General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThe right wing succeeded in Canada yesterday.
The Conservatives won the popular vote by 1.5% - 34.5% to 33%.
Our Canadian bacon was only saved by our first-past-the-post system. If we had proportional representation that so many on the left want, we would now be back under a regressive, semi-authoritarian Conservative government.
However, there are two saving graces in the results. One is that Scheer didn't win enough seats; the other is that Trudeau has been forced into a minority position. Having to work with the NDP will be good for his humility, and good for Canada.
ritapria
(1,812 posts)malaise
(267,787 posts)so it's a moot point
Kaleva
(36,145 posts)The_jackalope
(1,660 posts)RhodeIslandOne
(5,042 posts)Only 34% of Canada agrees with the conservative position. (The other Conservative party, the really nutso Peoples Party only managed 1% I think.)
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)bit of steely support and are used as an excuse for moving ahead against the opposition of more cautious and/or conservative factions. And liberals basically share the same concerns.
But it's most often more possible to try to work with the farther left on common issues than to successfully accomplish it. I've read that Singh softened a bit on part of his we'd-break-before-we'd-compromise stances during the elections, but how long will that continue now that he's not chasing votes? Also that the social democrats and conservatives will probably find common interest in aligning against liberals on some issues. What effect will losing a bunch of their seats have on their positions?
FDR tried very hard to form a coalition with the socialists/socialist leaners of his day, who were surging in times of great trouble. He made one his VP at one point, but he ended having to remove various appointees out of his administration. They regarded the New Deal as a major betrayal of "the people" and were genuinely outraged and passionately opposed it.
The New Deal was accomplished against the opposition of the far left and the Republican Party by a coalition of liberals and progressive conservatives that included major opposing blocs of POC fighting to advance their people and white southern conservative Democrats who were also committed to progressive goals, but only for white people.
Those trying to herd cats will never get them all through the gates, and FDR certainly showed it's not necessary. But he had the strong middle class support that developed out of the Great Depression, while this election suggests that's still sinking, not yet surging, in Canada.