Dalton's the Weak
Looks like Dinky Dalton managed to buy some time by buying off Lizzy Witmer.From all the noise coming from blogs, media, network pundits, you would think the only important thing is when will the by-election be called.
Dalton won't be calling one till after the summer break, here's why:
He only needs to have enough seats in the legislature to ensure the opposition does not have the combined votes to vote non confidence. Its not that the opps would bring him down, no the goal would be to damage the liberals by a thousand cuts and putting the squeeze on from the left and the right until there is no middle ground position.
Just look how the media reacted to the budget vote.
It wasn't that the vote was close that got their attention, it was because that vote gave the media something to report on from Queens Park, and it justified a lot of reporters having a paycheck.
Dalton likes to have a situation where he can look like he's running a center-right government, what he doesn't want is to have to play lets make a deal with the NDP because it pulls his government off that mushy middle ground. For that reason he can't afford to have to negotiate for diminishing returns, each time being pulled further to the left.
Now the other side of this story is that within Dalton's caucus you have a left wing, and you have a faction of blu-liberals. In a majority, he can control these two groups and keep them from making demands as long as he doesn't show any signs of weakness, or favouritism to one side or the other. If Dalton has to cave to NDP demands too often, the left wing caucus will be emboldened enough to start making demands on Dinky. Demands that although he won't find them too extreme, he knows that the blu-lib faction won't be to open minded about such a move, and at some point if before the next election one of his MPP's decides to leave politics, well that would mean another open seat in the legislature,giving the opposition the means to bring down the government when it feels the time is right for them and not for Dalton.
This is why he needs time, and as long as the legislature is short one opposition MPP, he only needs everyone of his caucus in the house for a vote. Until the by election takes place he will try to push through as much legislation as he can.
Now if I was Hudak, what I would do is table as many opposition bills as I could, particularly those type that will put Dalton at odds with the left, and particularly the NDP.
For example the legislation to freeze doctors salaries is going to force Dalton to side with the NDP, whether he accepts Hudak's legislation or not. Right now Dalton wants to have the doctor's on side, but his minister isn't helping, and Hudak is tabling legislation that inacts in law what Dalton wants the doctors to accept voluntarily. It won't matter if he accepts or not, the doctor's will only get a pay freeze by law, and they won't do it on their own. Hudak just has to stick to his guns, if Dalton wants his "cooperation" adopt his bill.
In these situations, if one of the sides has a nasty habit of bargaining in bad faith, that side will also be on the receiving end of a great deal of payback. Most notably from the groups that have either been on the receiving end, or the usual collective of interest groups that are in the business of leveraging funds out of the government when they smell blood.
Congrats Mr. Premier, you now go by the moniker
Dalton the Weak
posted by gimbol @ 5:12 PM
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