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Final Thoughts on Liberal Leadership Race & NDP

Final Thoughts on Liberal Leadership Race & NDP
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There's always been a back-and-forth in Canadian politics. Every few terms, the public would tire of either the Conservative or Liberal party and vote the other one into power. It's the same around the world, where the leadership would become too comfy, push their power boundaries too far and inevitably be voted out of office.

Look at the history of either party in Canada and you will see exactly this pattern; nothing new. What's surprising, however, is that with more and more Canadians engaged in politics, the solutions being sought after now are very foreign and new to the process: both the fringe right and fringe left looking to destroy and erase the centre in the country's political landscape.

In a landscape where so many are adamant on getting rid of Stephen Harper, you have to wonder why both the Conservatives and NDP are working so hard not on fighting each other, but instead teaming up in ensuring that Canadians who are considered centrists, or middle-of-the-road, no longer have an option. Others far more well-versed and educated in political science, number-crunching and history have written about this over the last few months, that the NDP is essentially doing the dirty work of the Conservatives in the Liberal leadership race.

None of the candidates running for the Liberal leadership are in favour of the so-called cooperation of the NDP, Greens and their own party except for Joyce Murray. Not when you look at the math, that not only does the NDP have little-to-no shot of winning on their own but that the Liberals themselves attract enough voters to win outright without any help of either the NDP or the Green Party. In fact, the NDP has and looks to do nothing but continue to lose support, in some polls as low as 20 per cent at present.

I have been an NDP supporter in the past myself, as I've written about both in comment sections and blogs around the internet, but the NDP have positioned themselves to be a sort of left-wing tea party these days, since Layton, and as sheep are only looking blacker.

You don't have to look far to see the pandering the party has done since taking the official opposition. It's all they've done, whether it be posturing on subjects without any clear explanation or reasoning other than to win over the very casual hipster voters of this country, trying everything to secure them more votes for the election 31 months away. Look at their alternative budget they released in the past month, one filled with ideas of promise and earmarks but no figures, or the rushed and failed attempt to abolish the senate which was something talked about by their base as if it were a Hot Topic on The View.

While a lot has been said about the frontrunner, Ms. Murray is running against his lack of ideas, lack of policies, etc., why isn't the same being said about the lack of understanding of how exactly this cooperation would work? It's because the math is there for anyone looking to dig deeper, beyond the media glamourizing certain candidates, but it's far easier to attack then actually talk about the reality they have in mind.

The Liberals are to elect a new federal leader this week, and those casual observers to politics need to start to ask themselves why the NDP and Conservatives are so concerned with certain people winning or losing. Under Ms. Murray, the Liberals would surely be the party on the outside looking in, a party that due to the past election, has less seats than they've had in a very long time. Any seats that would be "traded off" to the NDP would be seats lost for them, not gained, and mathematically does no good to them or the centre they represent. Simply put, it is political suicide and is handing over the potential to win and gain any seats and make the comeback they want to make. Does anyone actually believe that the NDP would be up for giving the Liberals a gain of their 20-30 seats if the Liberals in return would allow them a handful of seats themselves? The NDP is looking out for only for themselves, as would any party, and that's completely fair, but it's time we stop treating this like it's a cooperation being proposed and not an outright abolishment of the middle-of-road Liberal party.

The Liberals have often picked up the pieces of a right-wing government and unless the base of their party are ready and willing to allow that to happen again, then the future of Canada lies in an untested, inexperienced and risky game not only for Canadian politics but the future of how our country is run in the long-term. Yes, coalitions work, but in almost every instance in history there is always a sacrificing that happens to the smaller party in the coalition and later on that forces branching off of side-parties and new coalitions. For a country so adamant on "Getting rid of Harper", is it really worth the risk to begin toying with how the political parties are laid out in this country and perhaps confuse and turn-off more voters then bring in?

Stephen Harper and his Conservative party aren't afraid of Thomas Mulcair or Joyce Murray. The NDP is not afraid of Harper; they have turned into idealistic bullies who are only afraid of the Liberal Party picking a leader who again gives the party the same opportunities afforded to them throughout history in Canadians trusting them to fix the country. The last election was the closest they'd ever gotten to have their own shot and they're too stubborn to realize that shot has faded and fizzled away.

That should be enough to tell you why they are so happily teaming up, the two most fringe parties in our country, against the only viable option come 2015: the centre-led Liberal party. Without them, you are either an extremist on one side or the other, and unless you are comfortable with that, you need to strongly consider your options when voting in this leadership race. As mentioned, the federal election is in 31 months. A lot can happen between now and then. Silencing one of the most storied, influential and successful parties the country has seen should not be one of them.

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