Former Green Party guy hearts Gordo; Gordo hearts Harper

Campbell urges support for Harper government
Blaming Quebec separatists for election results, Premier says it's time to work together

"The Liberal Premier of British Columbia blames Quebec separatists for the country's third minority government in a row.
"Everyone should understand that the only thing that prohibited Mr. Harper from getting the majority he was seeking was the separatists in Quebec," Gordon Campbell said yesterday"

Can I get a lolcat to go with that, please?
We have all already given our collective thanks to the Bloc, Gordo.

"He added that Mr. Harper is clearly the man most Canadians want as prime minister."

Yo! Gordo! Steve won less of the popular vote than last time!
But I can see where you might be hoping to hitch your little rightwing wagon to Steve's in time for your election campaign next year.


In other fabulous cross-party wankfests:
"The former Interim Leader of the BC Green Party endorsed Premier Gordon Campbell’s leadership and joined the BC Liberal Party team today."

"Over the past year I’ve been impressed with Premier Campbell’s leadership," said Christopher Ian Bennett. "It was time for me to move over and be part of a party that was making a difference and truly leading Canada blah blah blah..."

For his part, Gordo said he "respected [Bennett's] ability regardless of party label to stand up for what was right for British Columbia blah blah blah..."
Previously, Bennett was Elizabeth May's communications director in her successful bid for GP leadership.

Ok, are we done with this nonsense of referring to all Greens as "left wing" now?
Anyone else looking to "make a difference" today?

Cross-posted at Creekside

What she REALLY said

What Elizabeth May said during a TVO interview* wasn't really the issue in this post. The greater concern, for me, was the heavy-handed approach taken by Green Party of Canada communications director, John Bennett. It still is. I mildly bristle when political parties, out to garner as many votes as they can, lie, cheat and smear each other, then, in an effort to control the message even further, decide that they occupy some higher moral platform when dealing with individuals. Over thirty years of naval and military service taught me to despise all politicians, particularly during election campaigns.

There are those who say the first casualty of war is the truth. That is actually quite accurate but it should be remembered that it is generally politicians and rulers who act as the executioners. Election campaigns are different only in physical effect (although in many countries the blood-letting is quite real). The truth during an election campaign is so heavily buried that most voters have come not to expect to hear it and, if they're inclined to actually do some digging, burrow in to extract facts from under the weighty camouflage of political propaganda.

That said, the issue surrounding the threats levelled by John Bennett of the GPC against Buckdog deserves at least one point of clarification: What did Elizabeth May actually say?

Noni Mausa has taken the clip, slowed it down, cleaned it up and there can be no question as to May's words. Go listen to it. And then pick up on the rest of her point.

*TVO, as many readers will already know, is the Ontario public education organization funded both publicly and through donor sponsorship. It is not generally available outside of Ontario, especially in BC (which has its own public broadcaster).

Update: Kady has the latest including the intention of the Green Party to issue an apology to Buckdog and an explanation (of sorts) for the actions of John Bennett. That satisfies any demand I had and means I'm disengaging from this entanglement. Thanks Alison.

Further Update: Stavros Rougas, who works at TVO on The Agenda with Steve Paikin, visited in comments and points out that Elizabeth May will be on The Agenda this evening at 8:01 p.m. EDT. Given the events of the past 36 hours, it should be an interesting show.

Elizabeth May to throw Green votes to Dion says LaPresse

May prête à tout pour battre Harper

At least I think that's what the article says.
Ok here goes my truly terrible French translation :

The leader of the Green Party, Elizabeth May, will ask her troops in the last sprint of the electoral campaign to put all their political weight behind the liberal candidates of Stephan Dion in certain districts where the fight is close in order to block Stephen Harper's Conservatives.
This forms an integral part of the non-aggression pact concluded between the leader of the Green Party and the Liberal leader Stephan Dion in April 2007, LaPresse learned yesterday.

OK, we knew that, but :

But this pact also provides that Mrs. May possibly decides in favour of the election of Stephan Dion for Prime Minister in the last days of the electoral campaign. This electoral strategy had never been revealed up to now.

"The idea of the agreement, it is like a non-aggression pact so that the day before the vote, the environmentalist forces in the urban centres join Stephan Dion. In the discussions with Mrs. May, it was implicitly understood that she will launch a call in favour of Mr. Dion. That was always the spirit of the agreement", affirmed a liberal source well acquainted with the talks between the Liberals and the Greens."

Wow. If someone more fluent in French can give me a less clunky/more accurate translation, I'd be grateful.
Cross-posted at Creekside