Inkless Wells

 Inkless Wells

Paul Wells on all the latest out of Ottawa—along with the occasional post about jazz. Follow Paul on Twitter: @InklessPW

Categories: Capital Read, Inkless Wells

Riding the (hypothetical, high-speed) vote train

by Paul Wells on Wednesday, February 18, 2009 7:10am - 20 Comments

Michael Ignatieff shows up in Quebec City, stands beside mayor, says he fully supports mayor’s “cherished” project of a high-speed train to Windsor. This is a transparent play for the affections of two key demographics: (a) Quebec City mayors and (b) TGV-obsessed blogger/pundits. But at least Ignatieff is in Quebec, working to consolidate the modest advantage he’s shown in recent polls, and hunting bigger electoral game than Elizabeth May.

Bookmark and Share
  • Anon

    If GM & Chrysler go poof, will His Ignatiness still support le TGV?

  • Jarrid

    While in Quebec this is what Iggy said (in French) with respect to the Plains of Abraham battle re-enactment – “It’s not for me to say whether they should re-do the battle [of the Plains of Abraham]. I’m neither in favour nor against.” (h/t Norm Spector)

    I am starting to get the sense that Ignatieff is a bit of a weathervane. That is not a leadership quality, to put it mildly. The fate of the western world doesn’t exactily hang in the balacnce whether they do or don’t do this historical enactment but Iggy’s not taking a position on something or taking one and then changing it when it is no longer fashionable is not a good sign.

    • TOLiberal

      I think that this actually shows a very good understanding of his place in the country. It’s not up to the Leader of the Opposition to decide whether the reenactment is a good or a bad idea. If it was in his riding, then maybe he should have an opinion.

      I think some pragmatic leadership that doesn’t get involved in things that don’t concern it would be a welcome change for the Liberal Party.

    • Ted

      One of the problems of the prior leader was that he lurched from issue to issue. For example, for two weeks in 2007, the Liberals hammered the Conservatives on their total incompetence and outright lies on detainees in Afghanistan. It ended up costing one cabinet minister his job and surged the Liberals ahead of the Conservatives for the first time in a long time. Then they got sidetracked with a public inquiry into whether Shane Doan should be captain of Team Canada at the World Championship because of something he was shown not to have said in the middle of an on-ice scuffle two years earlier. The Conservatives wisely allowed the public hearings, remained silent on the issue and the Liberals dropped in the polls.

      It seems one of Ignatieff’s innovative leadership skills is to keep focused on the big issues, the ones that in an economic crisis matter to Canadians most.

    • Ted

      And as for weathervanes, it wasn’t Ignatieff who shattered spending records on polling, almost doubling Dithers who was ridiculed for, among other things, too much polling.

    • James Connors

      Harper’s positional consistency and clarity; bon mots:

      Deficit I, Oct. 6: “There’s nothing on the horizon – notwithstanding the storm clouds, and they are significant – (that) indicates to me that we should immediately go into deficit.”

      Deficit II, Oct. 11: “This is a ridiculous hypothetical scenario. What it really comes down to is you’re asking me to say what would Canada do if our economy went to hell in a handbasket. This government is running the economy so it can’t go to hell in a handbasket.”

      Deficit III, Nov. 22: “These are, of course, the classic circumstances under which budgetary deficits are essential.”

      Recession I, Sept. 15: “My own belief is if we were going to have some kind of crash or recession, we probably would have had it by now.”

      Recession I, Sept. 16: “The Canadian economy’s fundamentals are solid.”

      Recession II, Sept. 25: “The only way there is going to be a recession is if they’re (the Liberals) elected and that’s why they’re not going to be elected.”

      Recession III, Nov. 29: “The financial crisis has become an economic crisis, and the world is entering an economic period unlike – and potentially as dangerous as – anything we have faced since 1929.”

      Recession IV, Dec. 15: “The truth is, I’ve never seen such uncertainty in terms of looking forward to the future …. I’m very worried about the Canadian economy.”

      • camacleod

        Yeah, but what has he said about the Plains of Abraham? Only that is relevant, obviously. ;)

      • Daryl

        Yes it is truly shocking how quickly things went south. I’m surprised as you that Harper was not clairvoyant enough to have known how bad things were.

    • Scott M.

      C’mon folks, just because Harper sways with the wind that doesn’t excuse Ignatieff for doing the same thing. He should be better.

      That being said, I’m holding off judgment on Ignatieff for now, it’s hard to tell if he’s just being cautious or if he’s having difficulty taking a stand.

    • Ti-Guy

      Nice topic derailment, Jarrid.

    • Shenping

      A little word on strategy, J. If you want us to dislike Iggy, start praising him. Due to your you-ness and all.

  • Sisyphus

    Which way are my people going ? I want to lead them.

    • Ti-Guy

      I can’t remember what clapped-out gasbag…I mean, retired MPP…I heard admitting on TVO’s The Agenda a while ago that political leadership is simply a matter of finding the parade and getting in front of it, but the candour surprised me.

      • http://macleans.ca kc

        Ralph made it infamous. Could be the sight of him rolling along in front of any parade is what most makes it stick in my mind.

      • Sam

        If you look at our longest serving PM, Mackenzie King, sitting on the fence will lead to victory!

        Let Parliament decide…..

  • Lord Bob

    Ignatieff is endorsing a high-speed train now? Please! All the pounds sterling in the Empire would not suffice to push steel through the cold, inhospitable Canadian wilderness! The Dominion would surely bankrupt itself upon such an endeavour, and we should be quite happy with a ragged dirt track in the horseshoe with signs every kilometre reading “WINZOR DIS WAY”.

    – guest comment by Sir George Brown’s reanimated corpse

    • Paul Wells

      Lord Bob works valiantly to get us back on topic. Yay Lord Bob!

    • Shenping

      Puh-lease. We all know the quote is from a seance conducted post-humously by William Lyon Mackenzie King.

  • Dot

    and hunting bigger electoral game than Elizabeth May.

    Careful, she’s now in the same book section as you at M&S. (I predict 75% is an anti-Harper diatribe)

    http://greenparty.ca/en/media-release/2009-02-18/mcclelland-stewart-announces-publication-elizabeth-mays-losing-confidence-p

Previous

Next

From Macleans