Wednesday, December 03, 2008

Too Partisan or not to Partisan?

Well, now. After tonight's most delicious performance by Stephane Dion, what can we say? The Corgis have decided that at this point there is probably no good outcome here for the Liberal Party.

Watercooler conversation and Facebook numbers point to most ordinary Canadians not being too happy with the proposed Coalition of the Swilling, and Dion's performance tonight won't have done much to change that. It's no secret that many Liberals are unhappy about climbing into bed with Duceppe (who wouldn't be?) and indeed the first public defection has just occurred, with Guelph MP Frank Valeriote saying he would rather see cooperation with the government than coalition with the Bloc.

If they win power, those rumblings won't take long to turn into enough defections and unhappiness for them to lose it again, and we'd be back to the polls - either just before or just after a new Liberal leader arrives on the scene. That leader won't be able to put any distance between himself and the coalition, and will wear the public's reaction. The economy will be tanking, nothing will have been achieved and the resulting election will make the Liberals wish they'd held onto the seats they did win this time around.

They can't back down now without wearing the same 'no balls at all' kind of tag that lost Dion the election last time around.

And if they lose this bid for power, let's say by Harper suspending the House until next January and bringing in a budget that contains enough concessions to woo the wavering federalists in Liberal and NDP ranks, then they'll be wearing having put the country through this crisis for nothing.

I have to say, with a partisan hat on, I think they should be allowed to take power and destroy themselves at this point. That would be the worst outcome for the Liberals. Unfortunately they'd take Canada down the drain with them. So perhaps Dion has one thing right. Maybe this isn't the time for partisanship.