Monday, March 31, 2008

MOMMM!!! Jack Layton keeps picking on me!

It's not the underwhelming leader, not the obsequious deferral to Stephen Harper creating a de facto coalition government of the Conservatives and the Liberals. It's not that they have no real governing philosophy beyond the bland certainty that they should be in charge, it's not even that Quebec was finally sickened beyond bearing it any more by the naked, corrupt avarice revealed by the sponsorship scandal and their party's electoral chances in La Belle Province are beyond flatline for probably a generation.

Nope, the Liberals real problem is that the nasty old NDP keeps picking on them.

With no evidence to support it and ample evidence to disprove it, they continue to whine that Jack Layton and the NDP are going easy on the Conservatives and concentrating on attacking the Liberals (Don't they understand that the needs of the Liberal Party come first?) never mind that this silly and rather snivelling complaint is easily disprovable.

They're even still moaning about the fall of Martin in 2005. It wasn't their fault that they were caught engaging in grotesque and venal criminality, it's not that the voters wanted to punish them, it's not that Martin was unwilling to make a simple commitment to protect universal healthcare. Despite the fact that with or without the NDP they would still have lost that final confidence vote, somehow it's the NDP's fault.

Do Liberals really think that Canadians are looking to vote for the whining party? The party of 'Everyone's responsible for our downfall but us'? The party that after all the extremist behaviour of Harper's government, gathers the spinal fortitude to vote no confidence... in the other opposition parties for giving the Canadian people an opportunity to vote them out two and a half years ago?

But seriously Libs, please do keep whining about being picked on while choosing to eat dirt in parliament over one Harper atrocity after another. It really seems to be working for you.

4 comments:

Blogging Horse said...

The Liberal Party is incredibly sensitive to being attacked by the NDP. Even the slightest of slights rings in their ears 100 times louder than being attacked by Harper. That's why they cry victim.

The reason? It's the same as being called overweight. If you think you are, it stings more than when you know you aren't.

Liberals know they haven't delivered for progressive Canadians, so being called on thier failures on child care and not standing up to polluters, and now helping Harper get his way, hurts a lot.

Their supporters aren't quite as insecure about it. They, like Francois Boivin, have just gone to the NDP instead.

Cliff said...

Bingo.

Question: What do Canadians need two center right parties for?

Answer: We really don't.

susansmith said...

I've actually come to the conclusion that lib strategy is quite purposeful in painting this distorted picture of the NDP - always attacking them rather than the cons, blaming them for losing the election.

Thus perception becomes reality.

Great post by the way!

Cliff said...

Thank you.

I agree they are trying to massage perception - particularly for the all important Ontario progressive voters, who really need to start considering whether their vote could have more effect if cast for an actually progressive party rather than a faux one.

As long as the Liberals know they can get away with sounding vaguely progressive while being legislatively extremely conservative - that's what they'll keep doing. It's all rather Pavlovian. Some time in the wilderness might get the message across, but probably not, as they seem to think all their problems would be solved if they had a neo-conservative Iraq war cheerleader in charge.

Talk about missing the point.

Popular Posts