When the Conservative Party started drifting to the Left, the political geniuses in the Prime Minister's Office said it was all part of a crafty strategy designed to ensure a majority government.
The National Citizens Coalition even backed this reasoning. In its latest newsletter, Freedom Watch, the NCC defends the March budget --- which to many observers was more Liberal than Conservative -- this way:
"This is a budget designed to appeal to voters in suburban Canada, gaining the Tories favour in areas like the vote rich GTA and rural Quebec."
The newsletter also notes, "All in all, this was a `minority' budget, and while it focused far too heavily on spending, we can only hope that it will firm up enough support to form a majority government."
Well it seems it hasn't worked.
In fact, the latest SES poll shows the Tories and the Liberals are in a dead heat.
What makes this all the more astounding is that the Liberals have an extremely weak leader.
What's going on here?
Well maybe the voters are picking up on something that has eluded both the NCC and the PMO.
Simply put, Canadians want their leaders to stand for something; to have some sort of values or vision.
The only thing the Tories seem to stand for is winning.
So maybe the Conservatives should try another strategy. Maybe they should actually try sticking by their principles.
Like you, I think people expected the Harper government to do things differently bothe fiscally, legislatively and socially. I think the last budget was the straw that broke the camel's...the people's hope for that.
ReplyDeleteThe Tories falling numbers are largely because of the detainee issue in Afghanistan. If the Tories pulled out of Afghanistan I suspect they would be in majority territory. If anything they are too right wing on foreign and environment policy. Maybe not on economic policy, but that is one of the few areas Canadians tend to lean to the right, while most other areas they lean to the left.
ReplyDeleteI have volunteered for the Conservatives and when they were elected, I was happy -- finally we would have a responsible government.
ReplyDeleteToday, I am unhappy, a bad case of buyer's remorse, the Conservatives are a little like a con-artist used car salesman.
What they promised, they have in power mostly ignored.
Take the issue of the firearm registry, for years in opposition, Garry Breitkreuz was the key person on the file, digging out all the problems.
That was then, now, in power, Harper and his circle have paid lip-service to the issue.
Breitkreuz is as far away from the gun file as a hawk is to the moon.
On the Environment file, the Conservatives have not bothered to share with Canadians -- they have bowed to the left-wing radicals.
If an election were held today, I would probably go fishing.
Harper is the last person I thought would be such a flip-flopper on his long-held principles.