Turncoat David Emerson, A Political Journeyman and Bounder of the Week.

David Emerson, former chair of the Vancouver International Airport Authority, stunned the country on Monday as the former Liberal cabinet minister is staying in cabinet-as a Conservative.

The people of Vancouver, who not only voted for the man, but also financed his campaign, were staunchly opposed to nearly all of the Conservative agenda. You see, the agenda (with a capital 'A') that was being presented by the conservatives flies directly in the face of many of the values that that particular area holds dear and incorruptable. Like a good many East-Coasters, they are socially democratic, lax on pot, easy-going towards gay marriage and racially mixed and religiously flexible. They are wary of hawkinsh politics and are concerned about the environment. The Liberals may not be all those things, but they have the willingness to explore the issues and take tenative steps towards a good many social reforms. The Cons are not. They will put gay marriage to a vote in commons, bring Christian religious ideals back to the political table, will scrap the child care act and have expressed a desire to back out of the Kyoto accord. This, is not what they voted for in Vancouver.

Mere days after the vote, the elected Liberal minister, David Emerson, defected his party. He left his constituency looking for answers, wounded to the core. They had effectively been taken for a ride, their contributions spent... Paid for one thing, got another. On CBC radio this morning, Emerson offered no apology, reiterating he can do more from within than without... which is bunk politics at best. No one person can sway an entire party's politics, unless they are leader.

...And he is definitely not leader, but a follower of the worst kind, the kind that shrugs their shoulders at decency and ethic and pisses in the pond with all the other bullies. A by-election should be held and the vote repealed. If they wanted a Conservative MP, they would have damn well voted for one.

Remove the bastard.