Canada's Greens Will Debate

[webfarmer]

A good bit of good news for Canadian Greens.  Socialists and Conservatives in bed together in trying to block the Greens.  Not this time.

Green Leader May Allowed on TV Debate - Canada.com - 11 Sep 08

"Prime Minister Stephen Harper and NDP Leader Jack Layton, who had objected to May's inclusion because they say she is a cheerleader for Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion, backed down amid mounting public outrage over shutting out a political leader whose emerging party is running candidates countrywide."

Comments

[markmc03.livejournal.com]

Personally, I'm glad that Elizabeth May is going to be able to participate in the debates. But I am very concerned about how the Green Party being on the ballot further splits the left vote which may result in a Conservative Majority government, the worst of all possible results.

Interestingly, David Suzuki, the nation's leading environmental scientist, declares that the best thing that could happen for the environmental movement would be for the Green Party to disappear because it lets the other parties off the hook when it comes to environmental issues.

I'm not convinced he's right. I feel that their inclusion forces the other parties to take a stand on the environment. I am more troubled by the reality that the Greens merely draw away from the Liberals, as do the New Democrats, thereby giving the Conservatives the edge.

[webfarmer.livejournal.com]

Yes, this is always a problem when there's not a proper election system that doesn't disadvantage several parties dipping in the same pool of voters. Unfortunately, the motivation for "instant runoff" (etc.) types of electoral systems only seems to come from either an activist electorate or a recently toasted political party once returned to power.

I don't think Suzuki is right either. If the Greens can get some MPs and start to keep moving up the poll numbers, that has to push other parties to be more environmentally responsible.

It's a situation where there are no good solutions other than to change the game. As I recall, there has been some effort to do that up in El Norte.