Categories: Potter Gold

He has lukewarm water in his veins

I really don’t see how the Liberals, and Ignatieff, come out looking good on…

by Andrew Potter on Monday, June 15, 2009 7:34am - 30 Comments

I really don’t see how the Liberals, and Ignatieff, come out looking good on this either way. You’re the opposition, guys. How long does it take to decide to oppose the government? What happened to Mr. “I have ice water in my veins”? Mr. “We are tired of sitting down”? Or as he told Mike Duffy: “In a word, no more sitting on our hands. You got me absolutely right, Mike.”

The question for the Liberal party should not be, “can we support this or that measure or piece of legislation?” That’s the question the two non-serious parties, the Bloc and the NDP, get to ask themselves, because their entire raison d’etre in parliament is to barter their small amount of support for whatever influence they can. But the Liberals, and only the Liberals, are the government in waiting. The minute Ignatieff became the official leader, he should have made it crystal clear that he thought he should be the prime minister, that he wanted Harper’s job, and that as far as the Liberal party is concerned, there should be an election as soon as possible, as a sort of re-do of the Fall Fiasco.

That would at least have given the party a strong, confident, and principled basis for their behaviour in parliament. The rest of the Commons, as well as the Canadian people, would have had a clear understanding of where the party was coming from. If the other parties decided to keep supporting the Tories, well, that’s their prerogative. And if there is an election, so much the better for the Libs.

Honestly, I don’t kow where the Liberal party keeps finding these beta-males to put in charge. It’s bad enough that Ignatieff keeps getting what is clearly awful strategic advice. What’s worse is that he keeps taking it.

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UPDATE: Le Devoir is reporting that Ignatieff has decided to spend his summer at his villa in Provence, despite Chretien apparently advising him to bring the government down:

L’ancien chef libéral, Jean Chrétien, conseillait aussi à Michael Ignatieff de déclencher les hostilités dès maintenant. De passage au Nouveau-Brunswick samedi, M. Chrétien a dit que le pays avait besoin d’un nouveau gouvernement. «Je pense qu’à ce moment-ci, le Canada serait mieux avec un gouvernement différent. Alors, si le peuple a la chance de se prononcer, que le peuple se prononce», a-t-il dit, alors qu’il participait à un événement partisan en compagnie du député Dominic Leblanc.

Tags: Ignatieff

More by Andrew Potter

http://intensedebate.com/people/SeanStok SeanStok

C'mon AP. The Coalition? Iggy appointed by caucus, not elected at convention? Liberal finances as red as their logo? Would you seriously have advised him to go immediately on the warpath? Seriously?! Seems to me the probation thingy was the best hand the Libs could have played from a weak position.

http://intensedebate.com/people/KadyITQ KadyITQ

Honestly, I'd probably be more sympathetic to that argument if the Liberals had accomplished anything at all in the House since Ignatieff took over as leader — teaming up with other parties to pass or block legislation, raising issues and pushing the narrative forward during Question Period, taking advantage of the combined opposition majority on committees to keep the government accountable, or respond to breaking news. Can you point to a single example of a tangible Liberal achievement over the last six months?

http://www.intensedebate.com/people/SeanStok SeanStok

Absolutely fair enough. The unquestioned shovelling of money to the auto sector stands out as one abject failure to provide any form of credible opposition, among many others. But without being an apologist, it's fair to ask what any of us would have advised Iggy to do since January, since Harper would have likely called his bluff, and the Lib finances are an absolute mess. I think there's plenty of room to be critical of Iggy without suggesting that he necessarily should have voted against the Cons from day one.

http://intensedebate.com/people/KadyITQ KadyITQ

I agree — but if that was the case, he probably should have demanded something more than just the probation reports in exchange for his party's support for the budget — and yes, I suspect the Conservatives would have been open to making some concessions — they were likely pinching themselves in joyous disbelief when he didn't ask for anything more concrete. If he had, he could now point to whatever that turned out to be as the reason why he's going to "reluctantly" back the government for one more series of confidence motions.

http://intensedebate.com/people/SeanStok SeanStok

Well, you know the corridor talk better than any of us, that's for sure. I just want us to avoid judging the 'January Iggy' with the benefit of knowing the subsequent six months of history – including the shift in polls, the fading memory of the coalition, Harper's weakening position (internally and externally), and that sort of thing. Hstorians warn against that sort of 'foreshadowing' in their analyses.

If you're still reading, do you know who is in Iggy's inner circle, advise-wise? He's the boss, so he wears any decisions, but I wonder who has his ear, if anyone?
http://www.intensedebate.com/people/SeanStok SeanStok

Well, you know the corridor talk (and most everything else going on around there!) better than any of us, that's for sure. I just want us to avoid judging the 'January Iggy' with the benefit of knowing the subsequent six months of history – including the shift in polls, the fading memory of the coalition, Harper's weakening position (internally and externally), and that sort of thing. Hstorians warn against that sort of 'foreshadowing' in their analyses.

If you're still reading, do you know who is in Iggy's inner circle, advise-wise? He's the boss, so he wears any decisions, but I wonder who has his ear, if anyone?

http://intensedebate.com/people/futurepm futurepm

Evidently, someone's still a little pissy about being snubbed for an interview…
http://intensedebate.com/people/JPro JPro

Yep, just what we need after years of George W. Bush and Stephen Harper. More %$&*-ing alpha males who treat politics as war.
RayK

One third of Canadians voted for "non-serious parties" in each of the last three elections and one of them–the NDP–actually did try to form a government to replace the Harper Conservatives.

