Thursday, May 27, 2010

Ignatieff's ever shifting position on MP audits.

Ignatieff's ever shifting position on MP audits:

1. A bad idea: “I understand what Canadians are saying. They want accountability and transparency, but I don’t think they want us to be going through our receipts for this meal and that meal” (May 19, 2010)

2. A good idea: “What I mean is, it’s important Canadians know the money we spent is honestly accounted for, and that’s the kind of solution that we need to look for.” (May 19, 2010)

3. A bad idea: ”There is accountability that is in itself a waste of public money. Do you understand what I am saying?”

4. A good idea:” is “entirely in favour” of Fraser making sure the financial controls are “good and right and serving Canadians.” (May 26, 2010)

5. A bad idea: Iggy asks Liberal MPs not to post their expenses online. (May 26, 2010)

What it will be tomorrow? Who knows.


With leadership like this, is it any wonder the Liberals are lost?

Michael Ignatieff preached transparency to the cameras outside of caucus Wednesday but inside he was warning MPs not to be acting as freelancers or mavericks by posting their expenses online.

Everybody is very confused about what is going on,” a well-connected Liberal MP says.

Liberal MPs – those who have been pushing for more transparency and have posted their expenses online – are being given the cold shoulder by some of the Liberal caucus senior players, according to an MP. Independent thinkers, it seems, will not be tolerated.

Michael doesn’t want anybody else to put up their budgets,” says the source, who noted the hypocrisy in the fact that Liberals want to be able to manage taxpayers’ money as a government but “don’t want to disclose” the taxpayers’ money they are managing now.

“It’s amazing that we are fighting this,” says the MP.


How dare rookie Liberal MP Michelle Simson post her expenses online. She is going to pay for that one.


Today's EKOS numbers continue to reveal an ugly truth for the Liberals.

They really are lost.

Conservatives: 33.9
Liberals: 25.7
NDP: 16.4
Green: 11.9
Bloc Quebecois: 9.4 (37.4 in Quebec)
Other: 2.7


Harris-Decima

CPC 36

LPC 27

NDP 16

GRN 11

BQ 8


Related: Thomas Walkom (not a friend of the CPC) acknowledges how the Liberals are failing as an opposition under Ignatieff.

10 comments:

wilson said...

Iffy being iffy again?
18 months on the job as Lib leader,
still in search of a position he can grasp and hold for more than one news cycle.

The amazing part is that 25% of Canadians say they would still vote Liberal...

Bec said...

"The amazing part is that 25% of Canadians say they would still vote Liberal..."

Ya and they ALL comment @ the G&M and are 'all thumbs'.

25% of Canadians must care NOTHING for their fellow Canadians to see this inept party as a functional option. My sense is that Canada would look worse than Ontario and Quebec should this man ever form a govt.

Conservatives sent THEIR party a message over much less in 94. These voters need to repeat the favour!

Jeff said...

I agree with Wilson and Bec. Not enough attention has been paid to this 25% that -- in spite of zero policies, a flaccid leader, and MPs who care more about Taliban terrorists than our brave soldiers -- continue to pledge their undying love for the Liberals.

Who are these people and how can I avoid them?

Ardvark said...

Stay away from Toronto and Montreal.

wilson said...

Oh looky,
Liberal MP Derek Lee thinks

'the government operations committee was not the proper venue for answering those types of ( are you an unregistered lobbyist ) questions..''

Doesn't that just take the prize for arrogance!!
Harper bad, won't let 'staffers' appear for a hazing in the committee, send instead an ELECTED member/Minister.
Liberals good, won't let an 'elected MP' testify at committee about his loyyist activities for a legal firm he works for (which job is part time Derek?).
So will Derek Lee have the wrath of parliament supremacy thrown at him?
Will Dippers immediately demand he appears 'or else'.....stay tuned

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/canada/breakingnews/liberals-shield-own-mp-from-committee-grilling-95038559.html

Jeff said...

Thanks AA. Perhaps this is a more difficult question to answer. What is the seat distribution that these latest poll numbers suggest? I'm guessing that the lower the Liberals go and the higher the NDP and Green numbers rise, the percentage of popular vote the Conservatives need for a majority gets lower.

I keep hearing that the threshold is 37%. I think low Liberal numbers make that threshold lower.

Ardvark said...

TY Wilson, I was just writing up a new post based on that very article.

Jeff, the beast isn't dead yet.

Anonymous said...

Why is Walkom not a friend of the conservatives?

This tired bias angle is wearing thin.

Ardvark said...

Seriously, have you ever read Walkom?

He is always ranting about the CPC and this srticle is no different "We elected them — and the Bloc Québécois and the New Democrats — to rein in a minority Conservative government that most of us don’t trust."

That most of us don't trust?

Yup, no bias there.

Ardvark said...

Jeff, this might answer your question.

From Calgary Grit

http://calgarygrit.blogspot.com/2010/05/come-together-right-now.html

CPC 163 seats
LD 93 seats
BQ 50 seats
Other 2 seats