THE CONSERVATIVE HIPSTERS

I think that with this guy leaving, things are going to be very interesting in both federal and Quebec politics.

There are those who will be giddy with the thought of the Bloc running in the next campaign without Duceppe, but I doubt very much that the next leader of the PQ will sit the next federal campaign out. As leader of the third place party in Quebec, he will be doing everything possible to fight for the bloquistes no doubt.

The other concern is that Duceppe has the personality and politics to lead the PQ back into the soft socialist/hard nationalist camp and do it without the personal baggage Bosclair carried into the campaign.

The good thing is I guess it means that it will be a while before the next Quebec provincial election.

Q

...as a follow up to my last post, there was a comment in the story that the Bloq doesn't really fundraise as it relies on the $1.75 per vote per year subsidy.

It got me thinking:

I think the subsidy should be based on the percentage of ridings you ran candidates in. I.e. If you only run candidates in 25% of the ridings, you get 25% of $1.75 per vote per year.

If the Liberals and the Greens are only going to run candidates in 307 ridings, instead of the full 308, they should only receive 307/308*$1.75 per vote per year.

Just my thoughts for whatever they are worth (evidently $1.75 per year).

Q

This is a very positive sign for the Tories and has more impact than the polls.

I always take the polls with a grain of salt because I believe that many people, when asked, say liberal because it is the safe response to the question.

But money talks. Thousands of donors not just willing to say they support the Tories, but putting their money where their vote is.

10x as much as the Liberals means that the Tories will be able to dominate the airwaves in the next election and get their message directly to voters again and again and again.

If something like "the Dion is not a strong leader" ad were to be released in the last two weeks of a campaign, coupled with a conservative platform for reduced taxes, the Tories would walk straight into a majority.

Q

Let me begin by saying that I am happy we have a Conservative (if not conservative) government in Ottawa.

I am, however, concerned that some conservative ideals are being lost in this ultimate quest for a majority. The pundits in the Star will applaud Mssrs Harper et al for moving the party to the centre (and on many issues, I don't have a problem with that), but when it comes to fiscal policy and taxation, I really had hoped for more.

As I filled out my tax return (and several others for friends and family) it occurred to me that nothing is going to change on this front for the foreseeable future.

Where as previous governments were prepared to nickel and dime you for every little tax, Canada's New Government (TM) is just as prepared to nickel and dime you for every little credit you earn (some here for transit passes, some here for kids hockey, a little bit more for the child benefit, etc.)

My question for today:

Is it possible that we will ever see a fundamental overhaul of the tax system to streamline and simplify?

I am not proposing a wholesale flat tax (rate) as that dream died with the Reform Party. But surely some of these deductions could be eliminated and the overall savings ploughed back into a lower overall rate or higher personal deduction for a start.

Q

Regular readers of this post know that I am openly hostile to the entire Kyoto protocol.

The reason for this is that I believe we should be using existing technologies to actual combat pollutants, not greenhouse gasses. The Climate Change people have successfully linked Kyoto with Smog in the mind of the public.

Smog is not caused by Greenhouse Gasses. We need greenhouse gasses to survive as a species. Smog pollutants will kill us.

I had hoped against hope that Canada's New Government (TM) would make an attempt to unravel us from the hopeless mess that is Kyoto and concentrate on true, honest to god, pollution.

I am disappointed.

As a tory, I have bit my tongue when I am disappointed by Canada's New Government's inability to act in a conservative manner. I console myself by saying to myself "If we had a majority..." we could implement a true, conservative agenda.

However, with Clean Air and Pollution, having a minority would actually push this issue.

Oh, and here's another thought: If we had nothing in our air but greenhouse gasses, the air would be pretty darn clean.

Think about... carbon dioxide (naturally occuring in clean air), water vapour (naturally occuring in clean air), Nitrogen (naturally occuring in clean air)....

Q