On Whose Side?

I must admit that I was saddened by the NDP's recent move to support the conservatives in parliament. Iggy and his Liberals had finally decided that enough was enough - but Jack moved in and replaced them as lapdog to the Canadian Republicans. I've voted for the NDP several times - all while living in an urban area - but I've had a hard time understanding their politics recently.

My first inkling that something was amiss was when they fought to keep Elizabeth May and the Green party out of the national debates (The Greens typically represent more than 10% of Canadians). I thought this was a strange move for a party that was once on the outside looking in. I also wondered why they were so aggressively anti-liberal when the obvious opponent is Stephen Harper. Now, they are propping up Harper's government. Why? Listen to Jack's reasoning. Apparently he's trying to "make parliament work". If that were true, why doesn't he form an alliance with other left-leaning parties such as the Greens or Liberals to run a single conservative opponent in important ridings? (As Dion did in Elizabeth May's home riding). Then they could run parliament in a more egalitarian fashion that wasn't girded by party lines.

In reality, I think that the NDP has finally become a 'party'. They don't care about the people they represent, or the country they run. They only care about their share of power and maintaining it for the future. It's a sad state of affairs. I'll have to add Jack to the list of leaders who I cannot support for moral reasons. (As opposed to Stephane Dion, who I could not support for political reasons.) These are trying times - but Harper and Layton represent diametrically opposed world-views. I can't understand how Layton can put that aside for the sake of EI benefits.