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Stephane Dion to lead Liberals in condemning opposition parties who oppose

Stephane Dion and the Liberals continue to chart new territory when it comes to absurdity.  I thought they had reached a pinnacle when Stephane Dion declared that he would find a way to make sure the Conservative government did not fall.

But that was just a warm up.  Now the Liberals are putting forth a motion of non-confidence...in the other opposition parties.

Huh?

In particular, the motion condemns the NDP and the Bloc Quebecois for bringing down the Paul Martin government in November 2005.  As a result of giving Canadians the chance to vote, the Conservatives won. 

The democratic result was a huge mistake, or so suggests the Liberal motion.

Condemning democracy?  Or just condemning other opposition parties for having acted like opposition parties?

Is the Liberal Party going to buy this line, or will the caucus tell Stephane Dion publicly condemning opposition parties for opposing is going too far?




Frankly, I don't know that this even makes sense.  seems to have gone completely around the bend, blaming opposition parties for opposing the government:

will attempt to turn the tables Thursday on rival parties who've ridiculed them for being afraid of toppling the minority Conservative government.

They'll introduce a motion condemning the and for defeating the previous Grit government in November 2005, thereby enabling Stephen Harper's Tories to win power.

You can't blame the NDP and the Bloc Quebecois for today's .  The Canadian people have to take credit for that.  They were the ones who cast the votes.

And frankly, in a democracy, no one ought to be blamed for giving the people the chance to vote.  Voting is a good thing.  Voting by Liberal Party delegates is what put Stephane Dion in power.

Might as well blame the NDP and the Bloc Quebecois for setting in motion the events that led to Stephane Dion to becoming Liberal Party leader.

Actually, when you think about it, that is what this motion is really all about.

Stephane Dion's leadership has been a disaster.  No one can seriously conclude otherwise.  It has been over a year since Stephane Dion became leader of the Liberal Party, and still the word goes out that the Liberal Party isn't ready to fight an election, and so must avoid an election at any cost, including supporting the minority Conservatives on any bill they see fit to present.

So in the aftermath of supporting the Conservative budget (to avoid an election) followed by not supporting their own Liberal amendment (to avoid an election), Stephane Dion's brain trust has come up with the idea of laying the blame for this sad state of affairs at the feet of the NDP and the Bloc Quebecois.

If it weren't for you and you're silly non-confidence votes, I would still be a do-nothing environment minister instead of...well...you know...a loser.

Members of the Liberal caucus have a choice in front of them.  They can follow Stephane Dion into this mixture of theatre and self-delusion.  They can join Stephane Dion in declaring that the actions of the NDP and the Bloc Quebecois as opposition parties that resulted in giving Canadians a chance to vote in 2006 was a mistake worthy of the condemnation of the House of Commons. 

Or the caucus can tell Stephane Dion that he has no one to blame but himself.  They can recognize that a motion like this one, even if it is just a bit of political satire, is symptomatic of a leadership that has no plan for turning things around. 

The Liberals are struggling, unwilling to oppose the government even as the Conservative minority passes its third budget in over two years in governance.  Does Stephane Dion not see the irony is proposing a motion that condemns the NDP and the Bloc Quebecois for having acted like real opposition parties?

Can any Liberal look at this motion and from it derive any confidence that Stephane Dion can lead the Liberal Party to any sort of success?  If Stephane Dion wants to condemn opposition parties for acting like opposition parties, what is the likelihood that the Liberals themselves are going to be acting like an opposition party anytime soon?

Liberals ought to make it clear to Stephane Dion that they are expecting motions that challenge the Conservatives for the future, and not motions that condemn opposition parties for acting in opposition of the government.

I don't see that happening, but maybe, just maybe, some Liberals are thinking it.


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