Wednesday, October 17, 2007

THRONE SPEECH RESPONSE - LIVE (ISH)

4:25pm-Don Newman is back on Newsworld. Looks like we're in for more, continued, round-the-clock, election speculation.

4:18pm-Here it is. "Canadians don't want an election, we'll make parliament work." Dion will propose amendments, if they fail, they will abstain from voting against the speech. Dion has referenced several instances in which the Conservatives have abstained from votes. So it is a strategy to save as much face as possible while living to fight another day.

4:16pm-CBC reports Dion said earlier today that "Canadians don't want an election" and that "he wants to make parliament work. That seems to indicate, that seems to indicate some kind of abstention-absentee plan in order to allow the speech to pass - unless the NDP gambit sited below is in play.

4:03pm-Still can't tell which way Dion is leaning, but so far he has looked good in his speech.

3:59pm-Iggy doesn't like to stand. He's been last to stand, or has remained sitting, to applaud Dion on several occasions. I smell an insurrection.

3:56pm-Dion criticizes the government for abandoning Africa and particularly Darfur. One's response might be that the country can't do everything at once, though its easy to pretend it can when one is in opposition.

3:53pm-Dion says he wants clarity from the government on whether extension of the Afghan mission would be for combat or for training and development.

3:50pm-Speculation from Don Newman prior to Dion taking the floor was that the Liberals would move a motion that was middle-of the road enough to require both the Conservatives and NDP to vote against it, based on their ideological positions. Susan Bonner reported Layton was mad about this.

If this is what happens - I like it.

Posted by Matthew @ 3:45 p.m.