Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff will meet again Wednesday in an attempt to defuse a political showdown threatening to spark a summer election.
"Canadian_Mind" said This is the way our government should work.
You might want to hold off on saying that for a day or two. Iggy is in a bad spot and if history has taught us anything Harper isn't one to let the opposition off the hook so easily.
Yea, but it forces comprimises which ultimately could work in the country's favour. Iggy's called Harper out on a few things I've come to question, and with regards to EI I think he's right out to lunch. So I'm hoping that Iggy doing what he's doing will bring Harper into check on certain issued he should be brought into check on, and end up leaving other things the way they should be.
This, in my opinion, is exactly how the government should work. The opposition is doing it's job to maintain balance.
Harper is only going to give in just enough to let Iggy save some face so the Liberals will support the budget. You won't see too many meaningful concessions from this deal.
Iggy dropped the ball when he back peddaled the other day and dropped all of his previous demands. He doesn't want an election because he knows his party isn't ready for one. Harper on the other hand is.
The majority of people agree....Liberals, the CBC, the other MSM, 'The Professor' has showed some serious weakness as a leader.
To come out hard in the morning, making demands, to going all soft in the evening when the Conservatives called his bluff. He couldn't run backwards fast enough. Many of the talk on CBC last night was about how much Ignatieff was indecisive as Dion.
Liberals have gone from Dithers Martin, to Professor Dion to Professor Ignatieff.
I don't think he's weak, he just not stupid enough to give into those in the party that want to call a premature election jsut because the polls are up. No platform, no money, no public support for anouther election, it's just plain common sense. It was unwise to come out the way he did earlier but backpeddaling was oddly enough a sign of strength I don't think you would have seen from Dion. It probably wasn't an easy thing for him to do. Dion on the other hand would have went full speed ahead based on the numbers.
The vibe on Liblogs is either hollow bluster or sad resignation. Best I read was a reminder that Iggy did lose the leadership election to Dion. Hard to spin that into something good.
It's gonna look bad on him no matter what happens. It was a major mis-step to come out so strongly early on the way he did. He bluffed and got called on it. If anything it just emphasises how little the Liberals have to add to the current economic situation and is also reflective of exactly how ready his party is for an election.
"dino_bobba_renno" said I don't think he's weak, he just not stupid enough to give into those in the party that want to call a premature election jsut because the polls are up. No platform, no money, no public support for anouther election, it's just plain common sense. It was unwise to come out the way he did earlier but backpeddaling was oddly enough a sign of strength I don't think you would have seen from Dion. It probably wasn't an easy thing for him to do. Dion on the other hand would have went full speed ahead based on the numbers.
I agree on the part that he's using common sense. However....
Had Ignatieff come out right from the start, asking to sit down with Harper, he would have score major points across Canada.
Instead, he comes out guns blazing & making demands, then backs off.
A good leader should have had this scenario set before the day took place and had his course of action planned out.....he couldn't have run further backwards that day.
Win-win for Iggy. Seems to be the only people thinking Iggy is coming off badly are the people who will say that regardless. Iggy is doing exactly what he said from day one, holding the CPC accountable and if Harper doesn't compromise then Harper will be responsible for the election and the people will hold him accountable.
M.Ignatieff did the right thing..his job and that is to stand up for Canadians and hold this government accountable. So, they have reached a deal according to to-days news. But can one really trust Harper? no! so we will probably be back at this in t he fall. I am receiving letters from the libs every day almost and the cons and NDP are both telephone soliciting. The cons called last night...again.. and I told them to stop wasting 750.000 a day on useless ads the money could be used for better things. And no I wouldn't vote for them!
He demanded speciic details when he put the government "on probation" back in May. The govenment came through but Iggy wanted to grandstand this a bit more. He's been demanding the government addopt the "Liberal-NDP 45-day work year" but that's simply not going to happen. Desperate to get something out of the deal so he won't look weak, he strings this out to 2 more meetings, finaly comming through with, what Fife is calling a "Blue Ribbon E.I. Panel will be set up to study EI improvements over the summer and Michael Ignatieff will be allowed two representatives."
The government asked for suggestions before they crafted this government and there were none. Aside from the "Liberal-NDP 45-day work year", we've heard nothing but hollow rhetoric from the hollow man. Simply blocking up the works with useless study panels just to make Iggy look like a leader isn't helping Canadians and their getting sick of that.
"ridenrain" said He's danmed desperate to back out of this huge mistake he talked himself into.
Agreed. How much longer the public will put up with the Liberal/NDP screaming election, having ameeting with the PM, then saying "all right, we'll let them off.. for !"?
Political instability is not good for the economy!
This is the way our government should work.
You might want to hold off on saying that for a day or two. Iggy is in a bad spot and if history has taught us anything Harper isn't one to let the opposition off the hook so easily.
This, in my opinion, is exactly how the government should work. The opposition is doing it's job to maintain balance.
Iggy dropped the ball when he back peddaled the other day and dropped all of his previous demands. He doesn't want an election because he knows his party isn't ready for one. Harper on the other hand is.
To come out hard in the morning, making demands, to going all soft in the evening when the Conservatives called his bluff. He couldn't run backwards fast enough. Many of the talk on CBC last night was about how much Ignatieff was indecisive as Dion.
Liberals have gone from Dithers Martin, to Professor Dion to Professor Ignatieff.
Too bad McKenna wasn't interested.
Hard to spin that into something good.
I don't think he's weak, he just not stupid enough to give into those in the party that want to call a premature election jsut because the polls are up. No platform, no money, no public support for anouther election, it's just plain common sense. It was unwise to come out the way he did earlier but backpeddaling was oddly enough a sign of strength I don't think you would have seen from Dion. It probably wasn't an easy thing for him to do. Dion on the other hand would have went full speed ahead based on the numbers.
I agree on the part that he's using common sense. However....
Had Ignatieff come out right from the start, asking to sit down with Harper, he would have score major points across Canada.
Instead, he comes out guns blazing & making demands, then backs off.
A good leader should have had this scenario set before the day took place and had his course of action planned out.....he couldn't have run further backwards that day.
Win-win for Iggy. Seems to be the only people thinking Iggy is coming off badly are the people who will say that regardless. Iggy is doing exactly what he said from day one, holding the CPC accountable and if Harper doesn't compromise then Harper will be responsible for the election and the people will hold him accountable.
And no I wouldn't vote for them!
The government asked for suggestions before they crafted this government and there were none. Aside from the "Liberal-NDP 45-day work year", we've heard nothing but hollow rhetoric from the hollow man. Simply blocking up the works with useless study panels just to make Iggy look like a leader isn't helping Canadians and their getting sick of that.
He's danmed desperate to back out of this huge mistake he talked himself into.
Agreed. How much longer the public will put up with the Liberal/NDP screaming election, having ameeting with the PM, then saying "all right, we'll let them off.. for !"?
Political instability is not good for the economy!