Conservative hypocrisy: "goddamn unelected Senate"

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from teh Globe:

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ggrrrr teh goddamn Libruls in their unelected undemokratik Senates, blocking the people's will like ideologues!!!! We wantsz the accountability!!! Triplesz-E Senate reforms!!!!

Oh, wait, what? The appointed, totally unelected and undemocratic Conservative Senate blocking a bill passed by elected representatives? No! It doesn't count when it's Stephen Harper's appointed illiterate Senators doing this, it only counts when it's the separatist tree-hugging socialist opposition.

It's about time that the people of this stupid country wake up and realize that we have the worst Prime Minister since Confederation. How can people seriously be this stupid?

[Franzl]

Or maybe consider an elected Senate.

[Hash]

Or maybe consider an elected Senate.

That's only to be considered when your party holds a minority of seats. It's painfully obvious that Harpy doesn't care about an elected Senate. He's found it useful to stack it with his retards now, and yesterday he found it useful to block legislation.

[Franzl]

I don't disagree...but it would still be a good idea. (Or abolish it entirely.)

[Hash]

I don't disagree...but it would still be a good idea. (Or abolish it entirely.)

Banning the Conservative Party would also be a good idea, but neither of those good ideas will ever happen.

[Silent Hunter]

I don't disagree...but it would still be a good idea. (Or abolish it entirely.)

What about the Parliament Act?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

I don't disagree...but it would still be a good idea. (Or abolish it entirely.)

What about the Parliament Act?

Is there a Parliament Act (or something like it) in Canada?

[MaxQue]

No, the Senate composition is written directly in the Constitution.

We would need to amend it.
There is more chances of Ralph Nader being elected US President than succeeding to amend to Constitution.

Exactly, Senate composition is under the 7/50 rule. So, the House of Commons, the Senate and 7 provincial assemblies representing 50% of the Canadian population would need to approve it.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     Wow. The United States has an essentially unamendable Constitution as well & we still managed to make our Senate elected over 90 years ago.

[MaxQue]

     Wow. The United States has an essentially unamendable Constitution as well & we still managed to make our Senate elected over 90 years ago.

Well, before 1982, we had to ask to the United Kingdom House of Commons and House of Lords to amend our Constitution, since our Constitution was a British law.

[Insula Dei]

How do they get away with that? You'd expect their polling numbers to fall 5% overnight as a reaction to this kind of dirty play.

No,really. Our senate is elected and even they don't really have a say in the legislation they passor vote down. And waiting for the opposition to be absent in order to vote a bill, would backfire like a gun that has been tinkered with.

[Hash]

How do they get away with that? You'd expect their polling numbers to fall 5% overnight as a reaction to this kind of dirty play.

No,really. Our senate is elected and even they don't really have a say in the legislation they passor vote down. And waiting for the opposition to be absent in order to vote a bill, would backfire like a gun that has been tinkered with.

A variety of reasons:

a. people will get angry and pissed, then tomorrow they'll go back to work and forget all about it and remember that entirely false 'zomgz Harper saved us from the economic crisis, he must doing a good job!' line of thought.
b. people are dumb and can be led into believing that the Tories did this only because it was bad legislation. Tories are obviously superior at PR.
c. It hasn't made big headlines, for some reason. The people who care a lot about this probably all already hate Harper. I should ask some Tory what they think about this, but more likely than not they'll resort to ad hominem attacks calling the Liberals/NDP dirty socialist spendin' tree-hugging commies (most Tory hacks are unable to argue politely)
d. nobody likes the opposition

[MaxQue]

You forgot the main reason, to my opinion.

Ignatieff is the worst "Opposition" Leader ever.
He is too busy sucking up Harper to not go in elections to even try to oppose him in an efficient way.

Even Liberals are seeing that.
In yesterday Harris-Decima poll, 64% of Canadians said than Liberals needed a new leader. 59% of Liberal said that, too. Even Liberals don't want him as a leader!

By the way, 50% of Canadians want a new leader for Conservatives, including 21% of Conservatives voters. Which is "better".

Note: Sorry if that message is not neutral and smells sour grapes. By the way, the spell Checker wants to correct "Harris-Decima" in "Parasitism". No joke.

[homelycooking]

If the prorogation didn't injure Harper, then there's no way that this will.

Are there any credible challengers to Ignatieff in a possible leadership coup? One of the McGuintys, perhaps?

[Hash]

If the prorogation didn't injure Harper, then there's no way that this will.

Harper has more skill and tact than all other leaders combined, so he can work his way out of things like this easily.

Though at the same time, he can be an ideologue and do really stupid things which can hurt him (see: art cuts, 2008).

[MaxQue]

Are there any credible challengers to Ignatieff in a possible leadership coup? One of the McGuintys, perhaps?

Dalton won't move now.

There is an Ontario election in October 2011.
Also, in the last poll, he had 35% approvals and 12 points behind PCs (and only 7 points in front of NDP).

So, no, Liberals don't want him, even if he is looks better than Dion and Ignatieff.
And remember than he won last election mainly because Tory, the Tories' leader then, decided to act like a moron and alienated his base.

I must admit than I don't get the Ignatieff hype. Well, I won't complain, I would take him as a provincial Premier 100 times before Charest (which had 17% approval in the last poll and has a petition for asking his resignation on Internet since three days and already have near 200.000 signatures on it).

[Hash]

There is an Ontario election in October 2011.
Also, in the last poll, he had 35% approvals and 12 points behind PCs (and only 7 points in front of NDP).

I'm almost resigning myself to a Premier Tim Hudak (Dear Lord help us) next year. I hope and think that might change, but I doubt we can win a third term in such circumstances.

And yet, I can't come to imagine the horror that a Hudak government would be. Hudak is a far-right lunatic, possibly worse than Harper and Mike Harris. He'd throw the province down the drain like Harris did.

[Bunwahaha [still dunno why, but well, so be it]]

If only somebody, even hypocritically, could say 'goddamn unelected Senate' here too...

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If only somebody, even hypocritically, could say 'goddamn unelected Senate' here too...

The French Senate is a model of democracy compared to the Canadian Senate. There can be no comparisons.