Next Liberal Leader

[© tweed]

To be decided tomorrow or soon thereafter I understand.

I noticed that Ignatieff's stock crashed today on TradeSports, I'm just not sure why.  Could someone with knowledge of the situation explain it to me?

[Hatman 🍁]

Not sure. None of the candidates impress me much. Bob Rae would be interesting. Polls indicate many NDP supporters like him (idiots!) but I cant imagine Conservative Liberals liking him too much. The problem with Ignatieff is the whole fact that he has been out of the country for so long... and then there is his support for the Iraq War and torture. Kennedy and Dion are long shots, but anything could happen.

[minionofmidas]

Ignatieff wrote a novel donks back. I came across a copy of that while browsing a used book merchant's wares. (Didn`t buy it though.)

[Filuwaúrdjan]

He also used to do Arts coverage for BBC 2. Last Canadian election, the media here wrote more about the race in Etobicoke-Lakeshore than about the overall election.

[merseysider]

I think Bob Rae would be the candidate for me. I've read about his NDP government in Ontario from 1990 to 1995. He sounds like someone I could identify with - someone on the centre-left who tried to teach a lesson in economic and political reality to an unreconstructed party of the left with a 'permanent opposition' mindset, and who didn't think that the job of a progressive government was simply to act as a cipher for the unions.

I like what Ignatieff has been saying (about Iraq for example) but I really can't see him taking off in a country as politically correct and small-L liberal as Canada.

[Hatman 🍁]

I think Bob Rae would be the candidate for me. I've read about his NDP government in Ontario from 1990 to 1995. He sounds like someone I could identify with - someone on the centre-left who tried to teach a lesson in economic and political reality to an unreconstructed party of the left with a 'permanent opposition' mindset, and who didn't think that the job of a progressive government was simply to act as a cipher for the unions.

I like what Ignatieff has been saying (about Iraq for example) but I really can't see him taking off in a country as politically correct and small-L liberal as Canada.

You digust me. Bob Rae was a horrible Premier and was a horrible New Democrat.  His policies were terrible, and no self respecting person from any part of the political spectrum would have adopted them. Just read up on "Rae days" to see what I mean.

Anyways, the first round of results were released tonight.

Michael Ignatieff    1,412    29.3%
Bob Rae    977    20.3%
Stephane Dion    856    17.8%
Gerard Kennedy    854    17.7%
Ken Dryden    238    4.9%
Scott Brison    192    4.0%
Joe Volpe    156    3.2%
Martha Hall Findlay    130    2.7%

[Tetro Kornbluth]

Kennedy has Withdrawn to support Dion. It's between Rae, Ignatieff and Dion now.

Second Ballot:
Michael Ignatieff 1,481 31.6%
Bob Rae 1,132 24.1%
Stephane Dion 974 20.8%
Gerard Kennedy 884 18.8%
Ken Dryden 219 4.7%

[Filuwaúrdjan]

I think Bob Rae would be the candidate for me. I've read about his NDP government in Ontario from 1990 to 1995. He sounds like someone I could identify with - someone on the centre-left who tried to teach a lesson in economic and political reality to an unreconstructed party of the left with a 'permanent opposition' mindset, and who didn't think that the job of a progressive government was simply to act as a cipher for the unions.[quote]

...and the net result was that the Ontario NDP fell from being the most powerful provincial NDP outside the West (and every now and again it was actually stronger than some Western parties) to a party that has only retained "official status" in the Provincial Parliament because of deals cut with other parties.

But how much of that it's fair to blame Rae for is debatable IMO; he was certainly in part to blame though (the "Social Contract" pissed off an entire generation of blue collar voters).

[© tweed]

Current TradeSports odds

Dion 72.5
Rae 21.7
Ignatieff 10.9
Kennedy 0.3
Others 0.1

[merseysider]

I suppose part of the reason I'm rooting for Rae is that I tend to be instinctively sympathetic to any left-of-centre leader who finds themselves at war with the public sector unions!

[2952-0-0]

Stephan Dion has narrowly defeated Ignatieff in the final ballot, 54% to Ignatieff's 46%. It appears that in the third ballot, Bob Rae was eliminated and many of his delegates backed Dion. Dion has also had much support from the four second-tier candidates, and thus surged to victory in an upset, continuing the Liberal trend of alternating between Francophone and Anglophone leaders. I don't know how the people will see this. Do people still equate Quebec Liberals with the sponsorship scandal? We shall see.

[Gabu]

Do people still equate Quebec Liberals with the sponsorship scandal? We shall see.

I honestly haven't heard much of anything about the sponsorship scandal lately, and almost forgot about it.

I'm curious if I'm just really inattentive or if I'm not alone there.

[Hatman 🍁]

Do people still equate Quebec Liberals with the sponsorship scandal? We shall see.

I honestly haven't heard much of anything about the sponsorship scandal lately, and almost forgot about it.

I'm curious if I'm just really inattentive or if I'm not alone there.

You're not alone, but you'll be reminded every single day during the election about it.

So Gabu, we know you're a Liberal- who did you support?