Poor Stephen Harper

[hamilton]

It seems that nobody wants to play his reindeer games...

From www.thestar.com :

OTTAWA — Stephen Harper's chief of staff Phil Murphy has resigned, the latest in a series of aides to take his leave from the troubled office of the Conservative party leader.

Murphy met with Harper today and tendered his resignation following the meeting, said William Stairs, director of communications for the leader of the official Opposition.

Five others, all from the media-relations wing of Harper's office, have left in recent months. But Stairs insisted the departures are not a sign of malaise in Tory ranks.

Stairs says politics is a high-turnover profession, adding that it's not unusual for senior aides, when they do leave, to do so during the summer doldrums so their successors can be in place when parliamentary business resumes in the fall.

There was no announcement of who will fill Murphy's job on a permanent basis.

For the time being his duties will be shared by two deputies, Richard Decarie and Doug Finley.

Snicker, snicker, snicker... how many times do I get to watch the Conservative Party fall apart in one lifetime?

[timouse]

Snicker, snicker, snicker... how many times do I get to watch the Conservative Party fall apart in one lifetime?

divide your life expectancy by three don't worry, they'll be back...and in the meantime, how long will it take until we see stephen harper in all of the village people outfits? so far we've seen gay cowboy, possibly construction worker, what does that leave?

[million]

He might avoid the full native head dress... but then again...

[can-o-phish]

divide your life expectancy by three don't worry, they'll be back...

Yah, but in what form will they be disguised as this time and what name will they be under...

1.Progressive Conservatives

62.Alliance

3.Reform

4.The Reformed Alliance of Progressive Conservatives

6.The Sometimes Conservative Allliance who have Reformed to be Progressive

If you can't figure out who and what makes up your party and your cabinet ministers jump ship at the sign of the smallest of storms, what's the point...

Adieu Sir Harps-A-Lot

[timouse]

He might avoid the full native head dress... but then again...

oooh, i can't wait for that one.

Y - M - C - A !

[AdamH]

A party that captures half the vote doesn't just lay down and die. Once they get in someone with charisma and a better persona we are in trouble.

The changeover that happened with the green party (who of course hired a managment consulant as their leader, and wooed former conservative party strategists to help them re-structure) is the same thing that will happen with the conservatives. And the same results would be expected...a few hardcores will drop out, and a whole lot more moderate conservatives who wavered will lend their support and we'll elect a conservative minority in the next go-around.

[thatpatguy]

what the conservative party needs is a leader from Ontario or Quebec though. These conservative leaders for the West seem to freak out a lot of the moderate (or old school PC) conservatives in the East.

Once the party elects someone like John Tory as their leader then we'll be in real trouble.

[Hux]

Getting a new leader from Ontario or Quebec would seem smart for the Cons, but the party is dead in Quebec, 4% support, no seats, no organization (unlike the Mulroney years when Quebec was a PC vs. Lib showdown, since '93 and the emergence of the Bloc who replaced the PC's as the "other party" in Quebec, a resurgance/leader with enough support emerging to capture the leadership is highly unlikely, and it is a key part of forming a gov't) A leader from urban Ontario would seem logical (Belinda? oops) but remember that the power-base of this party lies in the majority of it's membership that resides in Western Canada, who are far too "principled" to elect a non-pro-life, etc. etc. moderate Ontarian. There is also lingering resentment in the west of the Mulroney PC years (The reason the whole Reform/Alliance movement was even started) so there is reluctance to hand over their baby to those people again.

Polling has also shown that it's not so much the leadership of the Cons that is the problem but the party itself, and conservativism on the whole - Canadians just aren't that conservative. The party has never gotten above the 25% level of support, and many thought that merging the PC's and Alliance, would simply translate into higher support, ie. add the Alliance % and PC, but, to date the Cons are barely able to equal Alliance support levels achieved with Stockwell Day as leader, ie. the Progressives left.

[thatpatguy]

I guess you can attribute the leave of the moderate conservatives with the Liberal party taking more of a center stance politically as well.

what happend to the good ol days of the PCs being on the right (but not too far right), the Liberals being on the left (but not too far left), the NDP existing of the hippies and unions and the Rhino party being the big joke

[Hux]

I guess you can attribute the leave of the moderate conservatives with the Liberal party taking more of a center stance politically as well.

Well, I think we've always hugged the middle, and so did the old PC Party, (albeit economically more to the right) and both parties were relatively successful. Now with the far-right controlling the Conservative Party, there is less room for the middle/moderates, and they are less welcome. This is the problem with having a party this is tied philosphically to either the left or right, you simply cannot address every issue from a pragmatic position, but instead from the moral pinnings of the social conservatives to the right (Hallelujah) or the dogmatic left (the PM is an evil shipping magnate). I think people prefer a party that makes a decision (or tries to) based on the overall good, as opposed to a set principle, I think ultimately that's the best way to govern.

The political reality in Canada is basically still dealing with the realignment of the '93 election, which broke the mould. It's hard to envision the Cons getting a majority Gov't in the forseeable future, it's just an impossibility on the ground (Quebec).

[thatpatguy]

This is the problem with having a party this is tied philosphically to either the left or right, you simply cannot address every issue from a pragmatic position, but instead from the moral pinnings of the social conservatives to the right (Hallelujah) or the dogmatic left (the PM is an evil shipping magnate).

I totally agree, which is why I think the party system actually doesn't work that well. Voting along party lines and stuff just seems to break down the way the system was set up (that being that the MPs are supposed to be the voice of the constituants (sp?)). If the MP is my voice, but the party makes a decision that I don't agree with, but the MP has to vote on party lines, well.. is that MP really my voice?

now that I've said that though.. I think we should continue this discussion over beer.. because I could see it going on long into the night and boring a lot of people if we keep it on the board

[Hux]

Voting along party lines and stuff just seems to break down the way the system was set up (that being that the MPs are supposed to be the voice of the constituants (sp?)). If the MP is my voice, but the party makes a decision that I don't agree with, but the MP has to vote on party lines, well.. is that MP really my voice?

I guess one answer could be that if every MP just spoke for their riding, who would make decisions and speak for the interest of the country as a whole? Ultimately a decision might have to be made that could be good for the country as a whole but bad for you or your riding, ie. A new law restricting telemarketing activities closes the call centre (or whatever) in your riding and you lose your job.

Just some food for thought. Not that the party system is perfect, but I think it is necessary.

[Rob Not Bob]

"Tories are like measels, you get them once in your lifetime"