Runaway Caucus!!!

Where have we heard this before.

3 Liberals defy a whipped vote on a Liberal motion to include a broader range of family planning programs in a maternal health initiative for developing countries and vote NO! 2 Liberals abstained and 1 just vanished into thin air. Ugly, but not totally unexpected.

Normally voting against your party on a whipped vote would meet with consequences for the MPs who defied the party line, but with Ignatieff as leader there are no consequences.

Remember the 2009 budget?

6 Liberal MPs voted against party lines and the wishes of Ignatieff and they did so without consequences. They went public, voted against the budget, and instead of facing discipline they watched Ignatieff back down: "Ignatieff said this morning that he is allowing the MPs a "one-time" vote of protest to "display their anger and indignation" at the budget. "

Great leadership there Iffy, I can see no possible problems with that decision. "The fact of the matter is, they're going to say, 'you did it for Newfoundland, we want our one-time coupon to cash it in,'" Fife said. "This is a problem. He's opened a Pandora's box here." Maybe the 3 Liberals from yesterday were just cashing in their "one time" coupon; ya that's it.


There were no consequences then so why would these MPs expect that there would be any consequences now? They wouldn't, but even if there were, Ignatieff has a strange way of dealing out the consequences.

Remember this? Michael Ignatieff: "What Mr. Coderre does is his business." "He took actions earlier in the week that have consequences."

And what were those consequences?

Ignatieff fired his staff at the OLO and Denis Coderre went about his business preparing for his leadership bid once Ignatieff is gone.

I wonder if Ignatieff will fire Donolo now? That will teach those rogue MPs a lesson!



The Liberal caucus is out of control and there is no one to blame for it but Ignatieff and his lack of leadership skills; and all on the eve of his great thinkers conference too. It must suck to be him right about now. So in bi-partisan spirit and because I don't have $695 to pay the Liberals I will offer up some advice to Ignatieff here for free:

When a problem comes along
You must whip it
Before the cream sits out too long
You must whip it
When something's goin' wrong
You must whip it



Devo - Whip It

Update: Ignatieff's director of communications Mario Lague said the leader would not discuss whether there would be any consequences for Liberal MPs who voted against the motion or abstained, saying it was a question of "internal discipline."

Ignatieff speaks on consequences. "Those are matters of internal discipline and we'll be dealing with them."


Donolo must be shaking in his boots.

(related: Liberals accidentally vote in favour of budget)