Post by Sibboleth on Feb 22, 2014 17:45:56 GMT
It looks almost certain that a snap election will shortly be called in Quebec, as the minority PQ government feels it is in an election winning position. I feel like giving some context to chew over.
Of course the main thing to understand is that Quebec is a wonderful place, but its political life is atrocious.
Results of the 2012 election
Parti Québécois (PQ) - 31.9%, 54 seats
Parti libéral du Québec (PLQ) - 31.2%, 50 seats
Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) - 27.0%, 19 seats
Québec solidaire (QS) - 6.0%, 2 seats
Option nationale (ON) - 1.9%
The outgoing PLQ government of Jean Charest was defeated, largely due to heavy losses in non-Metropolitan Quebec including Charest's own seat of Sherbrooke.
Quebec's Charming Political Parties
Parti Québécois (PQ) - currently led by Pauline Marois, the PQ is a Québécois Nationalist party and also the province's social democratic party of record. It has never been terribly good at reconciling these things and since the resignation of the party's founder René Lévesque in 1985, has tended to heavily emphasise the former. It has an overwhelmingly Francophone and largely working class electorate. Péquiste governments have twice launched independence referendums: one that was heavily defeated in 1980, and one that they tried to rig their way to a narrow victory (but failed) in 1995. A perception exists that it is perhaps a bit of a party of pure laine Québécois for pure laine Québécois, and that it may be perhaps a tiny bit racist. This may be due to the PQ's penchant for culture war politics (c.f. Bill 101, though note that language is also traditional a class issue in Quebec: which is one reason why it's so poisonous a subject), or perhaps outbursts such as those of then Premier Jacques Parizeau who blamed the defeat of the 1995 referendum on "l'argent puis des votes ethniques" ('money and the ethnic vote'), by which he pretty obviously meant 'Jews and Darkies'. It might be worth noting that the signature policy of the Marois government is this. Le sigh.
Parti libéral du Québec (PLQ) - currently led by Phillipe Couillard and also known as the Quebec Liberal Party, the PLQ is a Canadian Nationalist ('Federalist') party and Quebec's natural party of government. It doesn't really stand for a lot else, which is probably why it is fantastically corrupt. It has members and voters all over the political map united largely by their dislike for the PQ. The party's base vote comes from minorities (most of which - wealthy Anglo's and working class Allo's both - trust Quebec's other parties precisely half the distance they can throw them. About the only exception to this are some immigrants from French speaking countries) and its great stronghold is the city of Montreal. The latter fact may also explain why the PLQ is fantastically corrupt. The PLQ has a very high electoral floor (see above) and also a very high electoral ceiling: under the right circumstances, a PLQ candidate can get elected just about everywhere in the province. The PLQ is also prone to leadership cultism, and PLQ electoral platforms and policies when in government mostly tend to reflect the personal views and priorities of whoever happens to be leading it (e.g. the Charest government was basically a Conservative one, because Charest is a Conservative). It must also be pointed out that the PLQ is fantastically corrupt.
Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) - the pointless personalist vehicle of former PQ minister François Legault. The party mostly stands for vacuous platitudes, though the sum total of such platitudes tend to level out as vaguely centre-right. The CAQ incorporates the remains of the ADQ (a queasy sub-Poujadist that became the official opposition before it was ready for prime time and which then proceeded to collapse hilariously) and its voter profile has some similarities: overwhelmingly Francophone, more affluent than average, and mostly suburban. But most of its support is best seen as a NOTA vote.
Québec solidaire - a ridiculous rabble of hard-left jokers who have achieved an unexpected degree of electoral credibility due to the comically dysfunctional nature of politics in Quebec. They are, of course, very much centered on Montreal. In Montreal they are, of course, very much centred on trendy areas north (but in Montreal terms east) of the city centre.
Past Results
From the 'Quiet Revolution' until the present anyway, no real point showing results during La Grande Noirceur. Highlighted elections show a change of government.
