The NDP suddenly thrust into a leadership campaign that was completely unthinkable less than three months ago, perhaps are a little taken aback that the calls for a merger with the Liberals has once again been thrust into the debate.
The Liberal side of the House of Commons has their own leadership concerns as well, interim leader Bob Rae ( a one time NDP leader in Ontario) trying his best it seems to try to keep the Liberals focused on the continuation of the Liberal brand, despite the inclinations of former MP's and a former Prime Minister.
The positives and negatives of the prospect of a merger are being debated, rebutted, argued and in some cases ignored completely, the prospect of the two parties becoming one a non-starter for the more dedicated of each party.
It would seem that bringing the two factions to the same table is perhaps asking a little too much, the distinctive planks of the two parties may have a few similarities, but there are just as many opposing ideals, which to many suggest that there is no real common ground to expect a smooth and amenable union.
In the end, it seems as always in politics, money will be the determining factor, trumping idealism and political science.
As Chantal Hebert examined in the Toronto Star this week, just the whispers of a political merger between the NDP and the Liberals is shutting off the funding spigots for the Liberals, a warning shot perhaps that there will be a financial cost for those that are pushing for an accommodation with their socialist allies.
A warning shot if you will, that a good number of Liberals will vote with their feet and their wallets should the merger go ahead, a possibility that no doubt warms the cockles of a Tory Fundraisers heart we imagine.
Beyond that very real and definitive aspect of the merger mania of the last thirty days or so, the political talking points suggest that the Liberals, steeped in history as they are may in the end feel that the best course for their future is to revisit their past, reaffirm their Liberal roots and wait out the process of a leadership campaign and start anew, under their own agenda and without the different agendas that the NDP would bring into the tent.
Needless to say there has been much to review of the merger discussions, some of which you can track below. We will update developments are the returns come in.
September 10-- A Liberal-NDP merger would weaken both parties
September 8-- Sheila Copps has her Joe Clark moment
September 8-- Merger talk threatens the Liberals' bank account
September 7-- Chretien's case of bad timing
September 7-- NDP's Topp attacks Rae, takes stand against merger with Liberals
September 7-- Seeking Liberal presidency, Sheila Copps vows to fight merger
September 7-- Seeking Liberal presidency, Sheila Copps vows to fight merger
September 7-- Lefties, a little progressive merger wouldn't hurt
September 2-- Liberals' best strategy is to wait for NDP decline
September 1-- Move on folks, no mergers to be seen here
August 30-- Merger talk risk splitting NDP unity
August 30-- Bob Rae scoffs at Liberal-NDP merger fiction
August 30-- Bob Rae scoffs at Liberal-NDP merger fiction
No comments:
Post a Comment