Tories vote to merge with Alliance...

The Progressive Conservative party of Canada and the Canadian Alliance party have voted overwhelmingly to unite. While I'm not a Right-wing lobbyist by nature; having a party with enough popular support will do nothing but good for Federal Politics up here in the Great White North.

I don't think or even wish that they would win the next federal election, but at least the possiblity of a minority Liberal government now exists. I think that for the last while, the Liberals haven't had any real competition for seats, as most right wing votes were split between the two competing right wing parties.

In a better world perhaps, we could have three equal parties. But that, at least to me, doesn't seem like a actuality. Maybe that's because both parties were severly conservative orientated. In any case, it was proven fairly conclusively that the parties could not co-exist and maintain reasonable levels of success, at least as far as the voting boths are concerned.

It can be nothing but a good thing for a stronger right wing party. If nothing else; it means a better functioning democracy.

BTW: What, in Canadian politics is a "Red Tory?" My impression is it's a kind of old-style paternalist like a "One Nation" Conservative in the UK.

I was scared to death of the Alliance. And the PC's...well...I'm not a huge fan of theirs either. Putting the two of them into one party that could challenge the Liberals makes me wary. Mind you, I'm not a huge Liberal fan either.

I guess we'll see how it goes in the next election. The Liberals will have to step up their game for sure.

Red Tory = a relatively moderate Tory. The "red" is a reference to the Liberal Party, which is highly centrist, and a Red Tory might be expected to cross the floor if the Tories shift too far to the right.

Many thanks/Merci beaucoup.

I'm still convinced that we'll have a liberal majority after the next election. The merger doesn't mean anything until they decide on their new leader IMO.

As a side note all parties in Canadian politics suck my ass, I'm not represented in the least. Bitch, whine, grumble, Hmmfff.

*goes back to planning hostile takeover of parliament*