Thursday, February 18, 2010

IS Ekos Head Frank Graves Part Of The Coalition Pact?

It seems the CBC and Ekos release new polls almost daily, with Liberal puppet Jane Taber and Ekos head Frank Graves giving us a rundown on what the polling data means. Of course Graves always manages to put the pro-Liberal, anti-Conservative spin on things, but something he said in his latest explanation of polling data was quite interesting:

"Mr. Graves says it is now apparent that no political party “can currently produce anything approaching a legitimate mandate to govern the country.”

The only way through this, he says, is for voters to start looking at “options like coalitions if they want to avoid fractious minority rule.”


Hmmm. Is this the newest talking point for the Bloc-NDP-Liberal coalition? We've been seeing tell-tale signs in the recent past that indicates the coalition is alive and well. And now Frank Graves seems to be telling us we should be embracing the thought of a coalition as it would avoid a minority Parliament.

And surely Graves knows that a minority government is legitimate. Perhaps he hasn't noticed the Conservatives under PM Stephen Harper have been in power since January 2006. Come to think of it, that's as long as some of Chretien's MAJORITY Liberal governments. The only blip being the 2008 election, where the Conservatives increased their seat count. it's also odd he says we should be looking at a coalition government, while not mentioning having an election to get that exact result.

The thing is I think the only minority Parliament Graves, Taber, Travers and the other useful Liberal media and pollsters don't want is one led by Stephen Harper. If Ignatieff was leading the polls I'm sure a minority government wouldn't be so hard to accept for the usual culprits. Not to mention the fact Liberals would throw their coalition partners to the curb if they thought they weren't needed.

8 comments:

Bec said...

It used to be Donolo's firm (Strategic Counsel) that was the biased mouthpiece for the Tabers of the media world so it only makes sense that they would embrace the polling and opinions that jive with theirs.

Indeed those musings are rather disturbing but as they keep surfacing that simply makes a "COALITION" VS CPC election campaign, A FACT instead of possibility.

hunter said...

Maybe they think if they talk coalition often enough Canadians will come to accept it.

Typical lefties, if they can't win fair and square, they try to cheat. If prorogation was an offense to democracy, what is a coalition?

wilson said...

So why isn't 'coalition government' a choice in Grave's polling?
Is he afraid to ask?
Have they already done coalition of losers polling, and didn't like the results?

A weak leader 'plus' a leader Canadians don't want EVER running the country...what kind of govt would that combo result in!
Do nothing except tax and spend, big time....

KURSK said...

"The only way through this, he says, is for voters to start looking at “options like coalitions if they want to avoid fractious minority rule.”

As opposed to what? Fractious coalition rule, such as in Italy, where nothing gets done?

I double dog dare the Liberals, dippers and Bloc to run on a coalition ticket.

The resulting destruction of all three of those parties would be unequaled in the history of Canadian elections.

Dance...dance to the radio said...

The libs are using this quiet time to float the trial balloon of coalition.
I suspect they are doing so to test the temper of the wind for an election.
It's certain that the next election will be fought on coalition hill.
I believe that the government will try to force an election soon.
I don't know how.
If they are ever going to get a majority they have to do it before the coming shit hits the fan.

There are too many things waiting in the wings that are going to make a minority government ripe for the picking.

Rising interest rates, the HST, the end of the reno tax credit and politically difficult choices concerning deficit reduction mean that this government has to act soon to engineer its own defeat and gamble on the majority it needs before things get worse.

But then I think they might wait because they have so much legislation that they want to pass through the house before they risk everything.

Clear as mud.

I can only hope that polling shows the liberal party will be torn in two by an overtly waged coalition campaign.
But that only serves to reinforce the status quo.
Therefore, Harper has to put something in his budget that unites the opposition in a non confidence vote.

He might try the vote subsidy again.

Everyone said he was being mean last time.
I think he did it to smoke them out.
And it was genius.

I don't think the liberals can fight a coalition campaign and win.
They can only win on the economy.
So the government has to decide which sword to fall on.
They can't last forever.

maryT said...

Please Mr Graves, tell me how a coalition would end minority govts.
Isn't a coalition made up of parties that couldn't get a majority. More people voted against all three parties individually than voted against PMSH.
Would Mr Graves accept a coalition of PMSH and the Bloc. Just asking.
Or, how about with the NDP.

wilson said...

Here's a question for Graves on his next polling.

'If a coalition government were a choice, which coalition would you vote for':

Lib/NDP
Lib/Con
Con/NDP
Con/Lib

Why do we never talk about a Conservative coalition?
The GG would give PMSH the first chance at forming a coalition govt, not the losers.

1917, Conservative PM Borden formed a Union Government with a handfull of Liberal MPs, not the entire party.

http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0008217

Jen said...

Coalition has been alive since they signed the document. layton is speaking a lot more on television because he considers himself part of the liberal group. Therefore, anyone who signs with the liberals is a friend of the coalition media.

The media are having trouble supporting Ignatieff so their next best is Layton then Duceppe.

Three prime ministers rolled in one however the main speaker will be a liberal.

Finance ministers will be Layton or Duceppe; feeding of course their special groups 'the unions' and other special groups.
Don't forget, the Tabers, Clark CBC and others like them, will live pretty with the millions they plan to get for their hard work promoting the COALITION by bashing the PM and canadians.