Iffy caves to caucus, flip-flops on Immigration Reform bi-partisanship

And even the Globe & Mail can see it's a full blown caucus revolt...

Ignatieff backs off bipartisan immigration reform deal amid caucus revolt
Dissension brewing even as Bevilacqua continued to work with Tories on bill
Campbell Clark - Ottawa - From Saturday's Globe and Mail
Published on Friday, Jun. 04, 2010 8:40PM EDT

Liberal MPs have forced Michael Ignatieff to swallow his words and scuttle a brewing bipartisan deal on major refugee reforms, jeopardizing the bill and revealing the leader’s shaky hold on his caucus.

Until the last minute, Mr. Ignatieff didn’t see the danger zone in his own party: In the Liberal caucus, getting wires crossed over immigration issues leads to nasty shocks.

Dion vs. Dion

What a difference a couple of weeks make...

September 26, 2007: Dion fuels election talk with throne speech conditions
Firm end to Afghan mission, reintroduction of clean air bill among Liberals' demands
Last Updated: Wednesday, September 26, 2007 | 2:21 PM ET
CBC News

Stephen Harper's Conservatives must make major changes to the upcoming throne speech or the opposition Liberals will vote against it, Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion warned Wednesday, adding fuel to speculation there could be a fall federal election.

"This hidden agenda WILL BE STOPPED", Dion said after a meeting with Quebec caucus members in Montreal.

He said the Tories would scrap the gun registry and anti-greenhouse gas initiatives the moment they gained a majority - a result Dion contended would allow them to shape a "right-wing" Canadian government modelled after the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush.

"They cannot do it today because they have an Official Opposition facing them," Dion said.

And now contrast with this week...

October 17, 2007: 'Canadians don't want another election right now': Dion
Liberal leader says he won't make the government fall on its throne speech
Last Updated: Wednesday, October 17, 2007 | 6:21 PM ET
CBC News

Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion says he will not force an election over the speech from the throne, adding that he wants to make Parliament work.

"The throne speech we heard, with all of its weaknesses, has to be assessed in light of the fact that Canadians don't want another election right now," Dion told the House of Commons on Wednesday. "They want Parliament to do its job."

...

Instead, Dion said, he would introduce amendments to the speech. If those are rejected, the party would abstain, allowing the throne speech to pass.

Let's compare...

"[Harper] must make major changes to the upcoming throne speech or the opposition Liberals will vote against it"

VS.

"the party would abstain, allowing the throne speech to pass"

Huh?

Before the Speech, Dion said, "This hidden agenda WILL BE STOPPED"

After the Speech, Dion said, "The throne speech we heard, with all of its weaknesses, has to be assessed in light of the fact that Canadians don't want another election right now"

Again, I say "Huh?" What happened during those short three weeks? Before, Dion said that he would stop Mr. Harper's agenda... now, he says that Canadians don't want an election, therefore, his members will abstain from voting... whereas before, he said that he was determined to "stop this 'hidden agenda'".

Uh huh... and people wonder why we keep saying "Stephane Dion is Not a Leader"... Paul Martin just dithered on every decision. This guy? He flip-flops every other week. People accused Mr. Martin of governing based on the poll of the day. Mr. Dion, he says one thing, waits for the next poll, and then reveres himself.

Sorta like the whole Marc Garneau affair... one week, he's out, two weeks later, he's back in.

Or the Jamie Carroll affair... on Friday, he supports him... by Monday, Jamie is toasted. (and there's no way he'd be tossed without Dion's okay)

So, let's think about this long and hard... in the next election, he'll roll out their platform... and once he's been elected, who's to say he won't turn around and do the exact opposite of what he promised? I mean, we know Liberals are known for that, the whole "we will scrap the GST" thing and all.

Then there's Kyoto... it went from being the most important issue of our time, to being abandoned in the Throne Speech, with Dion's blessing by abstaintion.

But, not to worry... Dion told us his Party will abstain on the Throne Speech this week, which means they'll likely vote against it actually comes time to vote...

I stand by the nickname I gave him from the get-go... Flipper.

(image from The Rick Mercer Report's Photo Challenge)

And people wonder why I'm fearful of his becoming our Prime Minister...

The New Liberal Sponsorship Scandal

Mr. Dion wants to consider sponsoring Taliban prisoners... "We may bring them in Canada".

Stephane Dion wants to sponsor terrorists. In our cities. We are not making this up.

Then again... maybe it's not a good idea. Wow... flip flopping on his own idea that quickly. Amm, and this guy wants to run the country?

Can we trust anything he says, if he's so prone to changing his stand on the fly? How about, "Kyoto won't cost us much"? Or, "We will make changes to the income trust plan"?

"His name is Flipper, Flipper, king of the Grits..."

Dion/May deal was another flip flop

Once again, it appears that Mr. Dion's word isn't necesarily something you can bank on... this statement was made just two weeks before the May/Dion deal...

"It would be a mistake to give up any province, any region, any riding,' he said, noting that a wave of support could cause many ridings that currently seem unwinnable to fall into the Liberal column.

Dion insisted the full platform will be ready whenever Harper engineers the defeat of his minority government. He said the party will have full slate of candidates in all 308 ridings and that a third of them will be women, as he's promised.

"Oops... did I say that? What I meant was..."

Nice try Mr. Dion. Wow, what a difference two weeks makes...


(and as for those who will comment that Mr. Harper's word can't be trusted because of the Income Trust decision, at least it took him 10 months to come to that change of heart... not a mere 10 days)

Dion - "Flipper"?

Is the name going to catch? Well, once again, Rick Mercer (or at least one of his Photoshop Challenge contributers) is ahead of the game...