dagblog - Comments for "Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Canadian Prorogation But Were Afraid To Ask"

Thanks for the excellent

Michael Wolraich — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 22:23:25 +0000

In reply to Genghis, you're a brave man

Thanks for the excellent explanation. I'm obliged pause in my snarking to echo Orlando: one benefit of blogging is the amount that I've learned, both from the knowledgeable bloggers and commenters like you and from having to do research in order to write with some semblance of intelligence.

Genghis, you're a brave man

acanuck — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 21:12:01 +0000

In reply to Dammit. Foiled by the

Genghis, you're a brave man to tackle the intricacies of the Canadian constitution, where so many others -- prime ministers among them -- have come to grief.

The key to this crisis was that a no-confidence vote normally leads to dissolution of Parliament and a new election. But not automatically. The governor-general (hereafter referred to as Her Hotness) has the discretion to ask the prime minister to step aside and give someone else a shot at the job.

The Liberal leader had already written to GG HH, saying he had the signed agreement of three opposition parties (with a combined majority of seats) to back him as PM. Under those circumstances, HH would almost certainly approved a transition of power, rather than a new election just months after the previous one.

So Harper punted instead, asking that the scheduled Christmas break start a week or so early. So no no-confidence vote can occur before Jan. 27, when he had planned on bringing in a budget anyway.

If that budget has loads of stimulus-type goodies, it will be hard for coalition MPs to explain to the voting public why they're voting against it. And frankly, much as I dislike Harper, it makes sense to wait until we see Obama's stimulus package (likely to be signed Jan. 21) before finalizing Canada's plans. (The economies are sorta intertwined.)

On the political side, the 7-week delay takes the steam out of the push for a coalition. A good number of Liberal MPs are at best lukewarm about its stability and even its wisdom, including (some pundits say) Michael Ignatieff, the frontrunner for the party leadership.

Harper and his team now have nearly two months to work the phones, peeling individuals away from the notion of a coalition. The Conservatives are only 12 votes away from a majority, so if that many Liberal MPs (out of 77) refuse to vote no-confidence, the coalition can't take power. If it's a choice between an embarrassing defeat in Parliament and a tactical retreat, the Liberal leadership will find a way to swallow hard and support Harper's budget. That's what he's counting on, and I think he's got more than an even chance of pulling it off.

(Incidentally, I spent yesterday on an excursion through the hills of old Vermont to hear Jesse Winchester in concert. The two-hour show was well worth the six-hour drive.)

Plus, North Dakota lives in a

Michael Wolraich — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 20:52:38 +0000

In reply to I read that column too. I

Plus, North Dakota lives in a recession-proof bubble.

Am on the road, thus sign-in

quinn esq — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 17:41:00 +0000

In reply to Dammit. Foiled by the

Am on the road, thus sign-in hassles. Harper wants to buy time to let the Coalition fly apart. We've never really had a multi-party ruling Coalition, and the Liberals are mid-leadership race - which makes the whole thing trickier, since the guy who would be Coalition PM (Dion) leaves in May. Likely new Liberal leader is Michael Ignatieff (boo) or Bob Rae (less booing.) The internal Liberal games around that offer a chance for the Coalition to split.

Plus, Harper's gonna announce goodies from here to then. Help for autoworkers, stimulus, etc. Everything the Coalition said they'd do. So a Jan vote would then become 100% personality, not substance. And yup, Harper could win that. Not pretty, but lots of daily drama, rallies in most cities, etc.

By the way, Monty Python was actually named something BEFORE Monty Python - "Whither Canada." It's true. We think the name change is the only thing that held this truly talented troupe back from success.

Kindof a shame.

I read that column too. I

Orlando — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 16:35:29 +0000

In reply to Dammit. Foiled by the

I read that column too. I never used to read the NYT, but I'm a convert. You guys are making me smarter. Or more liberal. Are those mutually exclusive?

When they were talking about Harper on NPR this morning, I was struck by an absurd comparison...didn't Mugabe suspend Zimbabwe's parliment in order to hold on to his power when it was clear that he would lose it? I realize Harper is not sending out militas to kill his opponents. Yet. You know it's always quiet ones. And which country has been quieter than Canada? Quinn, you might want to seek assylm. I hear North Dakota is nice this time of year.

Dammit. Foiled by the

Michael Wolraich — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 15:26:00 +0000

In reply to Dagblogit won't let me sign

Dammit. Foiled by the anonymous the comment feature. We need to add an "Are You Canadian" test to that.

Thanks for the list of Canada's attributes. The free morphine explains a lot. I did read the Kristof column. For those in the audience who didn't...

Years ago, New Republic magazine held a contest for the most boring headline ever. The benchmark was from a Times Op-Ed column — not mine — that read “Worthwhile Canadian Initiative.”

(The initiative, btw, is about salt salt iodization, which is very worthwhile, as salt deficiency in pregnant woman can cause brain damage. But that's a topic for a different post.)

So question for you quinn anon (or acanuck if you're out there): What is the point of the prorogation? It gets Harper an extra 7 weeks and a lot of bad press. Does he think that with more time, he'll be able to cobble together a new coalition? Seems like if I were an unhappy coalition partner, I'd be even unhappier after the prorogie triple peel treatment.

PS You should be able to reset your password. Let me know if you still can't login.

Dagblogit won't let me sign

quinn the anonymous — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 22:47:41 +0000

In reply to Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Canadian Prorogation But Were Afraid To Ask

Dagblogit won't let me sign in. This is you know who, eh

Lookit. Canuckland works like a dream. Free health care, lotsa oil, gay rights, even a few gays on the left, nationwide Celine ban, never rains til after sundown, dozen perogies for 99 cents, public skating, and free morphine.

Knew you'd wanna know more about that. Just walk into your local Emerg, tell 'em you got a bad appendix, turrrrible pain, drop your pants, and nurse Hilda'll give you a needle full of Burma's best. They never argue with an appendix. I've been high for 11 years solid, never seen a bill.

And no, New York, a prorogue is not a temporary suspension. It's an unprecedented denial of democracy, another step toward the destruction of democracy due to the GOPstapo-like techniques of the Tories

By the way, didja read yer Kristof yesterday? All about ANOTHER Worthy Canadian Initiative.

Gettin' so there's too many to list. Like the Double-Raise Take-Out. Pull that before the 8th end, and it completely takes the steam out of the other guy.

I donno why I bother.

In Altoona, pierogieing is an

Donal — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 20:41:52 +0000

In reply to Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Canadian Prorogation But Were Afraid To Ask

In Altoona, pierogieing is an intimate act, between two consenting adults, one of whom knows her way around a kitchen. And that Governor-General is a lot hotter than a certain governor who can see Russia from her house.