Everything old is new again...
by Deirdre McMurdy, Sympatico / MSN Finance
And we wonder why voter turnout - particularly among the young - has hit a record low.
The guy who was rejected just a few weeks ago in his bid to form a Liberal government is now emerging as a contender to lead a coalition that may lead the country -- at least until his replacement is chosen next May. That's right, Stephane Dion is, however improbably, on a roll.
If that's not enough to give you pause, the forces behind an immediate $30-billion economic stimulus package is growing among members of the political faction that's been stitched together like Frankenstein to overturn the Tory attempt to rescind their public funding.
A group comprised of former Liberal PM Paul Martin, former finance minister John Manley, former New Brunswick Premier Frankl McKenna and former Saskatchean Premier Roy Romanow, have signed on to assist the combined forces of the Liberals and the NDP. (That's a lot of "formers" which speaks to the quality of the "currents.")
Tehy are all talking about spending big on auto and forestry bailouts and infrastructure spending - not that anyone has actually been back to the riding to ask how voters think.
No matter how much you may revile the Prime Minister and his appalling schemes, there's no compelling evidence that big-ticket stimulus programs are working. But even more significantly, proceeding before the Obama Administration puts its plan into effect is a very questionable notion. Even pushing the federal budget ahead into January is a dodgy business.
The Harper government, which has already backed away from the moves that got them into this mess, is likely to survive - both bloodied and bowed.
But for voters, especially young ones, there's never been a more eloquent case for not voting. And that's likely to be back on the agenda in the next six months.
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