Saturday, January 31, 2009

Conservatives not conservative? Have your say

On the day Finance Minister Jim Flaherty unveiled his spend-happy budget I posted on this blog that the Conservative Party was now officially conservative in name only.

Well now the good folks over at the online Western Standard have put together an online poll to see how many people out there agree with me.

Before you vote, check out Tasha Kheiriddin's piece entitled, "One Liberal party was enough. We don't need two."

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Party members misguidedly thought they were voting for as our leader in 2002 would, under no circumstance, tolerate the country to return to a colossal, superfluous 85 billion dollar deficit which will undeniably not be short term and could do more harm than good. Anyone who believes that this deficit will be transitory has no sense of history. History validates how quickly so-called “temporary” spending programs are converted into the permanent financial structure paid for by enduring tax increases.

Unfortunately genuine small-c fiscal, social or judicial conservatives are no longer represented in the present House of Commons or the Conservative Party; and, are now anxiously waiting for the next leadership convention to attempt once again to elect one of our own. In 2002 when we thought we were electing a small-c fiscal, social and judicial conservatives we should have paid more intention to what Tom Flanagan would later write in his book, Harper’s Team: "Some socially conservatives constituency presidents and councils remained skeptical of Harper”. As it turned out it was not only the social conservatives who should have been skeptical of Harper.

--machiavelli

Anonymous said...

Well, Gerry, what option do you have?

Start another Reform Party with Monte the Joker as the leader? How is that going to help?

Replace Harper in 2010? With whom -- Stockwell Day? Jim Flaherty? Peter MacKay?

No, you're stuck with Harper. He is now the Conservative Party's Stephane Dion.

wilson said...

When you have the
far left and far right
PLUS the Danny/Duceppe duo
going ballistic over a budget,
it must be just right.

Yah gotta look at who doesn't like it.

Bonus* the death of the Coalition of Losers

Anonymous said...

Gerry - I have been conservative pretty well all my life. I don't consider "conservatism" to be some idealogical cult.
Instead, my view of true conservatism is good principled management, honesty, equality and helping people with a hand up instead of a hand out.

There is no idealogical formula for doing this. Good management has to take into account all factors and be flexible and pragmatic just like in any company or organization.

Idealogues are dinosaurs in a changing world don't you think?

Anonymous said...

How about the grassroots of each party force our elites to make the Conservative Party a conservative party and the Liberal Party a liberal party? Then Canadians can have a real choice and we can have real debate. I thought it was the elites that controlled our party (e.g.: installation of King Iggy) but judging by recent events it seems that is true in your party as well, though I'll leave you to judge your own party. We both should have a grassroots revolution. I don't mean starting up new parties, we've seen our unproductive that is. I mean let's take over our own parties!

Anonymous said...

Gerry - I would not put toomuch stock in your poll. You have become the new poster boy for the Liberals and Liberal media because they just LOVE to see a "so called Conservative" bash their fellow conservatives.
Since you are just one of many many thousands of conservative party members (if you are one) or conservative voters and have nothing to do with the party as any kind of spokesperson I wonder why YOUR opinion is any more important than mine or anyone else's?
Just as no policy of any government will make everyone happy no big tent party (or even the small tent fringe parties) will satisfy every single member.
You are in the category of rabid idealogue with a very special personal vendetta against Stephen Harper, the man and the Citizen's Coalition organization which you both worked for and which fired you.
So Liberals and non-conservatives will gleefully click your little poll to be anti conservstive don't you think?

Anonymous said...

Gerry - I'd also have folks check out Tasha in the National Post and also on CTV's Question Period.

TashaKheiriddinFan