Monday, December 01, 2008

Not unexpected

Really, if the GG is going to refuse the PM's dissolution request, it seems to follow that she'd be in the mood to refuse to prorogue, too. Apparently Bob Fife is reporting on CTV that Jean will refuse to allow Harper to "pull the fire alarm before his final exam", as one Liberal put it.

Five days ago Stephen Harper was a reinvigorated PM, using a recent election victory to lead a party whose acquiescence he had all but guaranteed. Funny thing how politics works.

The Hill Times has an article about how totally floored the Conservatives are over all this:
"It was a mistake, in my view, I don't know why he [Mr. Harper] did it? I think he grossly underestimated the opposition parties' reaction because he should have realized public subsidies is their [opposition parties] lifeblood. Now he may have to change his position but I don't know if he's going to do that," said one top Conservative source who added that the Conservatives were surprised by the opposition parties "furious response."

"All of us are surprised by this furious response. I never expected this to happen."
No kidding. The symmetry of all this really appeals to me, though: Harper uses the levers of state for nakedly political means for years, and it's only when the opposition learns to play ball as hard as Harper that they start to get respect.

It's like that anti-drug commercial with the befuddled Dad asking, "Where did you learn this stuff, anyway?" The opposition parties could be forgiven for replying, in one voice, "We learned it from you, okay! We learned from watching you!!!"

That said, part of my concerns over this coalition is that this represents a permanent escalation in the level of acceptable means in Canadian politics.

4 comments:

Steve Muhlberger said...

"That said, part of my concerns over this coalition is that this represents a permanent escalation in the level of acceptable means in Canadian politics."

?

This is what votes of confidence are for!

Imagine how much better the USA would be today if Bush had been turfed out after Katrina!

john said...

Agreed on Bush, but not everything that's constitutional is wise. Canadian legislatures all have the right to use the notwithstanding clause, and it's there for a reason. But it's mostly unthinkable these days that anyone would use it, for example, to ban gay marriage or abortion or what have you.

Similarly, until recently it was unthinkable that a minority coalition would unseat a newly-elected government. Yes, it was always a possibility, yes it's part of the constitution, but it's been unheard of until now.

It marks a change in how Parliament works in Ottawa, whatever the formalities were before now.

Steve Muhlberger said...

I am all in favor of anything that keeps a minority from acting like a majority.

Idealistic Pragmatist said...

I am all in favor of anything that keeps a minority from acting like a majority.

Yes. That.