From the guy the insiders picked to run the Liberal Party:
I’m not looking for a road to 24 Sussex. I'm looking for a road that takes us out of crisis towards a stable, responsible government with the national interest in mind. Mr. Harper has to understand the extent and depth of the anger -- the justified and righteous anger among the opposition parties at the way we've been treated in this Parliament. He seems to misunderstand the very nature of Parliamentary government, and he better start understanding quickly
The political problem facing Canada, as Michael Ignatieff now states it, is not that Stephen Harper is running the country but rather that he isn't running it properly.
According to Mr. Ignatieff, Stephen Harper simply needs to listen a bit, to "understand".
So why exactly is the new Liberal leader looking for volunteers, ideas and - what was that other thing? oh yeah - money out of your pocket to accomplish this goal?
Not clear.
Not clear at all, especially considering that Mr. Ignatieff states flatly that he is not looking for a road to power.
He defines the goal here in a way that does not mean - as a matter of simple fact - that the only possible "stable, responsible government with the national interest in mind" the Liberal Party backs is a Liberal government.
The Prime Minister doesn't have to do very much of anything to hang on to power in that scenario. He can just remind everyone that he has already moved on the major irritants that caused the proroguing kerfuffle.
Things should be peachy in Ottawa over the holidays. Mark your cards right now that there is no way the Liberal caucus in Ottawa will continue with the coalition and bring down the government. The Conservatives know they have the government firmly in their grip and with Michael Ignatieff safely fronting the Liberals, they know nothing will threaten that in the near future.
This would be pretty much what your humble e-scribbler concluded days ago.
In fact, there really isn't very much of anything that Mr. Harper could do to compel the Liberal insiders who picked this guy to run the party to bring him down and force an election.
If you thought that the old Liberal caucus was feverishly trying avoid an election, just wait 'til you see this crowd. If you want to clear out the Liberal caucus room next year just walk into the place and yell "division!" They'll be out the door and headed down the 416 faster before the "n" leaves your lips.
That's because the Liberal Party under Michael Ignatieff will be too busy looking for the road that takes you away from the centre of national political power in this country.
Sure, they will be looking for people to join a conversation, as Mr. Ignatieff puts it on his blog. All very much the look and feel of what someone thinks a political bloggy thingy is supposed to look like.
And yes, Mr. Ignatieff does practice the Dale Carnegie crapperific approach to speechifying. Mention people by their first name a lot and you can imitate what a politician is supposed to sound like, at least to some people's way of thinking.
What you don't get, though, is what a leader and a political party is supposed to act like, what is supposed to be.
You don't get people looking for the road to 24 Sussex.
That's where power is and if the political party isn't lead by a guy looking for that goal, he isn't facing the future.
He's facing oblivion.
-srbp-