Is this the Liberals’ Hail Mary Pass? i.e. Hide the Green Shift (and Dion), and push the Dream Team out in front?
Blogging Tories and many MSM reporters and pundits are noticing that Stephane Dion doesn’t seem to be promoting his Green Shaft plan very much anymore, and indeed seems to be overshadowed by the Big Guns who are busy with other talking points.
Warren Kinsella has filed the obviously desperate ‘Green Shift’ strategy change under the "Loser" category:
…As any regular reader knows, I was one of the few Liberals to object to the timing of the policy, and using my real name, too. So forgive me for being a stickler about timing, again, but – if you are going to discard a major, major policy – do it before the campaign starts. Not during it. John Tory tried that in the Ontario election with the funding of private religious schools, and the whiplash-inducing volte face probably cost him more seats than he would have otherwise lost …
O.K. I can agree with Warren to a point. But as I recall, John Tory merely changed his mind about allowing a free vote regarding the Faith-Based funding issue, which I myself urged him to do. But perhaps it was too late. I don’t remember Tory ever giving up the whole idea during the election, but he certainly did afterwords.
Tory’s original incentive was to right the wrong of having one faith receiving funding and no others – an unfair situation which the United Nations suggested should be rectified, and which still exists to this day.
But the fact is that voters will now always have a niggling concern about a ‘hidden agenda’ associated with both Tory and Dion, even though the leaders may try to bury their respective albatrosses.
This is why many Ontario conservatives feel that John Tory should do what’s right for the party and graciously resign.
And it is also why the Green Shift can’t be stuffed back into the closet.
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Update : Stephen Taylor – Liberals from Alberta Jump Shift.
Green Shift ‘difficult to boil down": Holland – Northumberland News.
Dion getting poor reviews from voters in Muskoka - Star .
Sunday Update: ASTTR – Costing the Liberal Platform thus far.
Greg Weston – Mutiny on the good ship Grit?
actually he is now this smorning sept tember 20th he was tallking about the green shaft. while he was suppose to be intro ducing dan boudria. Don’s Son into the the liberal riding. and all I herd was the green shaft. I think after the gerry Ritz thing he thinks he can make grounds now. cause they figure they won’t let it go.
I wonder how it’s going over?
The so-called “Green Shift” will be the death of the LPC, for several reasons. It’s flexible (farmers and truckers can now opt out), it’s confusing, it’s a social tax (money will be used to support social spending), and it will hit middle and upper incomes excessively, regardless of carbon use.
In addition, the Dion hidden agenda includes increases to the GST to fund his promises.
I was 35 years a card carrying NDP supporter. I gave it up the first week of this campaign. I have waited 30 some years for a true Canadian politician with real brains. This liberal team has 4! I LOVE the green shift plan, at last the corps pay more and I win the tax breaks! Finally, our planet will not allow us an other 4 years to decide what to do! Oil has already likely hit production peak or absolutely will by 2010. ” First they will stop driving, then they will stop commuting, then they will stop eating!”
We need real imagination and smarts to travel the months and years ahead, my leader is Mr. Dion, and he is ready and willing to fall on his sword in a bid to save Canada, I will stand with him and fall with him if necessary. Having fought the good fight, I will sleep well with a clean conscience. Poor people really need these tax breaks and we need our planet!
You can calculate your take credit – fully refundable , on yhe liberal website. Cheerrs & good luck to us all into the future!
PS – NO INCREASES TO GST FROM LIBERALS. If you want to know what they offer visit the websites and read them all. Red, Green, Orange and Blue, reading all these will be good for you.
These are the writen, published statemnents from our parties, have a look and cast a thoughtful vote!
The preceding was paid political announcement.
Finally, our planet will not allow us an other 4 years to decide what to do!
The party you’ve belatedly come to love signed the Kyoto Agreement in 1995. They then proceeded to allow increased carbon output year after year, with majority governments, until they were defeated in 2005, with absolutely no attempts to turn it around. Mr. Dion was part of this government, including his time as Environment Minister.
You may wish to return to the NDP, as they’ve done about as much as the LPC on reducing GHG’s.
Thanks, though, for reminding why people still vote for the Liberals. Not enough information.
The party you’ve belatedly come to love signed the Kyoto Agreement in 1995. They then proceeded to allow increased carbon output year after year, with majority governments, until they were defeated in 2005, with absolutely no attempts to turn it around. Mr. Dion was part of this government, including his time as Environment Minister.
Exactly!