Elizabeth May or Elizabeth May Not

September 27, 2008 · Posted in News, Personalities 

The Toronto Star has Elizabeth May encouraging strategic voting. So, Elizabeth May wants voters to not vote Green.

This is the oddest strategy I’ve ever seen from any leader in any country in any party. It hurts my head a little just thinking about it.

First, if all the so-called “progressives” vote strategically, they will vote NDP or Liberal (and possibly Bloc), not Green (even that new strategic voting website shows a strategic outcome of 1 Green MP – way to deflate every single other hopeful and your entire party faithful everywhere else).

Second, she is sacrificing the pay-per-vote funding bonus that finally brought some money into the party (at least enough for a Cross Canada train ride) in the first place.

Third, the Green Party is on the cusp of a historic opportunity to capture a groundswell of protest vote that might have been enough to actually win them seats! Doesn’t she realize that these are not “progressives” that are going to vote strategically for Liberals and NDPers, these are “ordinary Canadians” who are fed up with the traditional parties for one reason or another. In the past they might have voted Green, Liberal, NDP or, just as likely, Conservative. Not only has May insulted all the Conservative-turned-Green voters, but in the same sentence she allied herself to all the other traditional parties – the very parties that the protest voters are protesting against.

Fourth, Canadians hate shady back-room dealing, and she’s now encouraging the NDP and Liberal leaders to split up the whole country in the back-room, instead of allowing Canadians the choice they deserve. For anyone who is sick to death of dirty deal politics, this one truly takes the cake.

When I first heard that the Conservative Party was opposed to having her in the debates, I must admit I was a little surprised, and disagreed quite openly. Fact is, many months ago I signed the Green Party petition to include her in the debates, not because I was a Green supporter, but because I felt it was right and fair for democracy. The notion that she was just another stooge for the Liberals seemed a bit flimsy and over the top to me (even despite the kooky deal with Dion). Well, I take it all back. Full retraction – 100%. It appears the brains in the party got this one bang-on, and I was dead wrong! Elizabeth May is just a Liberal dressed in Green. How disappointing she must be to all the true believers in the Green Party.

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Comments

  • rations

    Agree with you, but think back to her choosing to run against Peter McKay. She doesn’t want to be in Parliament, it would mean a real job and real responsibilities not hobnobbing with the socialist elite. This whole thing is for her ego and memoirs and not for Canada.

  • Jason Bo Green

    I’m a believer in the idea of the Green Party, and I was disappointed in Elizabeth May from the start. She’s the lousiest party leader Canada’s ever had!!! And I think she’s totally selling out to the Liberals, you’re absolutely right.

  • Alberta Girl

    “For anyone who is sick to death of dirty deal politics, this one truly takes the cake.”

    Wasn’t Liz the one who was going to “do politics differently” and who was going to “bring back democracy”.

    That lasted all of three weeks – way to go Liz!

    I am not sure why the media isn’t picking up on this……oh, right.

  • smalltownguy

    26.09.2008
    Statement

    The Green Party wishes to reiterate that leader Elizabeth May has never advocated strategic voting. In an interview with the Toronto Star and in response to NDP leader Jack Layton suggesting he was open to a potential Liberal—NDP coalition, Ms. May suggested that all opposition leaders might consider some larger coalition effort before the vote. In the course of a two-hour interview, it was one of many ideas discussed in quite hypothetical terms. Honesty about the perverse and anti-democratic outcomes of the first-past-the-post voting system takes nothing away from the reality that Canada needs Green MPs in the House of Commons.

  • Dave

    So your going to punish a party, or leader, because they put important policy issues above party politics?

    What exactly does that say about you?

    Also, how can you criticize her for making these kinds of statements publicly AND call them a back room deal at the same time? Isn’t a back room deal something you do privately, you know, in the back room behind closed doors.

    I think you might need to brush up on your political cliches or throw them out altogether when talking about Elizabeth May.

    Calling the Green party Liberal stooges is just repeating a failing strategy of Mr. Harper. And what is it supposed to accomplish anyway? Are you trying to convince people that the Green party is a moderate centrist party? How is that going to help the Conservatives.

    If you want to call the Green Party just like the Liberals but without the corruption and with the guts to propose tougher environmental policy and a much more transparent organization, then great! Maybe thats exactly why so many people are going to vote for them.

    I was listening to CBC today and heard a Harper ad proclaiming the benefits of staying the course and not making any risky changes. Is that what you call leadership?

    Do you think everything is going so well that we don’t need to change anything?

    Harper and Co. advocates US style Deregulation, private health care, and uses fear based attack ads.

    Looking at the financial and social disasters in the USA I can’t imagine anyone wanting to vote for a Captain that wants to pilot our ship in the same direction.

    Canada needs bold leadership to deal with the coming environmental challenges. Elizabeth May is the only leader with the guts to honestly state her positions on the issues.