Angry in the Great White North

Stephane Dion was as left of centre as they come when it comes to Liberal Party leaders.  Indeed, his left-tilt was a matter of concern within certain circles, and it manifested itself as a constant stream of leaks from "unnamed sources" and "senior Liberals" that undermined his leadership.

And yet he managed to cling to his job (help in no small part by the fact that there was no constitutionally legal way for the party to get rid of him) right through an election.  To give Dion credit, his party by and large followed him.  You never got the sense that Dion inspired Liberals, though, and even in the election, Stephane Dion had to deal with a steady trickle of candidates who contradicted the party message (usually on the issue of the Green Shift carbon tax).

Still, whether enthusiastically or reluctantly, Liberals followed Stephane Dion to the bitter end, and a historic election loss.

But then that wasn't the end.  The coalition happened, and Stephane Dion planned to link the Liberals with the NDP, and that's hardcore left.  Sensing that power was within their grasp, Liberals kept their doubts generally under wraps, and followed Stephane Dion again.

Until again, Stephane Dion flubbed it, and this time he was finished.  Michael Ignatieff was installed as leader, and Liberal rank-and-file will have a chance to dutifully endorse this in May.

The point is that for two years, the Liberal Party has been moving to the left.  Michael Ignatieff is having none of that.  On the economy, he wants tax cuts:

Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff says if he was prime minister, he would look at giving low-and middle-income Canadians tax cuts to try to jump-start the economy.

Asked at a meeting Thursday with business leaders what an Ignatieff government would do in its first 100 days in power, the Liberal leader said the tax cuts would be put in the hands of people who can make a difference with their spending.

"We may be looking at tax cuts very quickly, targeted at medium-and low-income Canadians, to boost their purchasing power," he said, seated on the stage of the Neptune Theatre in downtown Halifax, where he began a national tour of meetings on the economy.

On the Middle East, he's coming down squarely in Israel's corner:

Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff says Israel is justified in taking military action to defend itself against attacks by Hamas from the Gaza Strip.

"Canada has to support the right of a democratic country to defend itself," he told reporters in Halifax on Thursday after speaking to a forum of business leaders on the economy.

"Israel has been attacked from Gaza, not just last year, but for almost 10 years. They evacuated from Gaza so there is no occupation in Gaza."

Ignatieff has already tossed the Green Shift aside, paying lip service (so far) to the environment but otherwise making it clear it is not the defining theme of his leadership.  No doubt Elizabeth May is not happy.

Nor is NDP leader Jack Layton, who can have no doubt now that the coalition is finished.

But I'm more interested in the internal stresses building up in the Liberal Party.  Under Stephane Dion, the Liberal Party left wing was ascendant.  Left-wing Liberals must have thought it was only a matter of time before they owned the party.

So much for that, eh?

Are these Liberals going to allow themselves to be marginalized quietly?  I don't think so, and that's mostly because of that coalition.  These Liberals came so close, and now Ignatieff is throwing it all away talking like, well, a Conservative.  But Ignatieff has been in power for barely a month.  Bob Rae is still in the wings.  And Rae was committed to the coalition.

If Rae was leader, he'd be saying that the Liberal Party, like the NDP, would vote down the upcoming budget, no matter what. 

So these Liberals (formerly Dion Liberals, now Rae Liberals) are going to be vocal.  They can have power.now.  They can have high taxes.now.  They can implement draconian environmental measures.now.  That can massively increase spending on social programs.now.  They can support terrorist organizations that are sufficiently anti-American.now.

Why wait?  Indeed, why wait for May? 

How is Michael Ignatieff going to marginalize these Liberals?  And if he tries to, can the party contain the pressure that builds up until one side or the other emerges victorious, or will the party explode before that happens?