It looks like the Liberal/NDP coalition is firming up thanks to a coup-within-the-coup. The latest news is that Liberal leadership hopeful Michael Ignatieff said the only way he would support the coalition was if he was made Prime Minister, and he got his way.
According to the National Post:
It is understood that Mr. Ignatieff was reluctant to sign on unless he was named interim leader because it would leave Mr. Dion, who was recently rejected by the Canadian electorate, as leader.
Prior to the deal being struck, sources close to Mr. Ignatieff said he was unlikely to support the deal because of concerns that a coalition government led by Mr. Dion would be a “poisoned chalice” for the next leader.
It looks like while the Liberals and NDP were ironing out their plan to circumvent the Conservative’s electoral win Iggy was ironing out his plan to circumvent the Liberal’s leadership campaign, shut out Bob Rae, and stick the final knife in Stephane Dion’s back.
Meanwhile, we learn that the NDP and Bloc had been ironing out the details of an arrangement since well before MPs returned to the hill – blasting the entire notion that the Conservative’s lack of a ‘stimulus package’ is why the NDP and Bloc are keen to support the Liberals in a coalition.
The NDP inadvertently invited a Conservative staffer to their conference call, that staffer recorded the call. According to a Sun Media transcript of the conversation NDP leader Jack Layton had this to say:
let’s just say we have strategies, this whole thing would not have happened if the moves hadn’t have been made with the Bloc to lock them in early, because you couldn’t put three people together in one, in three hours. The first part was done a long time ago, I won’t go into details,
and:
The coalition for Canada, I love the idea, it could be a deal-breaker for the Bloc (laughter) so if we don’t go, we call it “The Coalition for Canada and Quebec,” (lots of laughter). Well, welcome to the real world of….that’s not funny.
So, it seems that while the economy is in crisis the Liberals are busy finding novel ways to stab each other in the back and the NDP are finding novel ways to wreck the country.
Maybe once he’s installed as PM Ignatieff can start wearing khaki, its what all the “democratic” leaders of banana republics are wearing.
- Rafael.
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