Canada: Politics: Fed election shenanigans according to excellent politiblogger, Canadianna

It's great to see one of Canada's most dynamic political pundits back at her blog. Welcome back!, Canadianna (clickup her frontpage). I was missing her since she went on vacation, only to discover she'd already been posting for a while - it was my Blogrolling technology that was taking me to her last post before she went on what was actually a brief vacation / school-start hiatus (well, my BR technology is fixed! and I'm getting daily alerts from her postings). Well, our pundit seems quite rested and ready to have another extended round, especially regarding her forte - Canada's federal politics.

Recently Canadianna's come up with three opinions very much worth your attention:

1. "Why is a corrupt government suddenly a bad thing?," was the question she explored on Nov 10.

... [W]hy on earth is it suddenly so important for [the NDP's] Jack Layton to take the soap-box and claim moral superiority? If the Liberals aren't worth propping up now, it stands to reason they weren't six months ago. The Gomery report changed nothing. It is politically neutral. No one cares.

A trifle cynical? I find myself in agreement with this moment of cynicism regarding the Canadian electorate who, when push comes to shove seem to prefer sticking with a bunch of crooks, Canada's unnatural governing party.

I won't give away all her shimmering one-liners, provocations, and darn good sense in a realist mode.

2.) "I want an election, but..."

On November 14, she wrote with merciless candour:

Like many people, I'm sick of Liberal lies, excuses, utter incompetence, patronage, secrecy, scandalous indifference (to among other things-- veterans who didn't fill out the proper forms and have been unable to collect any benefits for sixty years because they are deemed 'never to have served'), and bribes (with our own money).

An election might rectify things, but I think not. I think they'll get a majority, but that's beside the point.

The 'united opposition' is trying to back Martin against a wall. They are trying to push him into making a mistake, but it's they who have blundered.

A zinger to be sure, dear reader, but don't stop with this single powerful quote from her complete blog entry for the day. And while your're at it, clickup her link to Political Staples where a Catholic political pundit of interest, works out the Liberal calender which projects an election at the end of Lent, April 10th. Such poor taste for a self-proclaimed Catholic Prime Minister who violates the Magisterium and who should therefore be excommunicated (in my opinion). Both Sunday-school teacher Canadianna (Protestant?, I speculate) and Greg Staples (Catholic) refer us to yet a third blogger at Sinister Thoughts, an NDP voice, indeed a sinistra (on the left) in italiano. But here, on a specific detail, an NDPer talks with utmost sanity and balance, and realism. On the other hand, not only Martin, but Layton too, seem to be doing a lot of foot shuffling about the timing of the upcoming campaign and vote, which (I agree with Canadianna) is six months overdue.

There's other good stuff in our lady's November 14 piece.

3.) On November 15 (yesterday), under the guise of claryifying the previous day's blog, she writes the powerful finale of this trilogy. "To clarify - I DO want an election." And in her text she adds: NOW!

As much as I have been following this (and I admit, it hasn't been with the rapt attention I had during the last session of the House) I have gathered that the opposition doesn't plan to call a confidence vote -- rather they plan to suggest the government commit suicide in January.

I have to say I'm with Martin on this one -- [the opposition parties should] have the guts to call a non-confidence vote and live with a Christmas election or leave it go with Martin making the call in February and live with an election date of March/April.

Yesterday's post (I want an election, but . . . ) was written with the understanding that the united opposition still has no plan to call a confidence vote. They are still banking on this wishy-washy un-binding motion. I wrote my post on Thursday -- Why is a corrupt government suddenly a bad thing? - because I believe that closing parliament with a whimper is the weak plan of an opposition that has less confidence in its own convictions than it does in this sham of a Liberal government -- and that is pathetic.

I DO want an election -- but I want it now.

And that's just her warm-up. - Politicarp