The recent poll also asked residents which party they would support should a provincial election be held today. Among those residents who were decided / leaning it was found that support was split between the Progressive Conservative and Liberals (34% each; PC up from 32% and Liberals down from 36% on February 25th26th, 2011), followed by NDP (26%; up from 19%), and the Green party (7%; down from 12%).
If interpreted in most obvious manner, you would say that the Green's are going (back(?)) to the NDP.
Oh how soon people forget the motley crowd of ex-social workers, activists, union heads and assorted poly-sci dropouts that once ruled Ontario from 1990-1995.
ReplyDeleteAs opposed to what? The privileged crowd of doctors, lawyers, business people and assorted ex-golf pros who make up the riff-raff of an average Progressive Conservative or Liberal led government. One man's terrorist is another man's..
ReplyDeleteOmar, the "doctors, lawyers, and business people" consisted of the only four decent members of the entire Bob Rae government, including Rae himself of course. The rest of the NDP were a disaster.
ReplyDeleteThey were so bad, that ex-golf pro Mike Harris became premier for the next 8 years with big majorities. The NDP couldn't even elect enough members over the following two election to even make it to official party status. They were THAT bad.
I'd much rather have bland, mushy but good and steady government run by such elitists as doctors, lawyers and business people. Going between NDP & Harris was too BC-politics for most Ontarians.
As much as McGuinty annoys me, his government has at least brought us back more to the successful PC governments of the Davis/Robarts era.
BTW - Horwath taking down OLP numbers is Hudak's wet dream.
Having left Ontario in 1985 I didn't get to experience the great disaster that was Bob Rae's government, but I sometimes wonder if this supposed calamity hasn't reached the status of epic myth. An old and hazy legend primarily used by political opponents for their own political gain.
ReplyDeleteOmar,
ReplyDeleteIt is partly a myth. The economic stuff landed in his lap. But yeah in alot of ways it was amateur hour. One unequivically bad thing he did was raise the tax on brew-your-own product to save the LCBO/Beer Store. A batch of Bud knockoff went from $60 to $90.
The privileged crowd of doctors, lawyers, business people and assorted ex-golf pros
ReplyDeleteA caucus would be highly unbalanced if it consisted of nothing but that mix, but why wouldn't you want people like that as part of the party?
It would be interesting to get doctors (as well nurses and admistrators) working on health care legislation. And there are Doctors with impressive backgrounds like MPP Eric Hoskins (doctor, co-founder of War Child Canada, guy who worked in the Sudan) and Kellie Leitch (sits on various boards including the YMCA), whom any party could be proud of running.
Lawyers... well, government does happen to draft laws. Wouldn't mind having a few of them around. Plus, Fidel Castro was a laywer, as is Howard Hampton, so laywers are not entirely against the worker in the fight against the man. ;)
I didn't say I didn't want doctors and lawyers as part of a party, I just don't like to hear overt (and unjust) slagging toward individuals employed in the social work field, activists (whatever that means exactly) and union people being involved politically. And yes, Castro was a lawyer, but I don't think he practised much after he decided absolute ruler was a better gig.
ReplyDelete"But yeah in alot of ways it was amateur hour."
ReplyDeleteOr how about environment minister Ruth Grier literally crying to Bob Rae and the rest of the caucus about nixing the Adams Mine (Kirkland Lake) garbage shipping proposal to get her way.
Oh, to prove my point, Grier was a poly-sci grad and worked in a number of community & social organizations before jumping into politics.
Call me elitist, but yes I want professionals in government who at least have some understanding of the ministries they are about to oversee. Real-world experience is always a good thing. And likewise the Harper government is just as guilty of having incompetent hacks in power, they are a right-wing version of the NDP.
And maybe the Kirkland Lake trash deal was a bad idea (though the native communities there were supporting the idea), but crying to get your way?
One day we may get good governance in this country again, but I'm wondering if I will ever live to see it.
I didn't say I didn't want doctors and lawyers as part of a party, I just don't like to hear overt (and unjust) slagging toward individuals employed in the social work field, activists (whatever that means exactly) and union people being involved politically
ReplyDeleteIf you feel as though activists, social workers, and union heads are being maligned, why not mention successful Canadian politicians with those backgrounds like Tommy Douglas or Agnes Macphail (activists)?
And yes, Castro was a lawyer, but I don't think he practised much after he decided absolute ruler was a better gig.
And you have to admit, his background helped him in drafting laws. ;)
Call me elitist, but yes I want professionals in government who at least have some understanding of the ministries they are about to oversee. Real-world experience is always a good thing. And likewise the Harper government is just as guilty of having incompetent hacks in power, they are a right-wing version of the NDP.
Speaking of real world experience... every party should consider getting someone with a science background in their caucus.
The Ontario NDP is pushing to have warning labels on cell phones.
I'm all for warning people, and sticking it to the man, but the research isn't firm yet and it's not wise to cause a panic unnecessarily. Here's a small examination on the research here. (Orac, the blogger, is a cranky breast cancer surgeon who's published a number of papers in journals.)
Also, it's important to know that cell phones are classed as 2B carcinogen by the Who, along with coffee, pickled vegetables, and talcum powder. If there are warning labels on cell phones, we're going to have them at Starbucks.