Lib Bloggers come out swinging against the NDP

Over the past few weeks, I've seen numerous Liberal bloggers attacking the NDP and Jack Layton. The attacks have seemed very harsh and personal. I've been keeping up with the news and I know the facts around the party positions on the gun registry. And, I see that the level and number of the attacks don't seem to be supported by the facts around the issue.

The NDP must be doing something right - like trying to improve the gun registry instead of killing it - or voting as their constituents wish.

A lot of Liberal bloggers have been taking the NDP and Jack Layton to task for their stance on the gun registry. The general stance of Jack and the NDP is supportive of the registry. The Liberal bloggers seem oblivious to the NDP's aim to introduce legislation to fix the registry so that citizens, and opposition MPs opposed to it, can find it more reasonable and thus support the registry.

These Liberal bloggers are being very hypocritical when they say that - oh, here goes the NDP supporting the Conservatives. They forget who has been voting or abstaining in order to prop up the Conservatives since Harper's bunch first became the government - the Liberals. The Liberals have undeniably given the Conservatives a virtual majority government all this time - voting for or abstaining from voting on Conservative bills that the Liberals themselves didn't like.

The NDP allows free votes on private members bills. They always have. This allows MPs to vote for what their constituents want and with their conscience. The NDP generally votes as a whole with their conscience on most issues. The gun registry, as is, is opposed by most people in rural areas for some good reasons. And NDP MPs represent 12 of these rural ridings. So, unless the registry is improved, as the NDP proposes, these MPs will most likely vote to repeal the registry.

Now, just imagine if the Liberal members of parliament actually voted as their constituents wanted them to and with their conscience - we would have got rid of the Conservative government years ago. Instead, the Liberals went against the wishes of their constituents and their conscience time and again for many votes over many years, and, as a result, Canada continues to suffer under a Conservative Harper government. The Liberals have been punished by their constituents and have dropped and stagnated in the polls (losing a significant number of seats last election, and not looking good if an election were held today). There are many people who used to vote Liberal who have decided to not vote for them next time.

Do the Liberals think that by attacking the NDP that they will win more seats in NDP ridings? Unlikely. And especially unlikely in those rural NDP ridings. This seems a poor strategy for a party that has lost most of the seats it has lost to the Conservatives.

The Liberals can attack the NDP all it wants on the gun registry issue but it won't get them anywhere because people who may have supported the Liberals, or have sometimes thought they might support the Liberals, won't vote for a party that has let down its constituents the way this Liberal party has on numerous issues for years.

See also:
Accidental Deliberations - On Appeals To Conscience

Why do Lib bloggers hold democracy in such contempt?

The NDP split - democracy as it should be

The Liberal Party, struggling for any gain in the polls, urge their bloggers to attack the NDP

Buckdog: Reasons Why The Liberal Party Of Canada Has Instructed Its Bloggers To Go Hard Against Layton - Liberal Lemmings 2.0
Excerpt:
Idiotically, the boo-bah's who run Liberal Inc.
have decided that it is wise at this time to make another foray into
New Democrat territory. Hence we see a fairly convoluted attempt to pin
the possible demise of the gun registry onto Jack Layton.

Liberal
strategists desperately hope to accomplish two goals with this. First
is to leave the impression that Iggy is a strong leader, ready willing
and able to whip his 8 MP's who previously voted to kill the Registry.
Because it has never been the policy of the NDP to whip their Caucus on
private member's bills, the Libs are trying to leave the impression that
Layton is not as strong a leader as Iggy. So, with Layton consistently
getting favourable ratings in the polls, the Lib brain trust feels that
they must do something to pull him down and boost the Igster up.

The
second goal of the current Liberal strategy is to try and win back some
of the urban support that has leaked away to Layton since 2006. Rather
than attack Harper (whom they fear), Liberals have decided to try and
pound on the NDP. It is humorous to watch and will bear few, if any
electoral results.

In fact, Liberal anxiety to climb back into
the government benches may even see Iggy force an election this fall.
Any move to do so will be as disastrous as last fall's attempt.

The Liberal Party of Canada may be preparing to launch 'Liberal Lemmings version 2.0 in the not too distant future! Stay tuned!

UPDATE!!
Mere minutes after publishing this post, the Globe & Mail put out a news item where Iggy announces that he wants a Federal Election this fall!!! .... told 'ya!!


In the interview today with the Globe & Mail, Ignatieff said "We are willing to make parliament work." If this was true, then they would support improving the gun registry now, instead of wanting to wait until they win an election (which is unlikely).

Jack Layton and the NDP to introduce legislation to improve the gun registry

Gun Registry: Building Bridges | NDP
The NDP have stated today, that they will vote against bill C-391 if it stands un-improved. (Bill C-391 is a Conservative private members bill to "repeal the portion of the requirement requiring the registration of
non-restricted firearms, but would have continued the registration
requirement for licensed gun owners")
And, the NDP will introduce legislation to improve the gun registry to make it less of a hassle for rural gun owners, and to make it a better tool against crime in urban areas.
Read the top link for the full statement from Jack Layton.