Seats
2012: PQ 54, PLQ 50, CAQ 19, QS 2
2008: PLQ 66, PQ 51, ADQ 7, QS 1
2007: PLQ 48, ADQ 41, PQ 36
2003: PLQ 76, PQ 44, ADQ 4
1998: PQ 75, PLQ 48, ADQ 1
1994: PQ 77, PLQ 47, ADQ 1
1989: PLQ 92, PQ 29, EP 4
1985: PLQ 99, PQ 23
1981: PQ 80, PLQ 42
1976: PQ 71, PLQ 26, UN 11, RC 1
1973: PLQ 102, PQ 6, RC 2
1970: PLQ 72, UN 17, RC 12, PQ 7
1966: UN 56, PLQ 50, Ind 2
1962: PLQ 63, UN 31, Ind 1
1960: PLQ 51, UN 43, Ind 1
Votes
2012: PQ 31.9, PLQ 31.2, CAQ 27.0, QS 6.0, ON 1.9
2008: PLQ 42.1, PQ 35.2, ADQ 16.4, QS 3.8, PVQ 2.2
2007: PLQ 33.1, ADQ 30.8, PQ 28.3, PVQ 3.8, QS 3.6
2003: PLQ 46.0, PQ 33.2, ADQ 18.2
1998: PLQ 43.5, PQ 42.9, ADQ 11.8
1994: PQ 44.7, PLQ 44.4, ADQ 6.5
1989: PLQ 49.9, PQ 40.2, EP 3.7, PVQ 2.0
1985: PLQ 56.0, PQ 38.7, NPDQ 2.4
1981: PQ 49.3, PLQ 46.1, UN 4.0
1976: PQ 41.4, PLQ 33.8, UN 18.2, RC 4.6
1973: PLQ 54.6, PQ 30.2, RC 9.9, UN 4.9
1970: PLQ 45.4, PQ 23.1, UN 19.6, RC 11.2
1966: PLQ 47.3, UN 40.3, RIN 5.5, RN 3.2
1962: PLQ 56.4, UN 42.1
1960: PLQ 51.4, UN 46.6
Of course the main thing to understand is that Quebec is a wonderful place, but its political life is atrocious.
Results of the 2012 election
Parti Québécois (PQ) - 31.9%, 54 seats
Parti libéral du Québec (PLQ) - 31.2%, 50 seats
Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) - 27.0%, 19 seats
Québec solidaire (QS) - 6.0%, 2 seats
Option nationale (ON) - 1.9%
The outgoing PLQ government of Jean Charest was defeated, largely due to heavy losses in non-Metropolitan Quebec including Charest's own seat of Sherbrooke.
Quebec's Charming Political Parties
Parti Québécois (PQ) - currently led by Pauline Marois, the PQ is a Québécois Nationalist party and also the province's social democratic party of record. It has never been terribly good at reconciling these things and since the resignation of the party's founder René Lévesque in 1985, has tended to heavily emphasise the former. It has an overwhelmingly Francophone and largely working class electorate. Péquiste governments have twice launched independence referendums: one that was heavily defeated in 1980, and one that they tried to rig their way to a narrow victory (but failed) in 1995. A perception exists that it is perhaps a bit of a party of pure laine Québécois for pure laine Québécois, and that it may be perhaps a tiny bit racist. This may be due to the PQ's penchant for culture war politics (c.f. Bill 101, though note that language is also traditional a class issue in Quebec: which is one reason why it's so poisonous a subject), or perhaps outbursts such as those of then Premier Jacques Parizeau who blamed the defeat of the 1995 referendum on "l'argent puis des votes ethniques" ('money and the ethnic vote'), by which he pretty obviously meant 'Jews and Darkies'. It might be worth noting that the signature policy of the Marois government is this. Le sigh.
