[Newsbot]

Title: Conservative supporters should watch their words: Preston Manning
Category: Political
Posted By: Curtman
Date: 2013-03-10 11:08:08
Canadian

[Curtman]

$1:

Manning says the Achilles heel of the conservative movement is members who discredit it by speaking their minds.
He referred to Tom Flanagan, the veteran party strategist who was recently ostracized for suggesting that people who look at child pornography shouldn't be jailed.
Manning said Conservative governments, parties, and campaigns can't afford such blindsides.

Flanagan, who Manning called a friend, had been scheduled to address the conference but was dropped.

[Unsound]

Isn't he pretty much just saying what critics of the old Reform party used to say? I'll admit, some of the charm of reform for me was the amateurness of so many of their candidates, but we all know that Chretien would probably still be running things if they hadn't polished up a bit and learned from the big boys in the LPC and PC party.

[commanderkai]

This can apply to any political party, but Flanagan has been the posterchild as of late in Canadian politics. Sadly, some parties, like the Bloc and Parti Quebecois exist solely on comments that, in most other countries, would be political suicide.

[Zipperfish]

It's almost a built-in natural defence mechanism for democarcy. As people veer further and further from the centre, no matter how careful they re, eveutally they are going to say something so radical that te mass of people near the centre are repulsed.