind, the NDP has lost its point and the Greens are still searching for a clue…And the Bloc is not running in Victoria.)
There is a real temptation to run on a single plank: the overall reduction in real dollar terms (none of the flim flam of “as a percentage of GDP) of total Federal spending by 5% a year with a corresponding decrease in taxation.” On a four year basis that would be a real reduction of 20% in all spending and all taxes. I might throw in a second plank that this is after a 3 billion a year paydown of the national Debt and that all “surplus” funds would be applied to that debt.
Simplistic? You bet. Simple and achievable. And verifiable.
Jay:
The problem is, it’s not as if there’s an alternative, unless you don’t want to vote at all.
I’m starting to wish we had a system like New Zealand’s, where small-government voters can at least elect a couple of MPs from a legit small-government party (in that country, ACT-NZ – though it appears that they’re on the ropes at the moment, the point still stands), rather than sticking with the brokerage parties.
But in Canada, you’re options are:
(a) If the Libertarians nominate someone half-way sensible in your riding, vote for that person – but you’re stuck with the LP in its current form, which appears to be more than a little daffy – if I’m not mistaken, their current leader’s big crusade is against mandatory seat belt laws, which is not quite on my “Top 10” list of things to do, and he apparently boycotted running in the last election. Besides, odds are they won’t be running someone in your riding anyway (they ran what, 12 people last time?). Even then, it’s “only” a protest vote.
(a.1) Vote for some other “fringe” party – but damned if any of them appear to be small-government minded, aside from the Libertarians.
(b) Vote for the CPC and pray that the Tory wagon-circlers (and for that matter, the NDP & Liberals) are right: as soon as Harper gets in with a majority, he’ll start cuttin’ and choppin’ and bringin’ in that sweet, sweet hidden agenda, etc. Bit of a risk, there, in hoping for that outcome.
(c) Run yourself, as you’ve suggested, as an independent or perhaps a Libertarian (they’d probably accept your cat as a candidate, and wouldn’t care much if you gave seat belt laws less attention than the leader) – but again, aside from the moral satisfaction, what’ll be gained?
(d) As you’ve pointed out, none of the other (semi-)serious parties are better – and even if the Bloc was running in BC, they’re a bunch of leftists anyway
(e) Not vote at all. An option, I suppose, but I really would rather not abstain if at all possible.
(f) Help start up “Reform II - This Time, It’s About the (Tax) Money”? I don’t see much appetite for that yet, but then, I’m in Ontario.
So I dunno. If you’ve got any good ideas, or if anyone else does, pass ‘em on.