Parti libéral du Québec (PLQ) - currently led by Phillipe Couillard and also known as the Quebec Liberal Party, the PLQ is a Canadian Nationalist ('Federalist') party and Quebec's natural party of government. It doesn't really stand for a lot else, which is probably why it is fantastically corrupt. It has members and voters all over the political map united largely by their dislike for the PQ. The party's base vote comes from minorities (most of which - wealthy Anglo's and working class Allo's both - trust Quebec's other parties precisely half the distance they can throw them. About the only exception to this are some immigrants from French speaking countries) and its great stronghold is the city of Montreal. The latter fact may also explain why the PLQ is fantastically corrupt. The PLQ has a very high electoral floor (see above) and also a very high electoral ceiling: under the right circumstances, a PLQ candidate can get elected just about everywhere in the province. The PLQ is also prone to leadership cultism, and PLQ electoral platforms and policies when in government mostly tend to reflect the personal views and priorities of whoever happens to be leading it (e.g. the Charest government was basically a Conservative one, because Charest is a Conservative). It must also be pointed out that the PLQ is fantastically corrupt.
Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) - the pointless personalist vehicle of former PQ minister François Legault. The party mostly stands for vacuous platitudes, though the sum total of such platitudes tend to level out as vaguely centre-right. The CAQ incorporates the remains of the ADQ (a queasy sub-Poujadist that became the official opposition before it was ready for prime time and which then proceeded to collapse hilariously) and its voter profile has some similarities: overwhelmingly Francophone, more affluent than average, and mostly suburban. But most of its support is best seen as a NOTA vote.
Québec solidaire - a ridiculous rabble of hard-left jokers who have achieved an unexpected degree of electoral credibility due to the comically dysfunctional nature of politics in Quebec. They are, of course, very much centered on Montreal. In Montreal they are, of course, very much centred on trendy areas north (but in Montreal terms east) of the city centre.
Past Results
From the 'Quiet Revolution' until the present anyway, no real point showing results during La Grande Noirceur. Highlighted elections show a change of government.
Seats
2012: PQ 54, PLQ 50, CAQ 19, QS 2
2008: PLQ 66, PQ 51, ADQ 7, QS 1
2007: PLQ 48, ADQ 41, PQ 36
2003: PLQ 76, PQ 44, ADQ 4
1998: PQ 75, PLQ 48, ADQ 1
1994: PQ 77, PLQ 47, ADQ 1
1989: PLQ 92, PQ 29, EP 4
1985: PLQ 99, PQ 23
1981: PQ 80, PLQ 42
1976: PQ 71, PLQ 26, UN 11, RC 1
1973: PLQ 102, PQ 6, RC 2
1970: PLQ 72, UN 17, RC 12, PQ 7
1966: UN 56, PLQ 50, Ind 2
1962: PLQ 63, UN 31, Ind 1
1960: PLQ 51, UN 43, Ind 1
Votes
2012: PQ 31.9, PLQ 31.2, CAQ 27.0, QS 6.0, ON 1.9
2008: PLQ 42.1, PQ 35.2, ADQ 16.4, QS 3.8, PVQ 2.2
2007: PLQ 33.1, ADQ 30.8, PQ 28.3, PVQ 3.8, QS 3.6
2003: PLQ 46.0, PQ 33.2, ADQ 18.2
1998: PLQ 43.5, PQ 42.9, ADQ 11.8
1994: PQ 44.7, PLQ 44.4, ADQ 6.5
1989: PLQ 49.9, PQ 40.2, EP 3.7, PVQ 2.0
1985: PLQ 56.0, PQ 38.7, NPDQ 2.4
1981: PQ 49.3, PLQ 46.1, UN 4.0
1976: PQ 41.4, PLQ 33.8, UN 18.2, RC 4.6
1973: PLQ 54.6, PQ 30.2, RC 9.9, UN 4.9
1970: PLQ 45.4, PQ 23.1, UN 19.6, RC 11.2
1966: PLQ 47.3, UN 40.3, RIN 5.5, RN 3.2
1962: PLQ 56.4, UN 42.1
1960: PLQ 51.4, UN 46.6
