Deux Maudits Anglais

Martin Patriquin and Philippe Gohier dissect the latest out of Quebec. Follow Philippe on Twitter: @pgohier

Categories: Deux Maudits Anglais

Attack ads? What attack ads?

by Martin Patriquin on Monday, May 25, 2009 11:29am - 13 Comments

surprise(1)

Wee bit of news on the political front. As this corner wrote a few weeks ago, Ignatieff continues to make inroads into Quebec, where up until a six months ago the Liberal brand was a just a tad more popular than Herpes though not nearly as infectious. Dead in the water. Finito. Salut la visite.

Er, no.

The newest Rad-Can poll has the Libs about where they were before–four points ahead of the Bloc, and 23 above the Cons.

The tea-leaf readers seem to think that the English voters are trickling back to the Liberals, where they’ve lived since forever, but are having a tougher time with French voters. Still, the Bloc is only eight points up on the Liberals amongst Francophone voters, which is but a mosey away from margin of error territory. The Bloc is at its happiest when the two federalist parties (or three. Hi Jack!) are neck-and-neck. Having blowout Liberal or Conservative support in Quebec queers the soup for Gilles Duceppe’s party. And that’s the thing about the last federal election, as far as Quebec was concerned. Harper had a blowout within his grasp, and a Quebec majority was his to lose. And he lost it. It was the worst $45 million he didn’t spend. As one Liberal put it to me recently, “Harper couldn’t even beat Stéphane Dion.”

All is to say that the sudden onslaught of negative attack ads from the Cons feel a bit like closing the barn door after the chickens have roosted, or whatever that hoary analogy is. The French attack-y website is less about Ignatieff’s cosmopolitan nature–In general, Quebecers don’t have as much of a problem voting for vaguely arrogant politicians, cough cough Trudeau, cough cough Parizeau–and have more to do with how Ignatieff remains an unknown quantity. It’s also peppered with Iggy’s past bon mots about Quebec (it’s like Minnesota with French signs!) and harps on his role as a Ottawa-centric centralisateur. Unlike my confrère, I think the site is decent as far as these things go. It’s slick, pithy, pretty in its ugliness. And unfortunately for the Conservatives, it doesn’t seem to be working in the least.

More by Martin Patriquin

Critical Reasoning

Unfortunately for Harper, the most effective way to chip away at Iggy’s Quebec support is to attack from the left, rather than the right. That’s why I’m curious to see whether Duceppe, that masterful manipulator of Quebec media, has any tricks up his sleeve.
Daryl

Pundits love polling numbers. I think it would be wrong to make conclusion, as Martin and others have, on these ads for at least a couple months. They certainly have generated a lot of ink.
David

The more negative the Reform/Alliance ads, the more insecure the current occupant of the PMO comes across as. Oh well, I guess it could be worse………………..Harper could be plagiarizing some old ads of John Howard, the ex Australian PM who went down to glorious defeat, a path our poor little PM will soon follow.
Great White Norht

The time is well overdue for an election.

We cannot expect anything better from the Neo-Conservatives than to attack the immigrants that have founded this country. From the French and English settlers to the lattes immigrants. The Neo should know better that we learn more by dealing and being part of different cultures that make us stronger not weaker is a real asset then you really learn what you have at home is Great.

The Bush/Hitler mentally of this Alliance Party where they think they are superior and better than anyone else must end now.

They want total world domination but that will also fail, many have try and continue trying since the beginning of the world they will also fail until the appointed time as it is written.

And they keep feeding us lies and Canadians continue to swallow them the same As when Hitler feed the Germans with Lies and Deceptions.
Daryl

So attack ads don’t seem to be working for the Conservatives unless of course they do. MSM are funny people sometimes.
Ipsos Reid Poll
CPC 35 +2
Lib 33
“The Liberals also may be set back by new attack ads against Ignatieff, whom the Conservatives portray as an elitist opportunist who is “just visiting” Canada after living outside the country for 34 years.”

http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/Tories+hold+slim+poll+lead+Liberal+support+falls+back/1629387/story.html

Will

This is encouraging for Conservatives but they are still tied with the Liberals (keep in mind the margin of error). The same pollster said the Liberals would still win if an election were held today because Liberal support is also in the big cities.
Will

Now that Harper said today in the House that he could eventually raise taxes, the Liberals can use this the next time anyone says Ignatieff may raise taxes too. Harper just shot himself in the foot today. Brilliant tactician?

MB

Maybe the people around Mr. Harper should concentrate on GOVERNING!!! A strange concept for a bunch who still live and act as if they were the opposition. They are on the government side of the speaker and they should spend more time to promote what they want to do and try to get their agenda passed (with the necessary amendments) by a majority of our duly elected parliament. These attacks adds tell me they are still not interested in governing per se but are more interested in manufacturing voodoo dolls. They would be much more ahead if they would drop the attitude, be professional and actually govern!!
http://www.macleans.ca Martin Patriquin

Daryl- my point here is to suggest that the attack ads aren’t working in Quebec. I like many Quebecers don’t care what happens in your country.

Joking!

Sort of.

JP

Heh. The Maclean bloggers are on a roll this morning.
Don

And there is the rub Martin, I (since I cannot speak for other Canadians) feel that Quebec couldn’t give a rats behind about the rest of the country as long as the tax money keeps flowing into Ville de Quebec. Therefore don’t be surprised when your country gets the “who gives a hoot” look from this Canadian when your artists whine about lack of federal funding.

http://www.macleans.ca Martin Patriquin

…and I don’t give a rat’s behind about la Ville Du Québec, as long as those tax dollars trickle down to Montreal. See? It all flows downhill.

David

I actually do a give a rat’s behind for the entire country – I especially respect the history of French Canada and suggest the book “Champlain’s Dream” – what a forward-thinking and brilliant man. Too bad his intellect and foresight wasn’t picked up by more of us, Canadians of all linguistic heritage.