Replies

"Explain the need to me of the parties to unite. You have a parlaimentary system. Why can't the PCs do well where they do well, the Alliance do well in the west, and then form a coalition government. I don't see how uniting helps them get over the 50% mark combined. "

It's amazing how this kind of clarity can be found outside of the Canadian political sphere, but not amongst the elites who run the country. This is exactly the point, and I believe that had both parties contested all 301 ridings (or whatever the revised total is) the Alliance were only one election away from truly uniting the right in this nation.

Had the Alliance held on for one more election, ran 301+ candidates, and been happy to settle for winning back their traditional base of support, there is no question in my mind the Progressive Conservative party, who are neither progressive or conservative, would have been decimated by Martin's Liberals and the NDP.

The Alliance would be without a doubt the only Conservative Party in Canada, and indeed the only one with official party status. They would have been dealing from a position of power, and could enter the subsequent election as the only alternative while remaining true to their principles, and not having diluted them to appease the old central Canadian conservative elite.

At this point the onus would have been on the Canadian people: Either they would want a real alternative, regardless of where it originated, or they would choose the status quo.

At this point it would be made crystal clear to Westerners where they stood: Either REAL CHANGE would have been made by an Alliance government that had remained true to it's principles, or the more likely scenario, Westerners would be given a resounding indication as to where they stand in this country, and the process of splitting the Canadian Confederation in two could begin 30 years too late.

However, this process has never been about change. It is about duelling elites. The Old Guard in the East who lost the power and the New Guard in the West who want it.

In the minds of the PC 's and the Alliance, a Coalition wasn't workable simply because neither would settle for anything but a chance at sitting in the Prime Minister's Chair. With both groups under one umbrella, "The Conservative Party", now the infighting can continue behind closed doors, with the Alliance having to sacrifice the most to a party 1/3 of their size and who had no hope of gaining ground next election in a last vain attempt at gaining power at any and all cost.

There is no question the PC's now have the upper hand, and with Mike Harris the odds-on favorite to ascend to the leaders position, the transformation is complete back to politics a la 1986 is complete. Western populism and any chance of achieving governmental or parliamentary or senate reform is dead, as the eastern conservatives will once again usurp the ruling elites, and besides, "It won't be acceptable to Ontario".

"The West Wants In" was the mantra for the Reform Party when it came in to being in 1987. 16 years later, the West is no further in than it ever was.

Perhaps all of this was inevitable, but when the next schism between east and west occurs, and it will, I pray we will have the forsight and resolve to follow a leader who will not lead us down the garden path like Manning and now Harper have done. Present us with a leader who believes the West wants out, and many will follow.