Update: New Polls Up from Strategic Council released by CTV about 10 minutes ago - See Below for ResultsDion was never expected to be a very strong leader, but I don't think anyone would have guessed how poor of a leader he would be. Breaking tradition with the previous Liberal government's policy positions, the Liberals are flip-flopping like a fish out of water. Recently, they opposed an extension on the mission on Afghanistan, a mission that they themselves approved in 2003. They're trying to promote the enforcement of Kyoto targets, even though they didn't do anything about GHG since the Kyoto Protocol was signed in 1997. They're vociferously denouncing the politicization of the judiciary through Conservative partisan appointments to Judiciary Advisory Committees, even though the Conservatives are only following Liberal convention. But that's not all: the peak of Liberal hypocrisy is the the stunning turn-around by Stephane Dion and the Liberal over the Anti-Terrorism Act that they championed in 2001.
This particular act is interesting because the Liberal caucus is quite fractitious on this issue. Well known Liberals like Irwin Cotler, Bob Rae, Anne McLellan, John Manley and Roy Cullen are all on record supporting the extension of the provisions in the Anti-Terrorism Act. The Robert Fife blog that I posted below last week appears to have been right in its prediction of the oncoming flow of Liberal discord. There is a good chance that a signficant number of Liberal MPs will dissent and side with the Conservatives on this issue. I could see up to twenty, maybe even up to twenty-nine Liberals voting against the Party Line on this one.
The vote on the Anti-Terrorism Act, originally expected to be this Thursday, has not been called yet. There's going to be a house leadership meeting tomorrow, where it's expected that this will be discussed, and perhaps we'll see a vote this Thursday or early next week. I'm sure that the Liberals want to push it back a little to get their house in order and their caucus whipped properly. Certainly it would be best for Dion - he doesn't need any more evidence shown that he's not a good leader for the Liberal Party of Canada.
The Liberals don't fit very well into the role of an opposition party. They're at their best when they're in the centre, playing brokerage politics and attempting to please everyone. In the opposition, their function is necessarily negative and critical. Dion has failed to define himself as anything than a weak leader who is stuck on the environment issue, and the Conservatives have filled in the rest. Attempting to set the Liberal party from the Conservatives is a good thing, but in doing this Dion and the Liberals have looked like hypocrites by opposing stances that they once vigorously defended.
Another point of discontent within the Liberal caucus is the airtime Ignatieff is getting in Question Period. Some MPs are frustrated that they're not visible enough in the HOC. Some MPs are wondering who the party leader is - Dion or Ignatieff?
New Polls:Oh, and two more Strategic Counsel polls putting the Conservatives on top:
One note on these polls that I'd like to make before I end this blog is that around 24% of the respondents in these questions didn't know or didn't answer, meaning that there is a lot of growth (and loss) potential for all parties come election time. Oh please, let's not have a Spring election.
UPDATE:
Polls Up,
Voting Intention: Conservatives: 34%, Liberals, 29%, NDP 14%, Bloc 11%, Green 12%
Best Prime Minister: Harper 36%, Dion 18%
Best Vision: Harper 50%, Dion 22%
Most Decisive: Harper 53%, Dion 19%
Most Charismatic: Harper 35%, Dion 20%
Best Environmental Plan: Conservatives: 20%, Liberals 23%, NDP 21%
Handles National Unity Best: Harper 44%, Dion 35%
