Tuesday, June 14, 2005

He's Got Paulie By The Walnuts

Liberal-turned-Independent MP Pat O'Brien might bring down the government tonight with the help of an unnamed Liberal MP unless the same-sex marriage bill is delayed into the fall, CBC fears:

I met with two senior elected MPs from the Liberal party earlier today," said O'Brien on CBC's Politics. "I suspect I will meet with them and others later."

He wants a promise, in writing, that the passage of the same-sex marriage bill will not happen until after Parliament resumes in the fall.

O'Brien did not say which Liberal member of Parliament is joining him in seeking the delay.

At least five confidence votes will take place late Tuesday night as the House of Commons tries to pass the federal budget before the summer recess.


For all of the media speculation about Stephen Harper's leadership because of a few bad polls, why hasn't there been the same speculation about Paul Martin's leadership?

There should be no question about how everyone in a minority government's caucus will vote on a non-confidence issue. None. Never. For weeks, there have been rumours of defections on the budget vote by anti-SSM MP's, and Paul Martin has done nothing to silence them except to point fingers at Gurmant Grewal's dirty dealings.

If Paul Martin loses a single confidence vote tonight, he will have proven himself to be the most incompetent caucus manager of any Prime Minister in living memory.

Even if Joe Clark couldn't count, he could still count on his own caucus. Paul Martin can't even do that.

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