tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10757771.post1818412651825182959..comments2023-09-22T09:03:09.417-04:00Comments on Townie Bastard: Loser night in Canadatowniebastardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03129158923604362272noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10757771.post-18559963274451057952008-10-16T12:47:00.000-04:002008-10-16T12:47:00.000-04:00Craig:I think your general comments on the electio...Craig:<BR/><BR/>I think your general comments on the election are correct - more losers than winners, which shouldn't really be surprising in a multiparty system. But I am also inclined to agree with Jason that characterizing anyone who didn't have much use for Loyola Hearn at the cabinet table as "lying", "crazy" or "stupid" suggests you aren't really taking the topic seriously. But I suspect that perhaps you are trying to be obtuse to make the point that of course we neeed representation at the cabinet table to protect our interests though I would have thought recent history would show this is not always how cabinet reps behave. Witness the behaviour of John Efford.<BR/><BR/>William's ABC campaign might be "inconvenient" but the only reason we can do it is because times are good. When times are bad the Feds give us as much as they want and we have to accept it because we can't afford to bargain. Williams has sent a signal for the Feds not to fuck around with the province. If he doesn't pull back now and make kissey faces he'll get boxed into the same space Peckford got himself into in the 80's. Meanwhile Harper has to already be thinking about the next election. The closer the C's are to a majority the more valuable those Newfoundland seats become. So the political calculation in Ottawa has to be do you bet on 12 extra seats in Quebec where the people have an affection for the arts and young offenders or make friends with Danny and only have to worry about picking up half that number. Even if the C's pick up more seats later in Quebec making friends with Danny is smarter than ignoring him or provoking him. <BR/><BR/>If you want to critisize Williams then critisize him for gambling. But from what I can see he has gambled and won. <BR/><BR/>Interestingly I think it was on CBC TV that the commentators were calling the political lock-out of the C's in NF a "microclimate". You could as easily call Quebec and all the major urban centres across Canada "microclimates" for the same reason - patronizing bastards. <BR/><BR/>As for the Bloc - surely their presence demonstrates the strength of democracy in Canada and the weakness of the Federal party system. Perhaps that sounds like a contradiction but politics is full of those.Ronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14401558992050889178noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10757771.post-14427989142775231212008-10-16T12:15:00.000-04:002008-10-16T12:15:00.000-04:00C’mon Craig, asking your readers to wonder what is...C’mon Craig, asking your readers to wonder what is going on in Newfoundland and Labrador politics. Do you really think for one minute that Mr. Williams is going to let by gone be by gone? <BR/><BR/>If you must ask, this has been Mr. Williams plan all along. Now all he needs is for Harper to appoint someone from the province to the senate or the cabinet so Williams can start another war. This time, he will want to re-open the discussion that the Grimes administration wanted to start. The renegotiation of The Terms of Union. Yup, I said it here first and you can bet the mortgage that Mr. Williams will either tackle something along this line. It’s in his character.<BR/><BR/>Lets be truthful here Craig, does Newfoundland and Labrador have a brighter future because of Mr. Williams and his style of politics or not. I would give him my vote a thousand times as long as we don’t look like lame duck in a pond to Canada. Who says the nationalists views in Newfoundland are dead Craig. They have simply forced us to move to different parts of Canada that’s all.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10757771.post-20494440925686282072008-10-16T11:48:00.000-04:002008-10-16T11:48:00.000-04:00Yeah I was a bit a harsher then I should have been...Yeah I was a bit a harsher then I should have been. I attribute that to election anger, Qatari traffic and only one cup of coffee.<BR/><BR/>Yeah ABC isn't something I considered. Danny intimidation is disgusting but hardly new in factor for a provincial leader to bully. People who bend so easily have longer been in our province's history along with people like Danny. I think you should have kept the line. I don't hate conservatives but I don't think they bring anything to the political debates anymore but fear, hate and intolerance. Harper copied an American election strategy and he won not on issues but fear and ignorance. Newfoundlanders made the right choice proably based on the wrong reasons. Danny's time will come but Newfoundlanders will always like his kind. The worst enemy of Newfoundlanders is Newfoundlanders. Anyway didn't mean to be a pain or offensive sorry if I was.<BR/><BR/>JasonAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10757771.post-92090494046837573442008-10-16T11:07:00.000-04:002008-10-16T11:07:00.000-04:00I wrote that post when I was annoyed and edited it...I wrote that post when I was annoyed and edited it when I was tired, which is never a good combination. So there are points I probably could have gotten across better.<BR/><BR/>Obviously it's impossible for people to coordinate who they're going to vote for, but through electoral magic the province has always managed to have at least one representative in the government that can represent us.<BR/><BR/>But here's the thing, Jason. I suspect most people didn't vote for the Conservatives for the reasons you cited. They're good reasons. They're among the reasons why I didn't vote for them.<BR/><BR/>No, many people in Newfoundland didn't vote for the Conservatives becausee Danny Williams told them not to. Voter turn-out was crap and many Conservatives in the province were afraid to volunteer federally for fear of reprisals from Williams (and I have my own special disgust for people that easily cowered).<BR/><BR/>It's a disgraceful state of affairs. My in-laws are saying people are calling the open lines shows and going, "ummm, well now what?" Williams is saying he's willing to bury the hatchet even though Harper has done nothing extra for Newfoundland to merit this magical change of heart. It stikes me as a very much "Oh fuck, I didn't think that would actually work" moment from Williams.<BR/><BR/>For people like you, who genuinely hate the Conservatives, Jason, I have no problem with the way you voted. But I fear far too many people voted, or didn't turn up, because of this ABC nonsense and the province may well be much worse for it.<BR/><BR/>I had a line in my original post where I said that anyone who voted ABC because Williams said so were brain-damaged sheep and I cut it at the time because I thought it was too harsh. But in retrospect, I think I might have been spot on.towniebastardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03129158923604362272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10757771.post-28079925990518245952008-10-16T06:57:00.000-04:002008-10-16T06:57:00.000-04:00I have to say Craig; I’m sadly disappointed with h...I have to say Craig; I’m sadly disappointed with how you seem to view parliamentary democracy. It seems you it’s all or nothing when it comes to democracy. By this logic we should eliminate the secret ballot so we can merely vote as we here others are voting. <BR/>I resent the implication that I am:<BR/><BR/>a. Too stupid to know better.<BR/>b. Crazy.<BR/>c. Lying like a cheap rug to you<BR/><BR/>According to your logic, principles and beliefs should have been chucked aside for the possible promise of political expedience. Newfoundlanders should have voted for beliefs such as <BR/><BR/>A) Jailing 14 year olds for life<BR/>B) Don’t think artists are spoiled brats<BR/>C) Don’t like the war in Afghanistan <BR/><BR/>It is a shame that McKay will be the provinces representation but only because he was reelected. The “geez by they’ll ignore us argument” is not worthy of your intelligence Craig, unless you plan on changing this blog to “Bayman Bastard.” This proably won’t be posted but I’ve believe ignorance should be challenged whenever I see it. Oh and the Bloc aren’t that bad a party if you read their platform it’s their provincial counterparts that are detestable. <BR/><BR/>Cheers<BR/><BR/>JasonAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com