I think my original headline was Ignatieff changes the dynamic, but you get the idea. You can read my take on yesterday's events over at the National Post's Full Comment blog, where I'll be writing periodically:
You can agree with Michael Ignatieff’s declaration Tuesday that the Liberal Party will no longer support the Conservative government when parliament returns this fall (possibly triggering a fall election) or you can disagree with it, but one thing is for sure: going into the fall, the Liberals have succeeded in radically altering the dynamic, putting the other parties on the defensive for the first time in years.
(more)
And here's a taste of Michael's speech yesterday:
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2 comments:
Sorry! I think I left a comment on a wrong post as I clicked on your link at the National Post site.
I don't think it will be NDP or Bloc who would back down. As usual it will be Mr. Ignatieff. When push comes to shove Ignatieff will give in.
You say he won't, I say we he will. We'll see in a few weeks. My point, however, I think stands: the dynamic has shifted.
We've seen that already, with NDP MPs shifting their tone from "we'll vote against this budget before we see it because Harper has lost the moral authority to govern" to "we'll willing to work with Harper on a case-by-case basis."
You can see how annoyed they are at that shift in dynamic as they try to desperately to shift it back to the old bluster and back down cycle "oh you can't trust him, he'll back down again" in an effort to avoid the ball that's now firmly in their court.
If they really do think the Liberals are bluffing, I'd encourage them to call it. And the chips will fall where they may.
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