Canadian Conservatives sweep Parliament
xmacro
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Just when you think Canada is sliding backwards into a french-like socialist state, they surprise you and pull out something great, like the 2006 election up there, which looks set to continue with their biggest sweep yet. Now if we can only get that kinda wave for 2012 going down here . . .
Canadian Conservative Party leader Stephen Harper's landslide victory in Monday's election, capturing the first center-right majority since 1988.
Mr. Harper has been running a minority government since 2006 and this time he won big. Conservatives captured 167 seats of 308. Second place went to the hard-left New Democratic Party, which won 102 seats and is now the official opposition, replacing the more moderate center-left Liberal Party. Liberals won a scant 34 seats, while the separatist party, Bloc Quebecois, took the worst drubbing, winning only four seats against 47 in the last parliament.
Mr. Harper was conciliatory on Monday night but also took appropriate credit. "We got that mandate because of the way we have governed, because of our record," he said in Calgary.
Comments
I know let me guess you weren't trying to offend anybody with that comment. I should just grow a thicker skin perhaps? Well you know how thinned skinned the French can be. For a group of people who get very offended when others talk about them in a derogatory manner, I would have thought an American would be a little more more gracious.
Of course I know macro was just trying to push some buttons, and that is what pisses me off so much about this. Has this place become a place to name call and make fun of people now? Too bad, used to be a KEWL place with KEWL people to hang out with. Now it seems some folk come here to get their rocks off by starting up *** like this. Too bad.
This wouldn't bother me at all, except that I know like most American, you know or care very little about our system, and this post was written only to piss people off and stir up ***. Well done macro, hope it made your day. Later guy's.
While I don't follow the Canadian system as closely as I do the US, I follow it about as closely as South American elections, European elections, African elections, SE Asian elections, etc - which is to say, I keep abreast of which party's are in power, what their platforms are, and what the opposition political party platform's are.
Canada is America's largest trading partner, and deeply integrated with the US economy. From my POV, it's good to have Harper sweep up; much better than having the NDP in power
Tell you what macro, why don't you fill me in on some of the platforms of the various parties here in Canada, since you do follow Canadian politics as much as you do any other third world nation? You can PM me so we don't fill the boards with more of this ***.
It seems like saying I don't want to get drawn into these things isn't good enough. Now people are going to be baiting these types of conversations. Sure I could stay out of it, but I hold strong feelings about some things and I don't like it when people who don't know talk as if they did. This board just isn't fun anymore, the good feelings have turned sour and nasty at times even, in some cases. Politics will do that to people, and that is why I wanted out of these discussions so long ago. I came here to make friends and talk cigars. I can argue with anyone I want at almost anytime if I want to talk politics. Starting to feel like if you don't belong to the correct political party... you are no longer part of the club, which is a cigar place, not a political forum. Having people decide who I am and what I stand for based on what THEY percieve my political beliefs are, is getting real old. Must be similar to what it feels like to be considered a criminal of some kind if you are black, or you must be a gang banger if you are Spanish, or black, or poor. Label, labels, labels.
I am sorry that my feelings of empathy for others bothers you so much. The fact that I would like to see society take care of society like a big extended family instead of being in some kind of phony contest with everyone around me, feeling like if they get something, then that is one less thing that I can get for myself. I am self emplyed and have been for over 20 years. I don't qualify for most government subsidies, and I don't look for them. I also don't begrudge them to those in our society that needs help. Yes that does lead to there being a certain % of people who take advantage of the generousity of that system. However, if the choice is between having a small % of people take advantage of the system, or cutting off everyone including those people who need help in order to make sure there is nobody taking advantage of the system, then I will go for keeping the system as is, rather then not help those who need it.
Now remember when you start to think of me as some kind of communist. socialist or any other dirty little label you can think of... I am self employed and take absolutely NO subsidies or hand outs from the government. I also don't feel like I am being shorted because some of my money is going to help these people. I try to maintain a "whole view approach" to the world. I don't always look at things only in the way they can benefit me personally. I recognize that I am NOT the center of the universe and I try to bring that into my every day life.
On-topic: Not getting into this with you Laker. You've got your opinions and I've got mine; no sense in expanding this argument beyond the elections and the issues around it. Canadians comment on US elections, and Americans comment on Canadian elections - take it at face value for what it is, a commentary on a recent election and my opinion of Canada's social-safety net. You like a big net, I see a net as necessary like you, but believe it can be smaller than what you envision - that's the sum of our differences.
