Why is Shelly Glover a Conservative?
That's a serious question.
I don't mean why is Shelly Glover herself Conservative -- I assume she has her reasons and that's fine -- I mean, why do we Liberals not have more people like her in our Party?
Someone with Ms Glover's history would bring a wealth of valuable expertise. Imagine what insight and credibility she can bring to social justice issues.
But she is a Conservative.
And my sense is that police (as a group) feel out of place in the Liberal Party. Doctors, lawyers, teachers blend but police, well, not so much. We don't welcome police as a group -- at least not the same way we welcome, say, social workers.
That's a problem because police are (1) doing a tough and necessary job and (2) have a far better understanding of the criminal justice system than anyone else (yes, better than lawyers). We need their input.
What's more, if we are to be a broadly based Party of the people as a whole we need to be open to all.
Being inclusive includes including police, hunters, farmers, evangelicals and small business people. Hunters and farmers care about the environment. Evangelicals care about poverty. Police care about justice. Small business people care about jobs. And they all care about Canada.
Some believe the police are biased and unfair to accused -- and I admit there is a risk of police being jaded -- but gosh defence lawyers are not totally free of biases. Some police sound like angry talk radio announcers -- but every group has its wingnuts.
And my dealings with police usually disclose a world view far more open to Liberal values than we Liberals typically assume.
Police see that prisons are not the panacea the Conservatives suggest. They know criminals are
more likely mad than bad. And ask a cop what they think about the "war on drugs" -- they are totally realistic.
We need more police -- in the Liberal Party.
Hard-nosed 'cop' rises fast in Conservative caucus
Winnipeg police officer and MP Shelly Glover is one of few women on PM's team who quickly earned enough trust to carry Tory ball in public
Jennifer Ditchburn
Ottawa— The Canadian Press
Shelly Glover wouldn't be the one throwing a hissy fit at an airport; she'd be the one hauling someone's butt into the station for not obeying the rules.
The police officer-turned-MP had to be a tough customer dealing with crack addicts and gang members in downtown Winnipeg. Now her plainspoken, hardnosed style is fitting in quite nicely within the Conservative caucus.
Ms. Glover has become a go-to-woman on law-and-order issues when a bilingual speaker is in demand, and when someone is needed to crack some opposition heads on TV or in committee.
20 comments:
Police care about building more prisons, and removing rights from prisoners, because that makes their jobs easier.
Evangelicals are not interested in poverty. They are interested in having the state force pregnant women give birth against their will, and judging groups that think differently than they as Sinners (that is, organized feminists and gay rights activists).
Farmers most decidedly do NOT care about the environment. Acres and acres of wetlands are plowed up every day to get a couple more tenths of a hectare to sow a crop on. Most of them continue to, year after year, dump ROUNDUP (have you ever read the label on that stuff?) on crops that we eventually eat, and onto land that drains into our water supplies. They want the right to continue to do that so they can keep farming the way that they do.
Those are the folks who generally see one answer, the most obvious, and cant or wont acknowledge that there are multiple factors to low wheat prices, and increases in gang membership, but acknowledging that "common sense" can't cure everything is something that they aren't in the mood to do, so they gravitate to the party that offers quick and easy.
Yeah, the Liberal Party needs more idiots.
The only good thing about Glover is that she is pro-choice.
Otherwise, she's a partisan dolt. She dismisses StatsCan on crime rates. She knows better. She said that Liberals are soft on crime because criminals vote Liberal, while cops vote Conservative. And, oh yeah, she got herself in a heap of trouble by trying to distribute something (water-bottles?) to schools in her riding with the Conservative logo on them.
Idiot. You do not need more idiots.
I'd say the Liberals have enough idiots. Need proof? Just read the previous comments.
Their seems to be genuine anger out there that Canadians have rejected this party.
"We will tell you what is right." should be the Liberals next campaign phrase.
for proof of idiots outside of the Liberal party see above comment by Anonymous Coward @ 6:48
I seems to have struck a nerve or two. Let me focus on one point only -- evangelicals. I am most assuredly not evangelical -- and I disagree with much of what is evangelical theology. But I recognize there is a real and genuine concern for social justice and making sure that the poorest are not ignored. That's real and I can, and have, made common cause with evangelicals on poverty issues. We, as Liberals, lose much if we say no to people because we don't like the way they pray or the way they live -- heck, I assume many would not like the way I pray (or don't) and the way I live. Let's try to bring people into the Party where we have common goals. That's really all I am saying.
