Wednesday, March 24, 2010

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)

10 comments:

wilson said...

Did Iffy think he could steam roll over his so-cons,
expect them to sit back and watch while Iffy played gotcha politics totally disrespecting their views?
Yes he did.
Or maybe Iffy didn't know that he has 13 Pro Lifers in his caucus.
That wouldn't surprise me either.

3 voted against, 3 abstained and :
''Another 13 Liberals, seven (7) of whom could be identified as anti-abortion, failed to show up for the vote.''

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/784402--liberals-lose-vote-on-abortion?bn=1

wilson said...

unintended consequences:
Iffy just gave Pro Lifers a victory in Parliament.

Ardvark said...

Ignatieff cannot even run his own party, how can he be expected to run the country.

He is proving everyday that he is an Iffy alternative.

CanadianSense said...

Angelo Perischilli noted the problem.

Humpty Dumpty's lesson for Ignatieff
Feb 2009 http://www.thestar.com/article/583759


Are we shocked after 0-4 2009?

Janine Krieber, Nancy Charest, 4th quarter results, Rocco Rossi departure?

CanadianSense said...

Runaway vs out of touch with keeping them on short leash.

Where is the power? The LPOC don't have carrots to reward or punish through serious demotions.

Chretien and Dion booted you from caucus if you did not vote with party.

Ignatieff might reproduce the John Turner effect in getting the smackdown on stage and give the CPC a Blue Wave Part II.

Our PM knows many files and looks comfortable in contrast to M.I. who appears out of touch with Canadians and many within his own party.
How many MP's have not refused to show up to work regarding a whipped vote?

CanadianSense said...

Damage control from Don Martin is so funny.

We did not know it was a whipped vote. I forgot to ask everyone to show up.

His parting shot CPC dynasty from a smaller LPOC party.

Somewhere a Liberal is in the fetal position crying.

Ardvark said...

http://network.nationalpost.com/NP/blogs/fullcomment/archive/2010/03/24/don-martin-ignatieff-s-so-low-even-tories-are-sympathetic.aspx

Someone has kidnapped Don Martin and substituted an impostor!

Thanks CS

Ardvark said...

This coming before the vote:

Right Hon. Stephen Harper: Mr. Speaker, of course, we will be keeping our word, as we go forward with this initiative.
The real issue here is the Liberal Party and the leader of the Liberal Party trying to be too clever by half and now he has divisions even in his own ranks on that issue.

Too funny and a good reminder of just who is a leader and who is not.

CanadianSense said...

We should be careful and not push too hard. Ignatieff has been great comic relief material.

We need him for at least one election and his pension kicks in soon. We should not want him to leave until after the election.

Save the Iggster!

Ardvark said...

It is September all over again.