There is more evidence that Stephane Dion is not really in charge of his party anymore?Today's Hill Times contains an article reporting on scheduled meetings that Dion has made with top Liberal next month. The discussions will be about bringing down the Harper government, and triggering an election this fall . However, for an article supposedly about Liberal planning for an election, the topic quickly turns towards the question of how forces within the Liberal Party are already planning for a new leadership race.
An anonymous Liberal MP is quoted in the article as saying:
"The MP said he was surprised by the question, but also said it appears that Liberals have accepted that Stéphane Dion's presence at the top of the party is just a formality and that activities for positioning in anticipation of the leadership convention are becoming more and more evident."There you have it, Stephane Dion's position as Leader of the Liberal Party is merely a formality at this point.
Supporters of both the Ignatieff and Rae camps are now moving against one-another, trying to position their candidates for a leadership race. There might even be concerted attempts to wrestle control of the party apparatus away from Stephane Dion's people. Such would be the case if Alf Apps, a key Ignatieff strategist and organizer, is elected to the position of Liberal Party President.
The question now becomes: does Dion really want an election, or is he being forced into triggering one by factions within the Liberal Party? Those who just want the party to suffer an election loss so that a new leadership race can begin.
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