I seems to have struck a nerve or two. Let me focus on one point only -- evangelicals. I am most assuredly not evangelical -- and I disagree with much of what is evangelical theology. But I recognize there is a real and genuine concern for social justice and making sure that the poorest are not ignored. That's real and I can, and have, made common cause with evangelicals on poverty issues. We, as Liberals, lose much if we say no to people because we don't like the way they pray or the way they live -- heck, I assume many would not like the way I pray (or don't) and the way I live. Let's try to bring people into the Party where we have common goals. That's really all I am saying.
Glover is a fool yes but Mort's point isn't a bad one. If the Liberal Party is just Bay Street banker/lawyer/fatcats allied with some hippy dippy lefties added to give a flavor of popularism, we might as well call it Conservative Canada. The Liberal Party has to reach out to soccer moms and people who read the Sun. Otherwise forget it. Remember, every vote has the same value and Stevie is happy if people vote for him because they think Iggy is just ivory tower.
More cops? Ya. Stripper cops.
That is what the liberal party needs. Call it a surprise party. Ya baby
More cops? Ya. Stripper cops.
That is what the liberal party needs. Call it a surprise party. Ya baby
More cops? Ya. Stripper cops.
That is what the liberal party needs. Call it a surprise party. Ya baby
I do not agree the liberal party does not appeal to cops. There are a lot of cops who are concerned about restorative justice issues who recognize how useless this current government is when it comes to fighting crime. I know this because I meet them, I sit on committees with them, and I hear what they have to say.
No, the real problem is that people who are on the front lines know how screwed up decision makers are. They do not like management and they do not like politicians.
Shelly Glover is a politician. I would guess she has very little in common with the police who are out there on the front lines actually accomplishing things.
She didn't even know who Tom Flanagan was and she shat on Stats Can data while pumping her own.....sorry, we don't need fools like this.
Glover claims to speak for the police.
I live in a small town and therefore know some cops and one girlfriend is an OPP officer. She says Glover "does not" speak for her or any of the police. She has not been told, elected, appointed, etc. to do so. They all don't agree with her views.
Being tough doesn't mean being smart, it just means being tough.
Being a police officer does not make for an expert on law.
Liberals have lawyers, doctors, business people, professors, astronauts, etc. Pretty good coverage.
It is truly unfortunate that most of your readers missed the point of your article. The House of Commons if for a wide variety of commoners with expertise on different issues. All parties should be inclusive so that they represent the issues effectively. I am a police officer and can assure you that Glover does represent the truth about policing and crime rates. Academics dont know the truth.
Stats are in fact skewed. We work the street and we see the issues. We are the data collectors and we know that the system is broken including how they calculate the stats. For example, the missing and murdered aboriginal women dont fit into a category of a crime so most are not counted even though we know that foul play is afoot for many. Anyways, i think your comments were good and its unfortunate that yor readers attack this policewoman and spread partisan crap about her when she has as much right to her opinions as anyone. Even more so on crime issues cause she has lived and breathed it. A little credit would go a long way if only partisanship didnt interfere. The Liberals do need cops just as much as anyone else.
Oh dear lord. You agree with Glover. Good for you, but you don't speak for all police officers any more than she does.
No one disagrees crime is bad. What we disagree with is the notion that it is getting worse (it isn't), and that this government is proposing measures that will reduce crime.
Lots of cops support the liberals and the NDP. I know it, and you know it too.
Nice try though, anonymous cop person.
Based on the comments your from your fellow party members, I'd ask why you stay in the Liberal party. I agree that a party of the people, for the people has to include all the people, and this should have been brought up at the 150 lobbyist convention...
"I agree that a party of the people, for the people has to include all the people..."
And it does.
The blog owner talks of ways to expand the coalition beyond the echo chamber of left-Liberals, and everybody shoots him down by sounding extremely elitist and "smarter-than-thou".
I don't particularly like cops (having had a few negative experiences with them), and the responses here had me sympathizing with them a little bit.
Thanks to everyone for coming in on this debate (well, Yababy not so much!). My point isn't that Glover is right but rather we need to ensure that the Party is welcoming to everyone -- and yes there are police in the Liberal Party, just as there are hunters, a evangelicals and others. But we need to make them, and their life experiences, more welcome. Nuff said by me!!!
James, I don't disagree with you but the Liberals have had police officers and RCMP officers as candidates the last two elections. I remember an RCMP officer running somewhere near Edmonton in either the 2006 or 2008 election (I can't remember which one) and we had the Regina Police chief run for us in the 2008 election so we do have cops as candidates but unfortunately, none of them got elected. As for Evangelicals, I also don't disagree with you but we already have a few Evangelical MPs including John McKay.
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