So bloglandia is up in arms that the NDP could be bought off for a mere billion in EI funding and the BLOC is proudly bragging about delivering the Christmas turkey to Potvin et Bouchard. Sure at this level it makes it look like a seriously unholy troika of socialists, separatists, and reactionaries. Did you ever see such a beautiful union of the red, blue and white?
But that is all the surface. In fact the NDP and the BLOC just rendered the liberals (and themselves a huge service). Here is why. When the conservatives are toppled on a non-confidence motion and are forced to run in a general election it will be hard to argue, upon loosing that election, that relying on the support of the socialists and the separatists is somehow treasonous.
For you liberals who don’t see how good this is for every party save the conservatives just content yourselves that pay back is as they say a ….
Relentlessly Progressive Political Economy 
thanks travis – liberals always want to be the centre of attention
The Liberals merely have placed the shoe on the other foot. Now the NDP has to claim to be the ones working with the government, while the Liberals get to take the NDP’s old position that supporting the government is to agree with Harper. However incredible, the NDP’s going on and on criticizing the Liberals about this for years makes the claim credible in PR terms.
I understand that the NDP’s finances are weak at the moment? I hear they’ve lost their ad agency in Quebec?
Layton had better get a better deal than this. You can quote the Con’s billion $$$ price tag all you want. Are you sure it is accurate? The proposal had better do better to help the truly disadvantaged in our society. Sadly, this proposal doesn’t. People working in marginalized jobs going through layoff after layoff will have a hard time getting any of this.
If the NDP going to do anything about the coming EI payroll tax hike? Looks like a job killer to me, and the money is going to be used on the deficit, not on workers. Shouldn’t the NDP be pushing for corporate taxes to be frozen or even raised, and how about actually collecting on those illegal offshore tax havens?
I expect the NDP, if they are to support Harper, to get real concessions.
This isn’t excusing the Liberals’ voting record. I’m not a supporter. But the NDP have been setting a standard for years without needing to live it.
Times have changed.
Agreed Mark,
The NDP will loose the ability to totally hammer the liberals for supporting the Cons. And they will both use some variant of the same excuse: we supported the Cons for the good of the country. The bloc will say the same although for a different country:),
I do not think the NDP will get much nor the Bloc. Given that the bloc seems willing to support the cons on basis of the home reno plan exclusively I suspect they will support the Cons for awhile yet. Not sure the NDP can afford such a minimalist position.
Hébert seems to think the Bloc are just waiting for the libs confidence motion to hit the floor at the end of the month. I suspect much the same of the NDP.