I have to admit it's been pretty fun watching the Liberals scramble in the wake of Denis Coderre's resignation. As a Conservative I'm very familiar with revolts against the party leader. I've been on both sides, publicly calling for John Tory's resignation and staunchly defending Stockwell Day when he was leader of the Canadian Alliance.
At the same time the latest battle seems a little foreign. As I understand it Mr. Coderre and his Quebec allies had a favourite candidate to run in a very winnable riding and Ignatieff had already given his tacit approval. BUT Ignatieff's Toronto buddies decided they would pick their own candidate and convinced Ignatieff to approve theirs. Coderre was cheesed off and quit his party position.
So we've got the Quebec Liberal party elites angry with the Toronto Liberal party elites. If I were a Liberal party member in the riding in question I'd be mad at both groups. Where I come from a party membership entitles you to vote for your candidate. Apparently that's not the case if you are in a riding that the Liberals think they can win.
Canadians should be asking themselves not only how can the Liberals manage the country when they can't manage their own party, but also how much will they respect Canadian voters when they don't even respect their own party members.
3 comments:
I wonder if Ignatieff will be around long enough to sign Coderre's nomination form in the next election? Cheers.
Don't worry; Ignatieff knows what he is doing in Quebec and should be considered an expert on the subject of political appointments.
He was was appointed into his own riding by Paul Martin, and appointed to leader of the Liberals by a couple of backroom guys from Toronto, he knows this stuff inside and out.
Good point Pat.
I always thought that infighting in political parties was healthy.
It forces a long walk in the woods, but in the end there is positive renewel. It also attraacts new blood.Just look how it worked for conservatives.
Even as a conservative, I don't hate the liberal party, just its current form.
If they cast off the opportunists and and start listening to the grass roots, they should have at least some respectablity in a few years.
Keith from Guelph
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