velvetpage (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
velvetpage) wrote2008-12-03 10:14 am
velvetpage) wrote2008-12-03 10:14 am
Will the new coalition government be unprecedented or undemocratic?
Not according to the professor of political science who writes for the Toronto Star. I agree with him.
Basically, if you're not happy with the coalition? You get to do what electorates always do between elections - take notes on the successes and failures of the government as it is running and use that information to inform your future votes. What our parliament is doing is entirely democratic and in keeping with parliamentary law and tradition the world over. Whether or not it's the right thing to do, as long as it's within the powers granted to the House of Commons by the Constitution, there's nothing you can do about it legally.
Which is going to hurt the country more - a few weeks of political instability as the new Coalition government forms, or another election worth $300 million while nothing gets done? Changes in government ALWAYS produce fluctuations in the stock market, and they're usually short-term. It's unfair and overly simplistic to blame the recent fluctuations on the state of the government, considering that at the same time, markets around the world are reacting to the massive credit crunch, the bailout package, the announcement that the U.S. is officially in recession. . . the list goes on.
Don't mind me - I'm arguing with persons not present.
Basically, if you're not happy with the coalition? You get to do what electorates always do between elections - take notes on the successes and failures of the government as it is running and use that information to inform your future votes. What our parliament is doing is entirely democratic and in keeping with parliamentary law and tradition the world over. Whether or not it's the right thing to do, as long as it's within the powers granted to the House of Commons by the Constitution, there's nothing you can do about it legally.
Which is going to hurt the country more - a few weeks of political instability as the new Coalition government forms, or another election worth $300 million while nothing gets done? Changes in government ALWAYS produce fluctuations in the stock market, and they're usually short-term. It's unfair and overly simplistic to blame the recent fluctuations on the state of the government, considering that at the same time, markets around the world are reacting to the massive credit crunch, the bailout package, the announcement that the U.S. is officially in recession. . . the list goes on.
Don't mind me - I'm arguing with persons not present.
no subject
And this situation is relatively new for Canada. We have traditionally enjoyed majority governments for the bulk of our young history. Minority governments are not the norm, but have been in recent years because of our multi-party system and increased regionalism in the support for those parties. Add to that the first-past-the-post voting system, and you end up with what we have now. If we moved to some form of proportional representation, it would do much to stabilise things, i believe.