The front page today...

[fajrdrako]

I do my best to avoid talking about politics, or reading about politics. Even while trying to avoid the subject, I hear far more about it than I want to, and it's all the worse when an election is going on. Like now.

Today the front page of The Ottawa Citizen featured pictures from TV ads the Liberals have run, blasting the Conservatives. One of their statements is that "If Stephen Harper wins the election, President Bush will smile."

My goodness. That is amazing for so many reasons. That they would say it. That they would put it on TV.

I'm pretty sure it happens to be true.

Comments

[medelle.livejournal.com]

I'm sure it is true!

IMO, Bush is ITCHING for the Conservatives to win so that he can start turning Canada into an annex of the U.S.!

Personally I root for the N.D.P but I know that will never happen so I give the Liberals the best vibes I can. :)

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I intend to vote for the NDP (as I usually do) and in my riding I like to think the NDP candidate has a good chance of winning. But the temptation is there to vote for the Liberal candidate just because I'd rather live with Martin than (heaven forbid) Harper....

If any of them share my vision for the future of Canada, they sure aren't talking about it. They're too busy fighting with each other.

I know there's nothing new about any of this.

[medelle.livejournal.com]

If I were Canadian and could vote, I would likely vote for NDP, tho I admit there would be a temptation to vote Liberal, because while I support the NDP more, I feel like the NDP's are too minority government to win a majority seating and like you I'd rather live with Martin than Harper. (shudders)

Mostly these days I just hope above all hopes that the Conservatives don't get it.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Yes - keeping the Conservatives out is my priority. I have a friend who believes it would be a good thing if they got in, because we'd have another election in no time and that would end in a Liberal majority. I'm not so confident; I think that once the Harperites had power they'd keep it, and keep it by any methods possible.

I don't think democracy is faring well these days.

[medelle.livejournal.com]

Yes, hubby and I had this conversation last night. He's of a mind that if the Conservatives "win" there will be another election within 6 mos. His opinion is that it might force the Liberals and the NDP into forming a coalition because right now every party's majority status is so tenuous.

My opinion is similar to yours - the conservatives are too Bush-like. If they get power they'll find a way to keep it by any means necessary.

I fear for Canada's future at this moment - I think y'all are at sort of a pivotal point where things could continue to go reasonably well or they could go oh so horribly wrong.

[blackbyrde.livejournal.com]

I have a feeling my riding is going to end up Conservative again. In the last election, it was quite the upset when the rookie Tory defeated the incumbent Liberal (David Pratt - wasn't he defence minister?). Like you, I'll probably end up voting NDP (or Green), but the Liberals are banking on the left-leaning voters to go with them in order not to split the vote and end up with a Conservative government. It really SUCKS that there are no choices (well, no good ones, anyway).

[(Anonymous)]

No good choices - that's the whole problem! Not that there's anything wrong with the Liberal and NDP candidates in my riding - they're okay. And I know nothing about the Conservative, but even if he's Gandhi and Superman rolled into one, I'm not going to vote Conservative.

If only there were someone inspiring in Canadian politics. Someone with intelligence and flair - not to mention honesty.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

That was me again. Logged out by the machine. Hmmph!

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

A coalition would be good. I could live with a coalition.

I have no faith that Bush-backed Conservatives are going to play fair with the electorate, the electoral laws, or the uses of power. I really do think that Harper is backed by Bush, and if the Conservatives get in we'll have troops in Iraq and the US military ships in our north - a whole web of international commitment that it will be difficult (if not impossible) to reverse even if the Liberals get back in a month after the deals are signed.

Canada's future? I know how I'd like it to go. But at this point I believe that the future of every country is linked with the future of every other country, for better or worse.

I only hope that Canada will continue to stand for things I believe in. So far it's been better than most.