Pierre Trudeau as a libertarian?

As it says on the tin. POD would be not studying under Laski but sticking with personalism and studying economics with someone a little more fiscally conservative around 1945-6. How would the ATL PET, ITTL a libertarian Liberal, develop a political career?
 
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archaeogeek

Banned
As it says on the tin. POD would be not studying under Laski but sticking with personalism and studying economics with someone a little more fiscally conservative around 1945-6. How would the ATL PET, ITTL a libertarian Tory, develop a political career?

A failed political career as a tory opposition backbencher with ideas which were at the time relatively irrelevant for the tories. That's if he's even electable in Quebec, a province which didn't really go tory federally, until Mulroney.
 
Given the anti-French attitudes of the PC Party, both their leader and their base, at the time, it seems better that he becomes a Liberal from the outset and works from there. Not exactly in keeping with his deeply ingrained non-conformism to join a party that screamed Establishment at the top of its lungs though.
 

Sachyriel

Banned
As it says on the tin. POD would be not studying under Laski but sticking with personalism and studying economics with someone a little more fiscally conservative around 1945-6. How would the ATL PET, ITTL a libertarian Tory, develop a political career?

I think his libertarian views might not get him higher than provincial, perhaps he has some that are ahead of him time for the nation. While he gets a great national rating, he doesn't succeed against the incumbent of his chosen seat, at least no the first time. If he tries again, I think he might get it.

Can you tell us someone else he might study under other than Laski?

Archaeo... you're being nice, I think. Keep it up. :p
 

Sachyriel

Banned
Given the anti-French attitudes of the PC Party, both their leader and their base, at the time, it seems better that he becomes a Liberal from the outset and works from there. Not exactly in keeping with his deeply ingrained non-conformism to join a party that screamed Establishment at the top of its lungs though.

Wait you want him to be a libertarian liberal? :confused: I thought you'd have him switching over to the Conservatives to be a Libertarian with a serious shot at being elected. :eek:
 
I'll have to dig around a bit. The Nemnis don't mention alternate possibilities and the John English books haven't yet arrived in my mailbox. Part of the reason I thought of this is "what better way to thumb one's nose at the corporatist, collectivist consensus of the province in that era than becoming a libertarian?" Fits well into his nonconformism and contrarianism.
 
Wait you want him to be a libertarian liberal? :confused: I thought you'd have him switching over to the Conservatives to be a Libertarian with a serious shot at being elected. :eek:

A French-Canadian rising high in the PC ranks in that era is basically ASB, which is why I dropped that from the OP.
 
Indeed - even Mulroney was difficult and he was merely irish.

Given how Diefenbaker treated Balcer and Sevigny... small wonder even French-Canadians who might have been interested would stay away. A party of Bay Street elites that hated all non-WASPs until Stanfield put the "P" in the "PC" vis-a-vis social issues.

Here's what I think his views might be ITTL...

Social: same as OTL. Religious beliefs have no effect on public social policy. Perhaps legalization of soft drugs? A more defendant-friendly legal system.

Economic: balanced budgets, low taxes, free trade, that's about it given the postwar consensus' ideological boundaries.

Federal-provincial: problem is how to resolve his loathing of ethnic nationalism with keeping the federation decentralized.

Foreign policy: ?
 
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