Our Ears Are Burning - March 31

Round-up of today's international coverage of the election.

Old warhorse Peter Worthington writing in younger warhorse David Frum's FrumForum, denounces the purchase of the F-35 fighter but chooses to somehow, mysteriously,  make it a criticism of Michael Ignatieff.

Will this be the sleeper issue of the election? The venerable online-casinos.com courageously calls Canada's online gaming laws "hazy" and notes the issue has not yet come up on the hustings.

Boyd Tonkin writing in the Independent seems to hope that Ignatieff will leave politics and return to writing.

In the Scotsman, David Martin sees Stephen Harper using the seal kill to further his electoral chances.

Law and Order vs. The Rule of Law

In a Globe & Mail op-ed piece today the argument is made that the Harper government is right in its quest for harsher sentencing guidelines and other tough-on-crime measures. In particular, the piece seems to suggest that the Conservative government is correct in reigning in recalcitrant and misguided courts, which are apparently in the habit of "erring on the side of criminals."

First, the author of the op-ed himself acknowledges that most experts in the field view as misguided the mandatory sentencing and other tough-on-crimes measures that are being advanced by the Conservatives. We agree.

Second, however, we would suggest that far more significant as an issue in this election is the question of the extent to which this government has exhibited a respect for the rule of law. Harsher criminal law measures may gain some popularity by pandering to the politics of fear, but government action that erodes and undermines the the rule of law is conduct that eats away at the very foundation of a democracy.

What do we mean exactly by the rule of law, and what actions has the government taken that could be argued to be inimical to the rule of law? We will be addressing those questions in a series of posts over the course of this campaign. So stay tuned! - CM.

Our Ears are Burning - March 30

We made the big time: the Colbert Report (clip wont be posted until tomorow a.m.)

And the small-time, Ballot Access picks up on the Greens exclusion from the debates.

Wall Street and Technology wonders if the election will scuttle the LSE-TSX merger.

-BC

A Modern Mackenzie King.

It is hard to argue against the suggestion that Stephen Harper deserves his majority. Despite the inherent limitations of a minority government, he has deftly managed not only to remain in power but also to deliver basically sound economic and social management of the country. After a six-year audition, should we not give him the job? Has he not earned it?

While the results are not yet in, of course, it would appear that there are still serious reservations about giving Harper the keys to the kingdom. Despite all his time in power and his tactical brilliance in remaining in power, even among his supporters he generates a certain ambivalence. For much of the rest of the populace, he remains a divisive figure and a spectre of far right ideology. 

But is that a fair assessment of his politics? Just how right wing is Harper? And what, if any, role does his ideological platform have in either maintaining his power or preventing him from acquiring the stability of a majority?

Politicizing Military Operations

It was reported Tuesday that the federal government has ordered military and diplomatic officials operating in Afghanistan to cease speaking to the media for the duration of the election campaign.  Presumably the Conservative Party is concerned that something may be said or some information may be disclosed that will either distract from the party's campaign messaging, or at worst attract criticism at a crucial time in the election. While at first blush this may not seem all that extraordinary, we at The Writ would suggest that this is both significant and entirely inappropriate.

It is improper because the military, and other officers of the Crown engaged in the business of furthering the national interest abroad, ought not to be co-opted by the governing party for the purpose of furthering its political agenda. There has to be a clear line separating the political operations of a party involved in an election, and the actions of the professional members of executive branch of government.

Our Ears are Burning - March 29

Today's round-up of the international media coverage of the election.

For the Mormon controlled Deseret News, the story up north is about how important families are to the parties in the election. Especially to the Conservatives.

The Ballot Access News has picked up on the exclusion of the Greens from the debates.

Lifesite.com notes that the anti-abortion activists are gearing up for the election.

Former Canadian David Frum's FrumForum praises the Conservatives for their effective ethnic outreach strategy.

SC Magazine, the go-to site for I.T. Security wonks, laments the second death of digital age copyright legislation on the order paper.

The Australian has an opinion piece on the erosion of democracy in Canada in advance of the no-confidence vote.

-BC

Our Ears Are Burning - March 28

Here's the daily round-up of international media coverage of the Canadian election.

The Wall Street Journal is mildly interested in the fact that the markets aren't mildly interested in the election at all.

For the Atlanta Journal-Constituition the big story is that Stephen Harper won't make William and Kate's wedding.

The good folk at LifeSiteNews.com have reason to celebrate. Apparently the "pro-homosexual bills that would have added gender expression and gender identity to the Human Rights Code died on the order paper with the calling of the election.

The Hindu wonders how Canadians will handle their first social media election.

SkyNews.au focuses in on Igantieff, recounting how the man with "bushy eyebrows and a stern glare" was wooed from Harvard to Canadian Politics but has yet to catch on with the voters.

In totally unrelated news but included only because of a shout out to the 1993 election, the Sydney Morning Herald compares the decimation of the labour government in New South Wales to the massacre of the Tories under Kim Campbell.

-BC