Just about four months to the federal election and the news media can barely contain their excitement. Not since John Diefenbaker came out of the West like an avenging angel has an election been so fraught with possibilities. They have so many scenarios to write about. Change is in the air. Change is in all the Liberal and New Democrat speaking notes. The Conservatives just look worried.
And well they should. With two serious and challenging opposition parties poised to unseat them, the Conservatives should be questioning their strategy. They know that if the balance is maintained between the opposition parties, their majority could be safe. They can ill-afford any imbalance.
And, as for the media excitement, it is all a lot of B.S.
If you want to believe the media-instigated opinion polls, you can enjoy the delusions. They are not only wrong but they would be more accurate if done with Ouija boards. The only thing that can be determined by polling today is that the ill-considered Harper government is fading fast from the Canadian conscience.
The hand writing on the wall at their final feast in Ottawa says that the Conservatives have been found both wanting and wanton. They have taken Canadians for their last ride on the Tory tugboat. The smarter rats are deserting the ship. The lesser ones are clinging to the ship’s rail as it goes down. They have left Stephen Harper alone at the helm of a doomed ship.
And yet the media see this election as some type of weird dance—a sort of stand-up ménage-a-trois. They want to breathlessly announce which leader has assumed the Alpha male position for the week.
Yet the media all recognize that Stephen Harper is heading for a fall. His stony visage is better suited to a carving on a mountain than that of a living, breathing, warm person.
And what of that fusty little man who is so bravely leading the late Jack Layton’s Orange Wave back to oblivion? Canadians want a prime minister, not a prosecutor.
And that leaves the door open for young Justin Trudeau. And even if you do not think he is ready, he is still the best we have got.
But do you think the news media will be gracious about it when Justin is prime minister?
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Copyright 2015 © Peter Lowry
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