The Fed Libs have the Yuan - Loh nomination mess and the Conservatives have the Lalli - Grewal stand off.

In each party, small groups in positions of power control the process and manipulate it to serve their particular political agenda. Of course the Conservatives will reject Lalli's appeal and the Liberals will reject Loh's appeal.

A great day for openness and transparency in Canada's two largest political parties. Is it any wonder that the general public looks with disdain on the antics of back room operators and place such little trust in those who hold elected office? Shame on all those involved - a curse on both their houses!

Nominations are always a mess in a democratic process. The same thing that is meant to keep them open make them able to be "hijacked"-membership sign ups. I do not beleive Lalli will be successful. He worked hard got good press but he unfortunately fell victim to politics within politics. Keep your chin up Lalli you are young and have a long future ahead of you. I would just choose a different campaign team.

Lalli is a crying baby and so is Mason. Come on, if you've got the balls to be in the race, you gotta be able to take a loss.

The problem was not Lalli's team - in fact the people I spoke to give all the credit to Lalli himself. He was the one who knocked on doors, (he even knocked on my cousin's door), went to event after event. What was refreshing was the fact that he did not have an organization - he built his support the old fashioned way, from the ground up.

As for being a "crying baby" - well the point is, he did not lose. The local Party executive disqualified him and then did not even have the decency to tell him why he was disqualified.

The front page picture of Paul Lalli in the Saturday Surrey Now Newspaper said it all - a hardworking guy who wanted and deserved nothing more than a fair and open nomination meeting.

The article did reference that local riding nomination chair Travis Trost would not return calls. Well, Mr. Trost, whoever he may be, would do well to come forward and explain why a Party which spent so much time criticizing the Federal Liberals for manipulating nomination meetings and for being undemocratic, has turned out to be no better!

Since Alex T and Chris Gardner were Lalli's team, he cannot try to sell himself as the poor little individual oppressed by the system.

Drover it does take a team to get organized for a nomination. I just want to know why Garnder and Metcaff now not standing with Lalli. If they had done their homework Lalli would not have been "hurt" they would have anticipated the parties reaction.

These CPC party activists do not care about finding the right person... they care about keeping their person in so they stay close to the inside. The public's interest and their interest have very little in common.

Sadly, the principle reason the public does not get involved in politics is the first thing they encounter if they try to get involved is these party activists who simply want power at any cost. Few normal Canadians can tolerate them and their rules-be-damned approached to democracy. Accordingly, balanced talented people stay away from the CPC. That is why the CPC has so much dead wood hot heads in parliment. And, that is why Steve Harper's team is in court over the $150,000 promised to a nominee to stand down for the Adscam informant to take his place...

Most other parties debate what will win i.e. what the public wants... CPC party activists argue what they want.

Borys or sorry Eugene, for a guy who quit the Conservatives a while back you sure are consumed by the party. You talk so much about them that you remind me of Glen Keeley - the guy who stood outside Parliament Hill protesting the corrupt Mulroney government of the day.

If you referring to yourself as balanced and talented, you are sadly mistaken based on you rants on this site. The interest of Canadians are the same as the CPC. How would you know that the CPC is not. You are not been a member of the CPC anymore.

Neo Con writes: "You talk so much about them that you remind me of Glen Keeley - the guy who stood outside Parliament Hill protesting the corrupt Mulroney government of the day. "

Eugene Parks responds: now you are catching on!

Day and Kenny supporting and speaking at an officially banned terrorist group's rally (photos and speaches available), Steve Harper's team promsing $150,000 to an elected candidate to stand down, CPC failing to declare $2 million in gate fees and cheque-swappoing, untendered military contracts, Steve Harper calling bombing Canadian civilians and a Candian UN worker a measured response, a lumber deal that no one can see the final wording to... gosh... its been barely six months.

Boris,

Tell us what it is like being a candidate. Give us the secrets on how to win a nomination meeting and election. Share your personal experiences with everyone

lol, unfounded allegations Eugene, secret agenda this secret agenda that. How has that helped you?

Neo Con, let me tell you how to win a nomination,

1) get cash from mutli-millionaires subsidized by the government to keep the trend alive,
2) recruit people from left and right by promising them seats in the cabinet, and
3) appoint them to different ridings and tell others to shut up.

How come we never did that you say? It is because we are a party of honesty and integrity, unlike the liberals (and Paul Martin who? )

Well? Did he win the appeal?

FHK... public fact:

1. Jason Kenny and Stockwell Day both spoke to and supported a banned terrorist group and greeted the group on behalf of Steve Harper and the conservative govenment... now a matter of public record.

2. The untendered military contracts are now a matter of public record.

3. Not letting the lumber industry see the final agreement that they are "agreeing" to is public fact

4. The lawsuit over the $150,000 for stepping aside in South Ottawa is public fact

5. The undeclared ~$2 million in gate fees is public fact.

6. Steve Harper firing 4 press secretaries in a year is public fact (The man cannot get along with anyone).

7. Steve Harper not standing up for Canadian civilians killed is public fact

8. Exchanging $15 billion in militarization for the healtcare wait-time campaign promise is now public fact.

9. Saying no to aborignals and the government universally agreed to Kelowna Accords is now public fact

... all on the record and public fact.

Well in terms of Lalli's team - no on I speak to in Surrey ever saw any of them on the ground with Lalli during the past few months. At every event, it was Lalli with his new faces running around handing out brochures and stickers.

It is not like Nina Grewal's team "won" anything - unfortunately, unless the appeal succeeds, we will never know whether Lalli or Grewal would have won a fairly run nomination meeting.

If Metcalfe was supporting Lalli, then the message is clear - even Metcalfe does not have much influence in Ottawa. The article in the Surrey Now (www.thenownewspaper.com) does make reference to an Alex Tsakumis being Lalli's campaign chair.

On this note, I do think Lalli should have chosen someone more appropriate. Tsakumis left the Vancouver NPA and is now likely looking for a new home.

In any event, Lalli's team was of little consequence given that the Conservative Party disqualified him without giving him a reason. Bizarre and absurd to say the least.

public fact:

You ran for the nomination for the CPC in Victoria - lost, lol destroyed to Logan Wenham

Been sour grapes ever since...

Happy to blame the CPC but not yourself...

Person without a party like your hero - Joe Clark

Drover Johnson writes, "In any event, Lalli's team was of little consequence given that the Conservative Party disqualified him without giving him a reason. Bizarre and absurd to say the least."

And they will not give it a second thought. To head office Calgary, BC is the wacky left with too few seats to think about seriously. Harper wants the BLOC to hold up his government until the CPC gets election refund money back and the polls are right. Then Harper needs the Toronto and Montreal vote. Your nomination race is not even an a sigh to Steve Harper.

PS: election refund money may be slow in coming for the CPC because of donation-gate... Kingsley is under no obligation to certify the returns so long as outstanding questions remain.

Boris AKA Eugene

Would using baloons and lollypop signs made difference, I definitely think so!!!!

NeoCon (a.k.a. Arnold Zipple) writes, "Boris AKA Eugene...Would using baloons and lollypop signs made difference, I definitely think so!!!!"

dunno, don't care... I'm not a Harper conservative.

BTW, what's with the Boris thing... are you making some sort of racial comment or something? What are you trying to say?