"Cowardice asks the question...is it safe? Expediency asks the question...is it politic? Vanity asks the question...is it popular? But conscience asks the question...is it right? And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but one must take it because it is right." ~Dr. Martin Luther King

Thursday 12 February 2015

So Many Questions ..So Few Answers

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "The Horns Of A Dilemma":
22:22
Maybe not. If they just let the system run its course, Adams will be unable to find a riding & everyone will move on to the next mess. It is not as if Harper were running a clean ship with his most recent cabinet shuffle. He has his hands full too.
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Since when have the main party leaders allowed the system to run its course

Not since it was decided more women and ethnic groups had. to be represented in places of power and authority.

How is that accomplished ? 

What  did Justin Trudeau trade?

Well, you know ...in politics...nudge nudge,wink,wink.

I went into Wikipedia yesterday to check status of Senators Duffy and Wallen. 
  Senator Wallen earned $1million in stock options through being appointed to a number of boards after being appointed to the Senate. 


Senator Hab ,also caught up in the expense scandal ,retired and
 took up his Senate pension of $122, 000 a year. 

It made me think of something read when Belinda  was a candidate for leadership of the Reform Party after it swallowed up the Conservative Party. kind of like  The Tea Party and
The Republican Party in the States .

Two former Conservative Premiers of Ontario were Board members of Magna I.  They supported Belinda's bid though as far as anyone knew, the candidate  had no experience whatsoever in politics. 

What do we know of what it costs to become Leader  of a political party.? 

Are there  limits to spending? Do financial statements have to be filed with an elections officer? Where does the money come from?

What do we know of  nomination to be candidate of a riding. Of course it helps if no-one else wants it. Then it's a slam dunk.

But can it be bought? If a candidate can pay for memberships to be given away and they  represent votes ,does that mean a nomination can be bought and sold.

It's not how things used to be. In fact a candidate buying and giving away memberships to acquire votes would have been a scandal at one time. Now it seems to be an accepted practice.

As innocent as selling Girl Guide cookies.

So, if a candidate can buy nomination in a safe Conservative or Liberal seat and has  sufficient
resources to do the same in a  leadership contes

Is it  conceivable a person or group could buy their way into the Prime Minister's office?

If a Prime Minister can arrange campaign style events ,here, there and everywhere on some pretext or other when an election has not yet been called...is that taking unfair advantage?

If the youth vote of a Party can choose a Leader who might become Prime Minister and do what

Justin Trudeau did on Monday morning.

Just how well does this system serve ?

Eve Adam's partner was a high placed operative in the Conservative party. Could he use insider information to undermine the Conservative candidate in the riding of their choice.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your points are excellent. I think you could be wrong about Adams finding a safe seat, though. It will be interesting to watch it play out. Can't do anything about it so the only course is to try to find some humour along the way.

Anonymous said...

It is already costing the party money, never mind votes. She may not have a riding but she has hired Wynnne's campaign guy. Presumable he expects to be paid.

Anonymous said...


Money and wealth never hurt anyone seeking elected office. I'm not sure if we have a ceiling on what an individual candidate can spend in his/her riding. Nor am I sure if there is a limit on what political parties can spend.

Until recently there were certain limits in the Unites States but these were struck down by the Supreme Court.

According to a September, 2012, article in the New York Times, Barak Obama and the Democratic Party raised $1072.6 and spent $985.7, both million of dollars. The opponent Republican candidate and party raised $992.5 and apparently spent it all.

Successful New York three-time mayor Michael Bloomberg spent over $100 million in his last campaign, Senatorial candidates in the U.S. have spent many multiple millions of dollars seeking an election victory - California seems like a popular state for these people.

What does this tell us? Money talks and it talks BIG.

In a speech in the House of Commons Winston Churchill said: "Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all those others forms that have been tried from time to time."

Anonymous said...

Why would she pick Eglinton Lawrence unless she or her significant other have family living there ? It does not spring to mind as a place where she would be welcomed and she does not appear to be on their invitation list.

Anonymous said...

Duffy is due in court on May, I think. But no one has commented on his health which might be an issue.