I agree with you pretty much to the letter bonoman. Trying to grab liberal votes is exactly what he's doing, and whether Canadians like it or not, we're needed in Afghanistan. My sincerest hope is that we stay there, doing what we're doing, regardless of the government that gets voted in. I don't know why people can't understand that you can't build infrastructure if people keep blowing it up. It isn't as easy as just 'building schools' and stuff, although I've talked to people who seem to believe it.
I've had countless arguments with people who blame the conservatives for our presence there -- that we're 'following Bush' even though it was a Liberal government that put us there (because, shock, we were needed) -- and that Harper 'should have done a better job' running it (which, incidentally,
isn't his job). I understand that people have friends and family who are dying, but the outrage on the national level, the desire to just walk away from it, that part really frustrates me. Our soldiers got into their career for exactly this end, why would we even maintain a military if we aren't going to use it, and furthermore, if the bleeding-hearts are concerned about the suffering of others why are they concerned only about Canadian others and not the others who would be suffering in Afghanistan without our presence? What about Bosnia-Herzegovina, Sudan, Darfur, Rwanda? Why not just walk away from all the world's problems, whenever they happen, and just let people suffer. Then we can be the kind, compassionate, peace-loving Canadians who foster suffering and war in the world by doing nothing when we do have some power to produce change.
Anyway.
Jack Layton's constant contradictions, lies, floundering, and pandery have long since stripped any NDP support from me. As an aside, he looks like that guy on TV that sells 'how to use Microsoft Office' cds -- that's not why I don't like him, but it is funny.
I don't really like Stephane Dion, nor Sue Barnes (who runs in my London-West riding), and I'm also frustrated with the Liberals who claim that the failure of Canada to meet Kyoto goals is the conservatives fault -- the Kyoto goals that the Liberals failed to meet in any of the years following its signing and ratification both. I'm frustrated with the Ontario Liberal ban on incandescent bulbs in favour of compact fluorescents in spite of the known dangers of mercury, since apparently carbon emission is the only metric for environmental well-being. I'm frustrated with liberal supporters who think the Liberals are the ones fixing the environment and ignoring the reality of it. They sure did a good job grabbing cash with that vehicle check thing, though, which really didn't fix the problem, but sure did help out local garages.
I heard Liz May speak in my favourite bar downtown one time during the last election, and I'm convinced the greens don't actually have any real policies or procedures to back up their lofty ideas. She speaks well only because she's well educated. They certainly can't run a government or form any strong opposition. Which is too bad, because they're basically a less insipid NDP, but they're still not worth voting for.
I'm also frustrated that I can't vote for Gilles Duceppe in Ontario
Gilles
There's lots of things I dislike about the conservatives too, like Stephen Harper, but they're getting my vote largely because of Afghanistan and as an anti-Liberal vote. I figure it's going to be a conservative minority anyway, and Sue Barnes will still win London-West, but at least I'll get to piss off my friends by telling them I voted conservative.
Anyway tl;dr, yes, our elections are boring.
