As a Green Party member, I’m a little disapointed Garth Turner (Canada’s 5th sexiest male blogger) didn’t join our party. He could have made a much bigger difference to the country by joining an up and coming party like the Greens. But I understand it will be easier for him to be re-elected under the Liberal banner.
The Liberals have 3 to 4 times the support the Green Party has in Canada, which means Garth will have a better shot at defeating his rivals in the next general election as a Grit. I guess he reasoned that he didn’t have enough personal clout, and it was his party that got him into the House in his current riding of Halton, and will be the Liberals to do it for him next time. So much for an MP to stand up for the people against an unfair electoral and political system that easily squelches the political will of Canadians in the majority, and at other times the minority.
“Leadership through principle and independence.” Garth will have to update the banner on his website to, “Leaning to promote self, over independent leadership.”
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Background is available.
The Phantom has the situation figured out I think.
Matthew predicts Garth will scrub his website. I think Garth being a blogger for a while, has learned about the Google Cache, and knows it’s pretty much pointless to try to unwrite something.
And I was going to link to Backseat Blogger’s opinion on Garth’s floor crossing, but any blog post with tripe like the words “Citoyen Dion” in it, isn’t suitable for a general audience.
UPDATE: The media frenzy at 5:00 PM EST is announced.
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Is this the first case of Space Insanity? It’s just in time for Valentine’s Day too.
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Joseph Krengel | 06-Feb-07 at 2:36 pm | Permalink
Isn’t it possible the Turner picked the Liberals because they more accurately reflect his political goals and ideology?
Saskboy | 06-Feb-07 at 2:46 pm | Permalink
More accurately than the Greens? Do you think one of a hundred MPs, who don’t sit as government will listen to him more than a party beholden to the presence of their only sitting member? The Greens have a lot in common with the Liberals, with the major exception that they place the environment at a higher level when making decisions, than they do pandering to Quebec (for instance).
Joseph Krengel | 06-Feb-07 at 2:57 pm | Permalink
You didn’t answer my question.
JimBobby | 06-Feb-07 at 3:25 pm | Permalink
Whooee! I reckon Garth knows who’s got the butter fer his bread. The Grits gotta haff-decent war chest an’ as a Grit, Garth has a better chance o’ winnin’. Garth’s been a longtime Conservative an’ his business background paints him as a fiscal conservative. The GPC paints itself as fiscally conservative, too.
Garth bumped heads with the CPC on social issues. He’s too socially liberal fer the CPC. The GPC is socially liberal.
I thought Garth was ideologically a better fit fer the GPC than fer the LPC. I wish he’d joined up with Earth Mother Lizzie May but he’s his own boss. Or at least he WAS his own boss, Dion’s his boss now.
JimBobby
Saskboy | 06-Feb-07 at 3:37 pm | Permalink
“You didn’t answer my question.”
Perhaps that’s because you didn’t answer my clarification? ;-)
More accurately than the Greens (or when serving as an independent, or when serving as a Conservative)?
Devon Rowcliffe | 06-Feb-07 at 3:58 pm | Permalink
Joseph Krengel,
Garth asked his constituents on two occasions for their opinion on what he should do, after being booted out of the Tories. First was stay independent, close second was go Green, third was go grovelling back to Harper and re-join the Tories, and a distant fourth (in fact, just one person in time meetings) was to join the Liberals.
Garth prided himself on obeying his constituents first and foremost. Yet today he’s gone Liberal. Is simply smacks of opportunism.
Joseph | 06-Feb-07 at 3:59 pm | Permalink
Yes. Isn’t it possible that he feels the Liberals better reflect his politics than the green party?
JimBobby | 06-Feb-07 at 4:30 pm | Permalink
“Isn’t it possible that he feels the Liberals better reflect his politics than the green party?”
Sure, it’s possible. We really ain’t got any way o’ knowin’ what goes on inside o’ GarthFeller’s head.
It’s also possible he found out he’d purty much hafta self-finance a Green campaign an’ he’d be up against the big money boys in the CPC an’ LPC. With a good campaign an’ plenty o’ dough, Garth jest mighta been able t’ get elected as a Green. He’s got a lot better chance o’ get elected runnin’ with teh big LPC backin’ him, sez I, an’ I’ll betcha he won’t need t’ dig as deep inta his own pocket.
It’s possible, too, that space aliens captured his sorryass an’ sed he oughta join up with the Dionysians or else they’d be doin sum anal probin’.
Well, mebbe that ain’t possible.
JB
Saskboy | 06-Feb-07 at 4:33 pm | Permalink
Joseph Says:
“Isn’t it possible that he feels the Liberals better reflect his politics than the green party?”
I’m stealing Devon’s answer
“Garth prided himself on obeying his constituents first and foremost. Yet today he’s gone Liberal. Is simply smacks of opportunism.”
So yeah, he fits well with all of the opportunistic Liberals.
Joseph Krengel | 06-Feb-07 at 4:56 pm | Permalink
I’m sorry, but I don’t get how “obeying his constituents” dictates that he join the Green party.
Saskboy | 06-Feb-07 at 8:41 pm | Permalink
In the polling he conducted, didn’t he say the Greens were next on the list after staying independent? It seems obvious that Garth decided he couldn’t win the next election as an indie, nor a Green, so picked the only big party that would have him.