Ex-Tory MP Garth Turner To Sit As A Liberal

[stampeder]

MP Garth Turner joining Liberal caucus: CTV

Updated Tue. Feb. 6 2007 10:56 AM ET
CTV.ca News Staff

Maverick MP Garth Turner, who was booted from Conservative party ranks last fall, is expected to join the Liberal caucus, CTV News has learned.

"I'm being told that Garth Turner, who was kicked out of the Conservative caucus, and has been sitting as an Independent, is expected to join the Liberal caucus this afternoon," CTV's Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife reported on Newsnet.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNew...hub=TopStories

[hugh]

Wow. I imagine most politicians would sell their mothers if it meant a little more power or a better seat in the backbench!

[stampeder]

...or settling of old scores, revenge, getting even...

[bete_noir]

He's just balancing off that Wajid Khan guy, the ex-Liberal with the phantom "Middle East Report" that Harpo doesn't want us to see....



I like Garth....they say he's a loose cannon, but there's nothing in the British Parliamentary Tradition that says an MP is supposed to be a trained seal for the PM and the PMO - quite the opposite, in fact. Plus, Harpo booted him out so it looks good on fat boy.....



Just my $0.02....

[hugh]

I didn't mind Garth until now. To me, changing parties means you have no principles! If you truly believe in the ideals of the party then you would never cross the floor.

Now if Garth crossed when the Alliance and Tories got together and said it was for a principle then I could live with that.

[stampeder]

there's nothing in the British Parliamentary Tradition that says an MP is supposed to be a trained seal for the PM and the PMO

Exactly true, but the tradition goes back to the days when MPs would spend days or possibly a week or two getting to Ottawa and back from their constituencies, so they had more of an independent and ombudsman-like duty to their riding. In this day and age, especially with digital electronic news, constituents would appreciate not having suprises pulled on them. Witness the nasty reactions to Stronach, Emerson, Khan, etc...

[Proteosome]

Garth Turner seems to me to be a media whore. When he left the Conservative party he seemed to come up with new revelations every week just to stay in the spotlight. It has been awhile since we last heard his condemnations so now is the time for him to make another large announcement.

He loves the attention even if it makes him a hypocrite. When Emerson switched from the Liberals to Conservatives Turner said:

that anyone who crosses the floor should step down and run in a byelection.

[james99]

I have always liked Garth but I can't vote for him as a Liberal.

He just won his seat here in Halton as a PC and PCs usually do well in this area.

[nfitz]

Shame, I hoped he would go Green. That would have shaken things up a bit.

Originally Posted by james99

He just won his seat here in Halton as a PC and PCs usually do well in this area.

Not that well, since that riding was (re)-created in 1997, it was always Liberal, who have consistently won about 50% of the vote. I hate to burst the bubble, but Garth Turner didn't win because he was Conservative, he won because he was Garth Turner. Now that he'll get the traditional Liberal support + the Garth Turner vote, then he'll likely trounce the opposition.