What the right has taught the left
Ontario's arbiters of political wisdom wince peevishly whenever someone dares make a case for integrating the effectively rudderless federal Liberals and New Democrats. Indeed, the mere suggestion actually seems to offend some pundits ensconced at Canada's national newspaper.
In a piece last week, the Globe and Mail's normally circumspect John Ibbitson crowed, "That merger cannot and will not happen soon, if ever. The laws of political nature won't allow it . . . The future is not that bleak for the Conservatives' opponents, at least not yet . . . Until both parties no longer have reason to hope, neither has reason to merge . . . This is not that day."
Twenty-four hours later, the newspaper's editorial board carried the gauntlet farther by insisting, "The idea makes no more sense now than it ever did - for either party or for Canada - after the NDP's election success and Jack Layton's death. The country needs a broadly based centrist party (with some left-leaning elements) . . . rather than a union of "the left" - a concept that in any case mischaracterizes the Liberal Party . . . They have much work to do, but their essential purpose remains good."
What these oddly fossilized observations fail to recognize, however, is that neither of Canada's opposition parties are what they once were.
Stephen Harper's Conservatives have seen to that. The once mighty Grit machine is broken, perhaps irreparably. And the New Democrats haven't referred to themselves as "socialists" - at least, not within the range of a microphone - since the prime minister formed his first minority government.
The incipient "Lib-Dems" are what the right wing has made them: More pragmatic, less ideological; more focused on power, less interested in biding their time; more strategic and, though their respective brass are loathe to admit, more circumstantially unified against their common enemy. All of which suggests that Mr. Ibbitson and his colleagues have it exactly backwards.
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24 (Bloomberg) -- Australia's opposition is pressing Labor Party lawmaker Craig Thomson to respond to claims he misused his union credit card to pay prostitutes in a scandal that could threaten Prime Minister Julia Gillard's government.
What these oddly fossilized observations fail to recognize, however, is that neither of Canada's opposition parties are what they once were. Stephen Harper's Conservatives have seen to that. The once mighty Grit machine is broken, perhaps irreparably.
''This position is based on the facts as we currently know them and at best what we have now is an inappropriate use of a union credit card [just another type of corporate credit card],'' he said. ''He may be in breach of union rules and even Fair Work
He said business wanted O'Farrell to cut government spending, sign up to the weaker federal occupational health and safety laws (OH&S), appoint a Small Business Commissioner, establish Infrastructure NSW, and produce the first report card on the
EDMONTON — Alberta's opposition Liberals will elect a new leader Saturday, a do-or-die decision that will largely dictate the party's fate at the polls and perhaps even determine whether the 106-year-old organization will survive the next election.
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