Vancouver Secrets

Funding The Green Party

photo credit: Lili Vieira de Carvalho

By Alina Abbot

One of the big obstacles that the Green Party will face in the next election is that of the strategic voters. Those people who share our values and agree with our policies, but who are swayed by the scare tactics of the big parties that claim “If you don’t vote for us, then THEY will get in!” as they point their fingers at the other big parties.

Here are some arguments to help persuade the strategic voters to cast their vote with the Greens:

1. Casting a vote for one of the big parties tells them that you approve of their policies and political games. You get one valuable vote, something that people around the world are willing to die for. When you use it to support a party you don’t really believe in, they still will make the assumption that you used your valuable vote to support what you believe. “Canadians have spoken!” was the cry heard from many Conservatives after the last election, even though 63.7% of Canadian voters chose someone other than the Conservatives. Every vote cast for the Green Party sends a message that Green values and policies are important. Every vote cast for the Green Party will cause the big parties to raise their eyebrows and think “Hmm, maybe Canadians really DO want something other than our policies!”

2. The parties that receive over 2% of the national vote get $1.75 per vote cast from taxpayers. When you cast a vote for a party, you are not only saying that you approve of their values, but you give them your $1.75 to support their policies and future campaigns. This translated into about $9.4 M for the Conservatives in the last election, and only about $1M for the Green Party. If you support Green values, why not also support them with your tax dollars? Your funding will be available to lobby the government in power to support Green policies, even if your Green Party candidate does not win the seat.

3. The electoral districts (ridings) that receive 10% or more of their local vote receive 50% of their campaign spending back from the taxpayers. This means that your vote not only counts for the present election, but also puts support behind that party for the NEXT election! The Green Party did make it past 10% in some ridings, but most ridings fell short. If the strategic voters had cast their votes with the Greens in the last election, then there would be more funding available in many ridings to get out the all-important message that the Green Party has values that are worth supporting.

4. With the rise of the Green Party in the polls, and the increasing interest in environmental and economic sustainability, it is highly probable that the Green Party will edge out the other parties in a number of ridings in the next election. For some ridings, it will be the choices made by the strategic voters that tip the balance for or against the Greens. For those Canadians who really want to see change in the next election, the best strategy will be to vote Green.

Perhaps the next election will have the big parties waving their fingers at the Green Party candidates, exclaiming, “Vote for us, or else THEY’LL get in!” Hopefully, Canadian voters will hear this, and say, “Really? Then I’M voting GREEN!”

Alina Abbott
Candidate nominee
Chatham-Kent-Essex

Confirms that they know they can’t win, but need to target ridings they can get more than 10% of the vote.

This may explain their non-compete with the Liberals.

It’s September 11th and The Silence is Deafening

photo credit: artolog

Today’s news is peculiarly quite on the anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade center…

Here’s a great article to remind you of this day… it mirrors my day, so I won’t try to top it.

Here’s why there’s silence this year:

The left has spent 7 years on a campaign to turn this event into their advantage by opposing anything and everything to do with the prevention of another attack. Movies have been made, conspiracy groups formed, George Soros and the far left have turned it into a political machine based on America losing the war on terror.

Preventing tragedy is a thankless job (ask George Bush), and success goes unnoticed.

7 years later we have a silent Al-Qaeda - remember Bin Laden’s threat last election? - and the resurgence of the Taliban is being dealt with.

In Iraq, success is near, and the terrorists have almost lost - Iran has replaced them and has other things on their mind we’ll need to deal with soon.

Even things are quiet in Israel - can you remember the last suicide bombing?

New York has shown it can deal with catastrophe, and now is working on fixing the financial mess caused by a housing bubble created by living beyond one’s means.

Bush has done an incredible job of protecting America, and some day history will thank him.

The media that wants to get a Democrat elected so badly it will bury the stories today - you can draw your own conclusion.

So let’s not forget September 11th - although you’ll need to dig a bit to find the news.

Canada’s Answer to Lipstick - Elizabeth May

photo credit: ewar woowar

The Green Party’s Elizabeth May finally got into the televised leader’s debates.

Let’s hope the Sarah Palin effect isn’t spilling over to in Canada.

Give her credit for getting Independent MP Blair Wilson - a former Liberal first elected in 2006 - to become a Green Party MP.  She now gets her shot to get heard… despite having a poll rating of 8% (they got a whopping 4.3% of the vote last election - making them the new Rhino party).

The interesting thing is the deal Elizabeth made with Dion not to field a  candidates in each others riding. Surprisingly, he didn’t join Layton in protesting her inclusion.

Any additional support she may get from the debates will come from the left and split the vote from those that want to crush Canadians with a new carbon tax…  helping the Conservative Party get their majority.

The good news is that no one will be watching.

Stephane Dion Drops 50%

photo credit: lovestruck.

Early election polls show Stephen Harper should get 183 seats in the 308-seat parliament, up from 127 seats won in the last election.

42% of voters feel Harper would make a better prime minister, while only 15% felt Dion would do a good job, well behind even Jack Layton of the New Democrats.

Stephane Dion calls Harper’s government “the most conservative government in our history”… he’s trying out the “I Hate Bush” strategy (one that will cost the Democrats the election in the US).

Harper has lowered taxes, lengthened mandatory criminal sentences and actually allocated money for family child care (something the left has been crying for for as long as I can remember). Considering that he has managed to fulfill the promises he made last election despite a hostile parliament… not a bad job.

Thanks to Stephane Dion’s attempt to make himself into Al Gore of the north, it should be a cake walk.

Stephane’s carbon tax plans makes you wonder who he is reaching out to. Even NDP Layton starting the week of campaigning attacking the oil sands - probably one of Canada’s biggest sources of future wealth. Real smart stuff.

The “silent majority” will decide this election - we’ve had enough of the Liberal and NDP strategy of environmental/carbon tax terrorism through taxation.

And just in time.

We’re facing a challenging economy is the very near future - hopefully Harper will promise even lower taxes to help us through it.

Obama lin Biden

photo credit: San Diego Shooter

Obama probably just handed McCain the presidency today.

Everyone thought Barack Obama would pick Hillary Rodham Clinton as his vice president,  because he needs the backing of the 18 million or so voters who supported her. It would have been the smart move.

Obama chose a man who, months ago, dropped out of the race after he failed to garner 1 percent of the Dem’s vote. . .

Obama’s poll numbers have plummeted and Biden will do nothing to help raise them.

Here’s why:

1) His platform of “Change” is not helped by Biden - Biden was for the Iraq war and represents the same things they have criticized McCain for.

2) Biden’s past comments will haunt their campaign. You can count on his future ones to create problems. Just three hours after the Obama campaign sent out its text announcement, the McCain campaign rolled out its first ad this morning, using Senator Joe Biden’s own words against Obama.

3) Can’t keep raising McCain’s age as an issue.. Biden is only a few years younger.

4) Biden has spent most of his life in the senate - and has nothing to show for it. He has served on two key committees, both as chairman and ranking-minority member. One dealt with judges and constitutional law and the other with foreign policy.

Last, not falling in line with the “Clinton” camp may bite him also. They undermined Kerry last election and will do the same this time. Hillary wants in next time, and Bill needs to make up for losing it for her.

The next few moths will make for great TV.

Just wish Canadian politics could be this interesting…