Ignatieff goes soft on Coalition for Change
M. Michael Ignatieff continues to sell-out Liberal principles of freedom and social justice by giving their tacit support to whatever scraps the Conservative party decides to throw at the Canadian people. The Liberal party is and deserves better. The Liberal-NDP coalition, supported by the Bloc Québécois, has the potential to lead Canada through the darkness that the oncoming recession promises to the working people of the nation, and that coalition is in peril, even if the Québécois Confédération de Syndicats nationaux doubts it.The Conservative proposals in the past have been an appalling caricature of the what a country's government should be. The way in which the Tories have pushed forward their agenda of backwardness, reaction, and enrichment of the wealthy have put the other bourgeois parties, like the Bloc Québécois and the Liberal Party, to shame. The Governor General urges us to be «realistic», that is, accept whatever is given to us by the capitalists. The people of Canada want more, expect more, voted for more, and quite frankly no Conservative government is possible of delivering that to them.
The other parties in the coalition have been talking tough, and that is truly what is needed. The way in which the coalition conducts itself in the future will rest firmly on the moral authority of the New Democratic Party and its leader Jack Layton, lacking as he is in many areas. The Bloc Québécois is a progressive force for Canada, although it is mainly focused on Québec as is its remit. It is surprising that the Bloc Québécois realises its importance so fully
However the ball rests firmly in the court of the Liberal Party of Canada, and it must play the offensive position. The prize is the welfare of Canada's people. That must not be put at stake by a Liberal party leader who harbours illusions (disillusions)!
Libellés : Libéraux, Politique, ROC
par Borges à 12:31
Ignatieff: «The coalition if necesary, but not necessarily the coalition»
Yes the Liberals are fulfilling some of their detractors worse predictions by allowing the Harper government to dictate the terms of any possible agreement regarding the budget. On Friday, Ignatieff and the Prime Minister met to discuss the economy and the soon-to-be-unveiled plan for the coming year. Though both were very coy about the discussion, however things were clarified by the statements of Liberal spokesman Jean-François Del Torchio:"The ball is in Mr. Harper's court...He needs to put forward a credible economic plan."A credible economic plan? He can't be serious, can he? To expect the Conservative government to even pretend to make concessions to the working class in times of such crisis is pure self-deception. Hell, the Tories won't even show us the real state of government finance! The Harper administration has promised Canada a significant change in the way finances are handled, and nearly two-thirds of the population rejected his platform! The progressive forces in Parliament, though it has been pro-rouged, are a clear majority and must, must, must, make their presence and power felt.
M. Ignatieff has stated that he wants to wait for the Conservative government before he makes any decision on coalition formation. This passive move is a horrible vacillation, waiting for the Tories to make the first move is paramount to betrayal of his future partners in the coalition, as well as the Canadian people. It is incumbent upon all progressive liberals to try and influence the party in order that it may take the correct decisions and execute them well.
Libellés : Libéraux, Politique, ROC
par Borges à 11:09
Ignatieff stands firm on Québec, vacilates on Coalition
- The Liberal Party of Canada, under the leadership of the newly knighted Michael Ignatieff, has declared itself the «federalist option» for Québec. This is a particularly boisterous statement considering the party's performance in the past 2 federal elections in the province. It is a statement which beggars belief considering that the Liberal party seems to be one of the least representative of Québécois values in comparison to the Bloc and the Conservatives. The question begs to be asked, why? Why does the Liberal party of Canada feel itself best placed to represent Canadian unity for the Québécois people?
- In other news, PM Harper has swiftly responded to the crowning of Ignatieff by asking for a meeting to discuss the budget. M. Ignatieff has acquiesced and granted the Prime Minister a meeting, but made it clear that Harper must be willing to make changes in order to save his government. This is not a good sign, as it shows that the new Liberal leader thinks it possible to find compromise with the Conservative Prime Minister. Right now Liberals and Népédistes hold the power, but Ignatieff could easily give away the will of the 62% majority in exchange for political dealings, as has been done so many times before. Let's keep the Liberal party honest!
Libellés : Libéraux, Politique, Québec, ROC
par Borges à 12:44
Capitalism in Practice: World Hunger rises towards a billion
The number of people under-nourished or starving has increased to nearly 1 billion people world-wide, with an extra 40 million people added to the total in the past year. That means that approximately 15% of the world population is without food, a shocking statistic in the world of trillions of dollars worth of bailouts, money literally thrown at failing corporations. While world leaders rush around frantically trying to maintain stability and stave of further stagnation in the world economy, the sick and hungry don't seem to warrant the same attention as bankers and financial analysts.There is no reason why there should be anyone going without food in a world of overproduction and wealth beyond belief. Workers more productive than thought possible, the means of production have been developed towards an extraordinary level. The scientific feats achieved in our times mean that no one has to go hungry. And yet the chaos and cruelty of the capitalist system perpetuates indefinitely the very crisis for which it has created the means to solve.
A new road must be taken, one of socialist production on a world scale, one where things are planned on a democratic basis according to the needs and ability of all. Capitalism has out-lived its productive stage and must be destroyed! Forward to the day when no one has to suffer any longer from the pain of hunger!
For more information see: What is really behind the food crisis?
