Looks like the Liberals are scrambling for some good ideas on how to raise more money for their party. I guess their belief that they are the natural party to govern Canada has stopped them from making fundraising a priority over the past few years. The once mighty Liberals raised only $5.9MM from party supporters last year, a far cry from the $21MM haul that the Conservative Party obtained. Even the NDP raised $5.5MM, just under the Grit totals....I can clearly see now why the Conservative proposal to eliminate public funding of political parties was such a big deal to the Liberals/NDP/Bloc. Much like their ability to run the country, they lack the organization, creativity and commitment to strengthen their party through grassroots fundraising.
The Conservative Party of Canada has seen the benefit in appealing to its supporters for donations, and they have opened their wallets generously to them. ( Myself included.) If the Canadian people actually supported the Liberal Party, their financial situation would not be in this state.
How can the Liberal Party of Canada be trusted to run the country finances, when they cannot even control their own internal party debt? I wonder if Mr.Iggy wonders this himself when he looks in the mirror?
Why do Conservatives have this deeply-held belief that money or the ability to have a superior fund raising machine, which has nothing to do with the political branch of a party, has anything to do with policy or morality?
ReplyDeleteMight makes right?
When the Conservative Party is asked about electability they always go right to how much money they have and don't start with the issues.
Do you know that the party financing laws were put in place in exchange for a ban on the parties excepting money from certain sources such as unions?
That law is there to stop groups from buying the government's influence outright, formerly a much worse problem in Canada than it is now (although it is still not gone).
So you see that those policies are because of the recognition that the party that could pimp itself most effectively to special interest groups and therefore get their money and be their puppets once elected and that is not a very moral situation for a government to be in?
The idea of dropping the regulations and just letting every man go for himself is a return to the good old days of special interest against special interest and if you think it's bad now you should see it when there's no restraint.
The Conservatives fundraising drive of late basically amounts to a telemarketing campaign. They are cold-calling random numbers at this point and asking for money. I know this because they're calling everyone I know in downtown Ottawa, one of the most hardcore-NDP ridings in the country and soliciting donations.
I think you'll agree that isn't a measure of their competence, morality or strength as a government. On the contrary, spending all that time and money calling people in a riding that is so far left it doesn't even contain any centrist potential swing voters is highly inefficient and a waste of money. Not a good mark for a government.
In fact, maybe you should pay a little more attention to the calls from notorious Conservative supporters and associates asking people to withhold their money from the party until they get their act together.
There's much more to government than who has how much money.
Also Michael Ignatieff has been the Liberal leader for something like twenty minutes.
ReplyDeleteIt is common knowledge that Stephane Dion caused the party's support to dry up and he is now gone.
One of Michael Ignatieff's first acts was to hire a new fundraising team.
So don't expect the situation to last or pin it on Michael Ignatieff because it's a problem he inherited, not one he created.
Check this one out:http://westerngrit.blogspot.com/2009/02/party-financing-let-bastards-raise.html
ReplyDeleteThanks for your post Adam....I respect your passion but must disagree with you on most of this! ( So...I gather you are not Donating to the CPC? j/k!)
ReplyDeleteAt this rate, they won't have to go beg for ideas (they do have a lot of ideas, just not quite the right ones), but rather for actual change. The Tories raked in something like $21 million in donations, while the Liberals barely managed $5 mill or so.
ReplyDelete