Political pundits were stunned once again by goings-on in the Cole Harbour Parliament. Yesterday's vote on the minority Liberal government's budget was expected to lead to an election, but, in a shocking move, Tory leader John Crosbie crossed the floor to vote for the budget.
The document itself provides for new funding to hospitals, called the "Bullshit we think we can get re-elected with fake health care investment" Fund. It also provides for a generous corporate tax break, while rising the minimum wage by a whoping nickel per hour, to $5.55. Although this was seen as a moderate budget and one that, feasably, could have come from a Tory administration, it is still shocking that Crosbie chose to side with the government at this time.
When asked about his decision to form the new coalition government, Premier Dennis Richards said "There's no reason to let partisanship get in the way of good government. The best minds need to come together, and we think John Crosbie will be a great asset to this government as the new finance minister. You have to remember that 63% of Cole Harbour voters voted for a non-separatist party, so this coalition reflects the majority's will." Crosbie responded similarly when questionned, but he did let an interesting comment slip about how "getting that cabinet allowance would be sweet".
For his part, CHSF leader John DeWolfe was predictably miffed. "What the fuck was that?" said DeWolfe, "If Crosbie thinks he can get away with pulling the rug out from under me, he's sorely mistaken - we got fucking screwed, and the people know it." When further pressed, DeWolfe did admit that the cabinet pay was "pretty sweet", and he denied allegations that a friend did any free renovations on his home.
The new Liberal-Tory coalition will be put to the test fairly soon, as under the Cole Harbour constitution, byelections must be held within 2 months of a member vacating their seat. By-elections for Colby Centre and Forest Hills Southeast are now scheduled for September 28. The Coalition government has decided to run only one candidate in each riding, knowing that CHSF wins in each would give them enough seats to potentially form a government, and also knowing that the CHSF currently sits at about 48% in the polls, and would be unbeatable otherwise. CHSF party president Kevin Woods downplayed fears that a coalition candidate would be hard to beat, saying "We're ready. We'll be nominating soon, we'll have great candidates on the ground, we have a great party machine behind them. We're more organized than the Russian mafia."
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