Laker, I'm not trying to gang up on you but if you want to talk cigars, family, and stories their are other threads and other forums. This is the Non-Cigar Related forum for "Jokes, Sports, Politics, and the like." If you didn't want in a political conversation, why did you open a political thread?
That is a very erogant, offensive statement. I didn't know you guy's considered Canada a socialist French like state. With the comments made following these comments, that is the only conclusion a person can come to. I waited for quite a while to see if anyone would key on that statement but nobody did. Instead I got told there was nothing wrong with what was said. I can only then assume that you guy's agree with the statement.
Commenting on our politics in no big deal, making statements about our leaders, again fair game, they entered a public life. Making statements about Canadians in a personal manner as was done here is over the line.
I have in the past made comments on American politics and political leaders. I have NEVER made disparaging statements about Americans as a people. That would be very low class, and I would expect to be jumped on. But I guess if it is one of you guy's and your making these kinds of statements about people other then Americans ... it's all good.
Oh and one more thing here clearly... I didn't start this thread. Where did you get that idea? I responded to the thread.
The policies of a government always reflect on the population, since it is the population which elects the government. That is why there are so many folks in the US who are freaked by Obama, because he doesn't represent their personal views but he is the spookeman for those views on the world stage. Same goes here.
Insulting an elected Gov't isn't the same as insulting the people, and I can criticize bone-headed policies and bloated social spending all I please without saying anything derogatory about the population. I'm glad the Liberal party are out of power, that the NDP isn't in the majority, and that Harper's conservatives swept up - the majority of Canadian's would agree with me as well.
Why you're taking a criticism of your Gov't policies and the parties out of power so personally is something I just don't understand. You can insult Obama or the Republicans all you want - just because you don't view one or either of them highly doesn't translate to you not liking Americans - I don't know why you'd view it any differently with me commenting on the Canadian Gov't
As for your comment on Harper and his "sweep" of the majority of Canadians... your off base there as well. Harper won a majority of the seats in Parliament. He did NOT win a majority of Canadian votes. First there was only slightly over 60% of the people who voted. Of that 60% Harpers managed to get not quite 40% of the vote. With our parliamentary system that still enntitles him to a majority government because of the distribution of votes and the number of seats his party won.
When you keep your comments to politicians or public figures that's one thing. You made a general statement about Canadians surprising you because we changed our backwards ways. That's too personal.
If you wanna take everything I say as an insult, be my guest. If you can't see things any other way than an insult, there's no point left in talking. Take my comments however you like and you can be as offended or as un-offended as you please.
On-topic: A win's a win, and I'm glad that Harper swept the Parliamentary elections and doesn't have to cobble anything together with other parties - I'm looking forward to seeing what he can do with a majority. I'm still glad he's gonna reverse course away from the french-like socialist state and start cutting the bloated budgets.
Here's to 5 more years of Harper, and I wish our Gov't would start reversing our backward slide and find some fiscal sanity come 2012.
Pheebs - Considering that your state isn't doing so hot with unemployment or budgets, as well as the fact that the only solution your pols can come up with is to raise taxes, I wouldn't be talking too much about the "retarded or blind voters".
Corporations are in the business to make money and when that is hurting "people" and killing them it's time to move on. Govt. as we know it today is set up to provide protection for the commons, the people. Going back to the founding of this country that was the main reason for creating this united states, is for freedom from oppression. Sure blacks were treated horribly, women were too, and there was many problems but it was better than what other countries offered. Now we are one of the worst countries to live in. France is a much better country to live in.
And the intelligence of the people of this country is dwindling. I mean people care more about who's winning American Idol, or who Kim Kardassian screwed last night than say what is going on in this country. I mean you have a group that is funded and ran by corporations that are paying for publicity and using people to push their causes, and these people will be effected by their agenda and not in a good way. You have networks that are purposely misleading people from the facts and are getting away with it. The money controls our govt and in return we are getting further away from what our country was founded on, freedom from oppression. Everyday workers are becoming more and more consumed by low wages, longer hours or more work load. Or people who once had good jobs are either out of work or standing in line for hours for a job at burger king.
Meanwhile corporations are sitting on trillions of dollars and in the meantime this country is not producing. Companies make money when people buy things, and in fact that isn't happening here anymore, I mean millions of people are out of work and even off unemployment. GE's CEO even said that their consumers are no longer in this country, they are in Asia and India, where guess what, so many US jobs have went. These corporations have turned our country into a 3rd world country. Govt has failed to reign in these corporations and thus we are where we are.
As for me I think you get the politics you deserve, not always the politics you desire.