Jack Layton sure seems to be bouncing all over the map. Just yesterday, he called a news conference to warn the PM he won't support the government in the fall. Today he says he is willing to compromise on EI reforms. Of course that comes just days after he ridiculed Michael Ignatieff for also willing to accept compromise on EI. Layton boasted that he got $4 billion out of Paul Martin in exchange for supporting the Liberal's. Because of this Layton has lost what little credibility he had. He's flailing around trying to stem the bleeding of NDP votes to all parties. In doing so, he has completely undermined his supposed hard-line stance with the government.
On EI reform, his about face is pathetic, having just ridiculed the Liberal leader for doing the same thing. His boasting about getting $4 billion in social spending is where the most damage to his reputation will be done. The difference between him supporting the Liberals is that he was willing to allow a government who had just been found in a federal inquiry to have been involved in an illegal kickback scheme, to remain in power. Compare that to today, where he and his party vow to vote against anything put forth by the Conservative government without even reading it. It's even more ironic when he repeatedly states that he doesn't support the government because the PM can't be trusted. So to recap, he thought enough to give a Liberal PM a lease on government, despite the governing party found to, and admitted to, scamming Canadian taxpayers for their own benefit. I wonder how many kitchen tables Layton sat around and discussed Adscam.
But Layton's hypocrisy is much much worse. And I must say I am completely dumbfounded that not one supposed journalist has called him on it. The January budget, the one Layton decided to vote against without so much as reading the title page, shows exactly how irrelevant he and his party really are. Layton bringing up the $4 billion he managed to get from Paul Martin shows just how much of a showman he thinks he is, and how absolutely incompetent he is as leader of the NDP. Aside from the fact that the money he supposedly negotiated from Martin never ended up being spent, the January budget is a better example of why the NDP would be lucky to get even 30 seats in the next election.
The January budget included $1.2 billion for affordable housing. Layton's deal with Martin called for $1 billion for affordable housing. The January budget included spending on aboriginal housing, as well as improving such things as drinking water. Again, the amount was more than Layton's deal with Martin. During the coalition tripe, Layton pointed out the need for stimulus funding. The January budget provided $22 billion in stimulus. Layton demanded help for the auto sector, and demanded worker pensions be saved. Yet he hasn't mentioned the auto bailouts since the federal and provincial governments said they were providing help to the sector.
Despite a budget that provided things he and the NDP have rallied for over the years, he and his MP's voted against the budget. They just last week voted against the means motion to allow the stimulus funds out the door. I'm thinking Layton is the one who can't be trusted. And come next election, when the final votes are tallied, Layton's wikipedia entry will be revised to state he was the former leader of the NDP. That's what happens when you vote against what you demand. You quickly make yourself irrelevant. A party that thinks winning 37 seats out of 308 is an electoral victory, tells you all you need to know.
17 comments:
Here's a little known tidbit about Layton's so called $4 billion for social programs as extortion for saving the Martin Liberals from a well deserved non confidence vote:
The numbers were post dated. NONE of the so called $4 billion NDP budget was ever assigned or spent.
The Conservatives came in with a NEW budget in 2006. It contained much more than the $4 Billion Layton crows about for the same kind of projects.
And then Layton voted AGAINST it.
Voting against anything Conservative is what Jack has reduced his party to. PM Harper was right when he called them the English-Bloc. Both parties are irrelevant.
Well the main thing was Laytoon was able to piggyback on the Iggydebacle to get his sound bite out before reversing himself - that's the main thing.
Sheesh, if we actually had moral political investigative media in this country (ie CTV or CBC), Canadians would know this stuff.
How many of us know this? Likely a tiny fraction, if that.
"Jack Layton: Politically Irrelevant and To Dumb to Realize It."
That would be "...and Too Dumb to Realize It."
Irony.
Jughead Jack likes to crow about how he got a non-existent $4 billion out of Martin and how he is now willing to compromise with the Tories on EI.
This clown is so stupid...or he believes his supporters are...that he doesn't realize that the Conservatives know full well that, unlike the Liberals, they would never get one NDP voter to swing their way no matter how much they gave the socialists. Martin at least had a hope of pulling in some NDP supporters. The Tories have no reason to placate Jack's socialist agenda.
