The day after (part 1)

Last night (and this morning) I've been in Toronto, watching the free-fall and collapse of the federal Liberal party. There will be plenty to write about on this topic in days ahead, but for now, as  a place-holder of sorts on this blog, I'll say I stand by the predictions made in a previous post (Trading Places).  

Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff is holding a news conference at 10 a.m.,  and the general speculation is leaning  toward his immediate resignation. If that's so, and my reading of the party constitution (Section 54) is correct, Liberals  would be then forced to have an  immediate leadership contest too. 

I'm not entirely sure that the Liberals are in any mood to plunge into yet another leadership race. My bet is that they'd like to take their time, now that they're facing at least four years in the wilderness. So look for Ignatieff to try to find a way to leave, without automatically triggering a leadership race as required under the constitution. 

Comments

[MacJack]

I would be interested in:

turnout numbers and relationship to demographic;
the vote splitting real or fiction: much change in % of votes across three parties,
ie did Con simply hold vote while NDP increased, etc. etc.

A link to something or your own or expert nalysis would be appreciated!

[MacJack]

Another request for info:

The Cons will eliminate political subsidies. Will that mean the end of voter anonymity? Donors will be identified, with information available to party in power and others?? This would be a concern because of what one or more parties could do with this info, from federal jobs to poll by poll spending. It is like an alternative census.

[Aongasha]

So much for the media's attempt to run the country.
Wonder how all of Ibbitson's Parliament Hill Press Gallery hacks who hate Harper feel today.
Looks good on them.

[Stephen MacLean]

Very interested to see where Ignatieff lands next...

[cangar]

This will be the 3rd election where the type of people Layton claims to care about will be worse off even though the NDP's seat count has dramatically risen with each of those elections. I guess Layton would say a decade or two of suffering is all worth it, if ultimately the NDP can form a government and get to work on trying to reverse the many years of progressive decline. Unfortunately, it is a lot easier to dismantle things than it is to restore them. The less fortunate in Ontario still suffer from shifts which took place during the Harris years.

Sadly, more for Layton has just meant less for many ordinary Canadians. I hope Layton soon wipes the smile off his face, because the shifts that are going to come through from Parliament, Senate, Court and other government appointments, are not going to help the Canadians who need help the most. I guess (from their writings) that many of your colleagues at the Toronto Star are happy about the latest turn of events, but the coming years will teach them about the costs.

The downfall of the Liberals is the least of Canada's worries right now, except that it does seem as the Liberals have declined, so has the positive role of government in helping vulnerable and Canadians.

[W.B.]

I hope you guys at the Star haven't forgotten the robo call phone scam yesterday which tried to send voters to non existent polling stations. This the kind of thing journalists should be investigating. One report I heard said calls came from North or South Dakota. Come on Star track this down and find out who is behind it.
Now that Harper has a majority you can be sure Elections Canada won't be pursuing it very hard.

[Jason Cherniak]

On one hand, I won't complain if this means anonymous Liberals are no longer worthy of front page news. On the other hand, I can't help thinking that most people who watch political panels are actively engaged in politics. I think the Liberals still outnumber the NDP on that front, so for the sake of ratings what you suggest may not come to pass.

[jon drake]

I'm sure this has already been pointed out to you several times; I can't help but notice while your column labels itself "Politics", it continues to focus exclusively on the Liberal Party of Canada. Given the state of that party, I think you will shortly find yourself without subject matter. Wait a minute...on second thought, that may have already happened years ago.

[cangar]

jon, I would think there would be tons of material to write about on a struggling or dying political party. Reinvention, revival, annihilation, merger,...all sorts of possibilities. Successful parties are the same but unsuccessful ones are each unsuccessful in their own way ... or something like that. :)