Several polls over the past few years (but none that I can find right now, sorry) have suggested that a fair percentage of Torys would make the Green Party their second voting choice after the CPoC or provincial counterpart. I've always wondered about the logic behind that choice.
Now, Ontario Green Party leader Mike Schreiner makes it all make sense:
Schreiner says even though Simcoe Grey has pretty much always been blue, 11.4 percent of the vote in 2007 in the riding was for the Greens.
He tells us many people in the riding have been receptive to the Green Party's pledge to support small businesses and family farmers as well as promote local food.
Indeed, Schriener's creds as an entrepreneur all involve bringing Ontario farm products from their rural producers to urban consumers. A little bit blue, a little bit green. Reminds me a bit of David Orchard who, if you will remember, wound up an LPoC member towards the end of his political career.
...which is to say that there's nothing in Mr. Schreiner's shtick that couldn't be co-opted by a federal or provincial Liberal party. Hint hint.
Why not just vote Green then?
ReplyDeleteI haven't heard anything substantial from our Leader on the environment.
Where the current Leader and his "people" during the 2008 Liberal campaign which had at its basis the single most progressive and meaningful environmental policy proposal in Canadian history.
If the Green Party continues to build a legitimate organization, based on rationale policies, they WILL become the default place for voters from all parties who are disgusted by the malignancy that has invaded all of the mainstream political corporations.
Your suggestion that environmentally-minded people should vote Liberal is nothing short of being humourous.
I guess that's where disgruntled Tories meet disgruntled Liberals. Hey, at least it's for a good cause.
ReplyDeleteWhere the current Leader and his "people" during the 2008 Liberal campaign which had at its basis the single most progressive and meaningful environmental policy proposal in Canadian history.
ReplyDeleteGood question. Of course, we can't know where anyone is or what they're focused on without taking the media into account. And I know that at that time, they were talking about how that fiscal/environmental policy was TOO COMPLICATED for Canadians to understand (it wasn't, of course) and giving the Conservative childish propaganda campaign against it extra publicity.
As a former GPC know-it-all, and a former PC, I can say there's no shortage of former Cons in the GPC, and, especially, in the GPO.
ReplyDeleteIf you like free amrket ideology, even while admiting it's obvious drawbacks, but undertand that our current economic model is a ponzi scheme that also doesn't give a crap about externalities, then going green becomes logical.
Mark Francis....you are dead on.
ReplyDeleteIf you like free amrket ideology, even while admiting it's obvious drawbacks, but undertand that our current economic model is a ponzi scheme that also doesn't give a crap about externalities, then going green becomes logical.
ReplyDeleteMy beautiful mind refuses to believe it's as straightforward as that.
I'm only being partly sarcastic, by the way. There are far too many in our ruling class who honestly think that way. What I've never quite understood is whether they truly believe it, or are simply too scared to admit that the way forward is far simpler than the complex illusions they've invested a lot of time and energy into mastering and controlling.
O/T. How bizarre.
ReplyDeleteI was reviewing a few interesting discussions here and noticed that in these two:
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=23292180&postID=2533626041973683435
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=23292180&postID=8391176337236979269
...Dr Dawg's removed every trace of his own comments.
"If you like free amrket ideology, even while admiting it's obvious drawbacks, but undertand that our current economic model is a ponzi scheme that also doesn't give a crap about externalities, then going green becomes logical."
ReplyDeleteI agree, Free market has its uses and can/should be used as a tool to achieve green ends, but rational decisions require perfect knowledge, perfectly rational people and a system that is not subsidising the wrong behaviour. So supporting free market while correcting the signals that are giving us the wrong behaviour is a good start when maintaining the will to legislate those things that can't be managed this way.
I think the GPO is going to move more than the GPC ever can. Mike is a sincere, likeable, and more importantly lacks Franks more wild eyed approach.
As a former GPC know-it-all, and a former PC, I can say there's no shortage of former Cons in the GPC, and, especially, in the GPO.
ReplyDeleteBelieve it, two very good former card-carrying PC friends of mine became Greens after the federal party died. Still trying to get me to join, but I enjoy being an independent now.
Former federal leader Jim Harris was an ex-PCer before he switched to the Greens (his economic policies single-handedly made the GPC a credible party) - and I still consider the man the prototype Green Tory.
The Grits should take notice, rural ridings pissed with the Cons could very well turn Green before they the vote Lib.