Perhaps publications such as Macleans should take those parties a little more seriously–and stop treating their supporters with such contempt–by ceasing your obsessive concentration on the Lib-Con kabuki dance.

http://intensedebate.com/people/SeanStok SeanStok

You stop getting points for trying sometime after elementary school.

http://intensedebate.com/people/OntarioTown OntarioTown

Anyone else sick and tired of the media – from the minute the results of an election are in, they are asking when's the next election – day in day out.

If he does – he's wrong and if he doesn't he's wrong.

I look at what's happening in Iran – why the hell are you all bitching?

http://intensedebate.com/people/SeanStok SeanStok

To be fair, Iggy called this press conference to announce if there will be an election. It isn't a media-created thing.

john g

True, but to all the media it seems that they are calling him chicken.

The media are acting like it's Ignatieff's obligation to give them another election, only 8 months after the last one.

http://intensedebate.com/people/SeanStok SeanStok

It is a minority parliament. It's not exactly irresponsible to stay alert for a possible election.

Agreed about the chicken part. I expect the Liberals simply can't afford an election right now. I also think we're in the earliest stages, as a nation, of learning to work with minority governments as the new normal. I'm not sure we'd all be so quick to judge the Libs if our own arses were on the line too. (All of that said, the lack of substantive opposition is inexcusable – it can still be done without risking elections).

http://intensedebate.com/people/KadyITQ KadyITQ

That, in a nutshell, is my criticism: the entire credibility of the Liberals as a responsible opposition party now rests on Ignatieff's decision on this motion. That wouldn't be the case had they been willing to vote against the government on potentially contentious legislation that came up through the last session that were not automatic confidence issues — the crime bills being the most recent example — or the slightest interest in using alternative parliamentary mechanisms to hold the government accountable, such as committees. Ignatieff was the one who decided to make it all about this. I hardly think it's unfair to judge him using his own parameters.
http://intensedebate.com/people/SeanStok SeanStok

You've convinced me (seriously, I'm not being sarcastic!) – I've been too kind to Iggy and whoever else is handling the strategy file for the Libs. Sigh, now I feel less gooder about my parliament…
john g

Perhaps Ignatieff simply has a longer time horizon in mind before deciding whether to go for an election than you impatient journalists do?

A multi-billion dollar stimulus package went into effect 2 months ago. Why must Ignatieff decide Right F*(#ing Now if it's election time over it? How quickly do you guys think this stuff works?

It's not as simple as you make it sound Kady…an election is serious business, and we can't keep having $300 million elections every couple of months because the media demands that opposition parties oppose just for the sake of opposing.

John W.

Somehow, Harper backs Ignatieff into a corner with not much of a winning strategy available. But if Ignatieff has the courage to to vote non confidence, he can be sure either NDP or Bloc or both will find a way to make sure enough members are off on the summer circuit a bit early. He has to lose that little Dion voice in his ear, and as they apparently say in politics, roll the dice.
http://intensedebate.com/people/KadyITQ KadyITQ

You know what? I can actually point to more examples of political courage – of the nonsuicidal variety even – by Dion than Ignatieff. There. I said it.

http://intensedebate.com/people/OntarioTown OntarioTown

Geez, remind me how that all worked out.

Dion didn't have to deal with the global recession issue or calling a summer election with would stop funding.

Smith

I wonder what Bob Rae is thinking this morning. First he loses the leadership to Inspector Clouseau, and now he has to follow Dr. Doo-little right over the cliff into oblivion. It probably makes the private sector look kinda good right now.

http://intensedebate.com/people/OntarioTown OntarioTown

Do you want an election this summer?

John W.

You are right of course on climate change and the campaign in general. But the decision to not vote against Harper in the House wore down Dion's reputation, gave the Cons a lot of juice, and gave the NDP in particular a free ride to oppose without consequence.
Smith

Kady, you are so right. The true state of the Liberal party is very sad. Beta-males with bad advice is being kind. The party needed renewal, a convention, and a leadership fight that created NEW MEMBERS. What we got is a bunch of guys who think they can just go out and buy a ticket and win the lottery — no one wants to do the hard work!
Smith

Oh no. I'd rather spend the summer in Provence. There's a really thoughtful book on George Grant I might read.
http://intensedebate.com/people/SamDavies SamDavies

The reality is that it would be plain stupid to call an election right now.
With only minor changes in the polls, what would an election really accomplish?
I'd wager that if Iggy called an election, he'd be a huge target for wasting $$ on an election, which could possibly negate the gains the party has made.
He's kinda stuck in limbo, until a larger game changer can develop….

John W.

Ignatieff can't call an election. He can only exercise his role as Leader of the Opposition and oppose.

http://intensedebate.com/people/SamDavies SamDavies

Fair enough – but we are kinda splitting hairs here.
Iggy himself can't call an election, but he could trigger one…

http://intensedebate.com/people/jolyon jolyon

"Ignatieff has decided to spend his summer at his villa in Provence"

Does Iggy really have a villa in Provence or is this a bit of snark?

I think Libs have to walk a tightrope with this. They should not be voting with Cons all the time, especially after they put them 'on probation', but I could see anger amongst Canadians if there was an election this summer. Libs have to be careful that it does not appear that they are going to make Canadians continually vote until we get it right and Libs are reclining in the back of limos, once again.
cwe

Very bold. Is that exactly what you would do, AP? Is that exactly the sort of politician you would be if you weren't already so busy sitting on the sidelines, observing and commenting?