Talking about irrelevent parties,
what exactly did the Liberal party do that made itself relevent other than pass most of the governments policy?
''Harper will wear this recession. No Liberal ideas submitted because the govt would steal them.''
Absolute refusal to be part of the solution thru the recession, Iffy and his gang look pretty useless when, just in the last week of parliament,
they grab a Dipper idea to run with. pathetic performance.
All 3 opposition parties took a step back, expecting to see the government crumble under the weight of a deep recession....but it DID NOT.
In fairness, Ducey did submit some ideas that were 'good for Quebec',
but got ignored (haha).
I still think Iffy was going to pull the plug, and then his numbers started tanking immediately over an election call.
Just like with the coalition of losers and carbon tax,
Liberals are very out of touch with Canadians.
They are so hung up on bringing home (alleged) terrorists and forcing some great and wonderful social program on Canadians,
they are not listening to the majority.
Should be "too dumb". Sorry :)
IMO, Duceppe has never looked so weak as in this last parliament.
Most times in QP, PMSH wouldn't even answer his questions,
Cons Quebec MPs were given the task.
And that is a very good response,
because Duceppe (arrogantly) only speaks for Quebec,
so his answers should only be from Quebec Ministers.
PMSH would, if he answered Ducey in QP, say something to the effect that he will negotiate with the Quebec government, not the Bloc.
Ducey is the #1 hypocrite in parliament.
He wants to separate Quebec from Canada, at the same time he stands there demanding CANADA is governed to best suit Quebec!
He wants out and in at the same time.
Best illustrated by Ducey's role in the coalition of losers.
"That would be "...and Too Dumb to Realize It."
Irony.'
That would be my fault rushing my post. Been doing 12 hour days for the past week and a half.
Eric @ 6:54
There's a difference between making a typo and being a moron. Guess which side of that fence you lie on?
When you go so far as to call someone dumb, don't be dumb and make a typo. Simple stuff, really. Don't expect politeness and understanding when you are being rude, as calling someone "dumb" would be.
Well, when yah think about it,
separatists are thin-skinned nitpik-ers.
Sorry Éric, but there is a difference between making a typo and ones rationale in thinking about issues.
It's a fact Layton ridiculed Ignatieff for giving into EI reforms and then does so himself. And I'm no Ignatieff fan, so for me to defend him here shows my sincerity about Layton's hypocrisy.
And as I pointed out in my post, and others here in comments, Layton boasted about the $4 billion he got from Martin, and yet voted against the January budget sight unseen, even though it contained more than the $4 billion he had demanded of Martin in social spending to prop up a corrupt government.
That wasn't my first typing error, nor will it be my last. Yet you've commented twice, both times more preoccupied with my typo than the gist of the post, which shows Layton to be doing nothing more than grandstanding, when he could have supported things that are within NDP ideology.
Imagine if that January budget was defeated. That money for affordable housing would have gone by the wayside. So would the money for aboriginal improvements. 5 weeks of extended EI would never have come to fruition. Stimulus spending would have been delayed longer.
All those things Layton has been demanding for years. He gets it and then votes against it? Quite a bit different than a typo.
Layton to keep his seat can easily take down the liberals with his tone in drama regarding to the liberals' BILLION DOLLARS EI SCANDAL.Instead, Layton tries some stupid trick of his.
BEC, we, canadians don't have a national media.
For the size of canada, I can't believe we only have one type of national media-liberals.
And since there are no other national media to compete with, they (cbc ctv etc) can do, say, manipulate as they please.
Eric should read this.
This article tells us how the Bloc is killing Quebec;
businesses are crippled by the entitlement mentality...the population is declining and so is Quebecs clout:
http://www.nationalpost.com/todays-paper/story.html?id=1726987
I can't wait for evil-eyed Mulcair to take over the leadership (and you know he will).
That will certainly be the beginning of the end of the NDP.
They will lose the remainder of their western seats and will become, possibly, a tiny rump eastern party. Within a few years Mulcair will froth, tantrum, roll his eyes and embarrass himself and the party out of existence.
Oh happy day!
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