Michael Ignatieff set Canada on what could be an irreversible course toward a fall election, announcing the Liberal Party he’s led for nine months will no longer prop up the minority Harper government – and instead will actively seek to defeat it.
As a result the Layton bluster about supporting all those politicized non-confidence motions has been blown away by the wind that has filled the Liberal sails:
One of the only apparent obstacles to an October or November ballot – the fourth in six years – is the fact the New Democratic Party is now reserving judgment on whether it will follow suit. Keeping the Conservatives afloat however would be a significant political departure for the NDP....Mr. Layton's party prides itself on the number of times it has voted against the Harper government. Its political storyline is that the NDP is the only true alternative, or opposition, because the Conservatives and the Liberals are so alike.
The NDP hasn't been able to significantly grow beyond their core support. Moreso than almost any of the Opposition parties, the Conservatives are inimical to what the core supporters of the NDP stand for. Now that the Layton era NDP has been shown to be a canard, where will the core go? Will they ignore the fact that the Party is now just a vehicle for the fluffing of Layton's ego? Will they stay with the NDP out of habit and nostalgia for the old days? Or will they lend the Liberals their vote to get rid of a government they hate?
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I have mentioned several times that the next election will be a battle of the giants: Harper and Ignatieff. The media will play it that way. Layton (and May) will need to assert themselves as being relevant to the campaign.
As a sidenote, if you have a complaint about Layton's ego, I would like to know what it is. Is it because he thinks highly of himself or is it because he won't bow out of the campaign and let his NDP supporters go to the Liberals?
A reasonable request. My complaint about Layton's ego is that his personal ambition to become the Leader of the Opposition is only accomplishing two things. The first is a clear path for Harper to gain at least minority governments. The second is that he is betraying the heritage of a party which a lot of people respect.
I wish that the Canadian debate could be between the centre left/right Liberals and the NDP. But right now the a dangerous fringe group has control of the government and getting rid of them is more important than a larger share of the popular vote.
Get rid of Harper, bring the Progressive back to Conservative and let the in-fighting resume.
You don't scare me. Harper and Iggy are the same person so a vote for one is a vote the other no matter how many times your try and scare the NDP into voting Liberal. We will see this in the campaign and it wont work this time.
So Layton is an egomaniac for wanting to become prime minister or leader of the opposition... HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! What is Iggy running for, to make sure everyone has fun?
If getting rid of the Tories is the main priority why don't you talk to your other Liberal friends and ask them to support a real progressive party in the next election.. Maybe the Liberals can stand aside as they're not going to win. Or maybe (god forbid) you could talk to them about the Liberals and NDP working out an arrangment after the election where... oh wait, I forgot, you already said no to that...
I think he would say---I don’t know what to tell you buddy, but stick with it….
Do you really not see that your complaint (second comment) about Layton could be applied, with only changing the names, to Ignatieff?
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