Libellés : Pauvreté et développement
par Borges à 08:14
Liberal Victory in Québec 2008: A Class Analysis
The Liberal Party of Québec will form the next government of the country as a majority, barely. The key number was 63, the Libéraux elected 66 deputies to the National Assembly. In second place forming the official opposition is the Parti Québécois who beat the Action Démocratique du Québec by a comparative landslide. Another important development was the election of a deputy of the leftist Québec Solidaire leader Amir Khadir, the first in the party's history.The victory of the Liberal Party is significant in that it is the third straight mandate for Jean Charest and the Libéraux, a feat unseen since the Union Nationale government of Duplessis in the mid-20th century. However by the end of that third term, the Québec population was thoroughly sick of the conservatism and repression of that government and swiftly registered their discontent by voting Liberal in huge numbers. Hopefully the same will not be said of M. Charest's third term.
The main priority for the government of the Liberal Party of Québec will be maintaining peace and stability during the economic downturn, and will most likely be forced to attack the working class on many occasions. The major themes, or platitudes we should say, contained in the election platform are:
These are some pretty bourgeois promises if we look at them from a class perspective. Ensuring the demographic growth of Québec is a play to all the regions suffering from exodus into the cities and other provinces, where cheap (read youth/immigrant) labour is desperately needed in order to keep the economy moving. Promoting our territory and natural resources signifies opening up the North of Québec which remains greatly underdeveloped in terms of its capacity as a major source of precious materials. It also means propping up the ailing forest industry which should be nationalised considering the sensitivity and importance the sector plays in the québécois economy.[PLQ, Election Platform, p.3]
- Ensure demographic growth of Québec across all regions
- Promote our territory and natural resources
- Be more productive and innovative
- Better prepare our children for the future
- Improve the quality of our services
- Reinforce our identity as an economic asset
Being more productive and innovative means more efficiently exploiting the labour of the working class in order to produce more profit. No one can hide behind such a statement. The specific promises made may seem benevolent enough, however it is clear what is on the Charest agenda: further exploitation of the workers.
Educating our children is an important goal for society as a whole but especially for the ruling class. There is a significant risk of an underclass developing here, as in Britain, which has no vocational or post-secondary training, is out of work, and not feeling able to contribute to the economy. In order to prevent that the government must place the CÉGEPS and universities at the forefront of the agenda and grant free life-long education. Standards, test scores, and drop-out rates ought to be given priority in primary and secondary education, especially in the areas of French and maths.
Social and health services are a key concern for all Québécois. The majority of Québécois prize and value their social security system, but also yearn to improve it. The Régie has to at all costs be kept from privitisation at all costs. Waiting times and efficiency must be improved. Prescriptions must be made completely free. The administration has outlined a commitment to a further 15 000 places in the highly subsidised and affordable state child-care centres. However this is not enough, free childcare should be a right for working parents. The last theme is better not touched as it seems to be pure nationalist-lite posturing.
Libellés : Libéraux, Pauvreté et développement, Politique, Québec
par Borges à 12:39
Priorities for the Coalition
What the working class needs from Liberals and the NDP:- Jobs
- Justice
- Quality health services
- National childcare
- Free life-long education
- A solution to the constitutional impasses
- A clean environment
- A strong economy, even if that means nationalisation of failing companies
Can anybody think of anything else?
Libellés : Libéraux, NPD, Politique, ROC
par Borges à 12:24
Coalition:A suicide pact or a golden compromise?
One has been largely silent regarding the fate of the Canadian Parliament. It looks as though Stephen Harper will be toppled by the very issue on which he campaigned, the economy. And so the question begs to be asked, «what next?». Should the Opposition MPs vote, as they have promised to, against the budget, that will force the Queen's Representative Mrs. Governor General Michaelle Jean to find a solution to the governmental crisis which would most likely involve a coalition of Liberals and Népedistes, with Bloquiste support forthcoming as seen necessary.This situation has cause an uproar in Canadian politics and put us in a situation unthinkable even a month ago. The progressive left has toyed with the idea of a Liberal-NDP coalition, with partisans of both sides having a go at expressing themselves and their opinions. Many are against, many are for, and both have excellent reasons for wanting their option to be chosen (either let the government fall or form a coalition).
From a class-interest point of view, the New Democratic Party is the mass party of labour with its numerous ties to the trade unions, and is therefore most apt to represent the interests of the working class. However many left-leaning voters err towards the Liberals for whatever reason. Therefore it is my contention that the Liberals and the New Democrats are not at this point qualitatively different from the Liberals on the important issues such as the economy, Afghanistan, and other federal matters. There is no reason why these two parties can not work together.
Furthermore, it may well be in the interests of the working class to have their representative party in power, playing even a minimal role. It will give the NDP clout on the national stage, show people that they are ready for federal government, and hopefully, pushing the Liberals in a progressive direction. There are several key proposals in the NDP program worth considering by the Liberal Party of Canada such as nation wide-child care, 1 000 student grants, national prescription drug plan etc.
There is no reason why the New Democratic Party should not take part in the coalition that is currently being discussed, but there are many reasons why they should.
Libellés : Libéraux, NPD, Politique, ROC
par Borges à 09:40
