Observation Of The Day

For a guy who says he doesn't want an election, our Prime Minster sure does mention it a lot, as he travels the country, handing out checks.

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Thought Of The Day

This was the year that threatened to put Canadians through the tedium of yet another federal election – the fourth in a five-year stretch. Smile, everyone. We avoided that as well. -- Lawrence Martin

As long as this remains the dominant notion in our politics, Harper wins. He knows that he can do what ever he wants as long as he keeps his base happy, so the polls stay roughly where they have been for five years. Harper gives the opposition two choices, back down or call an election. He knows that as long as the polls are stable and another minority is in the cards, the opposition will back down.

Harper has unlocked the secret to minority party rule, by an ideologically minority party -- no compromise, constantly stroking the base and daring the opposition to cause another "tedious" election. It is a fiendishly brilliant strategy, but dangerous for the country.

If Harper continues to get away with it, his methods will find their way into every party's toolbox. Also, if elections are seen as tedious, rather than as essential to our form of government, we risk becoming the first country to adopt dictatorship by ennui. Merry Christmas.

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I Will Believe It When The Writ Is Dropped

We have been here many, many times before. Color me doubtful. We have two months for the Tories to bombard the airwaves with anti-election (dare I say Coup II: Dion's Revenge) ads. More than enough time for the nervous nellies to put the brakes on Iggy. The greater the lead time the Liberals give the Tories, the less likely they are to pull the trigger. I am willing to be pleasantly surprised, but until they actually show up to vote against the government (yes, I wouldn't put it past them to pull a "We voted against the government with the 20 Liberals who bothered to show up"), I remain unimpressed.

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Full Calendar

Suddenly, 2010 is looking to be a very full year. Canada is hosting the Olympics, the G8 and now the Queen is coming for a sleepover. When will we find time for an election, with all of that going on?

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Just Thinking

Since Canada is to play host to the next G8 Summit, next June and the Olympics will be held next February, the window for a federal election before fall 2010 is very small indeed. The question is, will the opposition have the guts to pull the trigger this fall? If I had to guess, I would say Harper is safe until the end of next year, when other excuses will crop up and "no one" will want an election.

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Thank God There Was No Summer Election

Or we would have had this issue come out in the middle of it. Whew, we dodged a bullet there. Thanks Iggy!

Instant Update: Of course, Iggy (Hi, I'm Alberta's new best friend!) may not have wanted to cross swords with Harper over greenhouse gases -- carbon tax don't ya know. Iggy wants to forget it. Harper doesn't.

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