24 Jul Quote of the day

Tom Flanagan, the University of Calgary political scientist who once served as Stephen Harper’s chief of staff and who has a long history in the Reform, Canadian Alliance, and Conservative parties, tells Meagan Fitzpatrick of Postmedia News he is puzzled by the government’s decision on the census:

It’s just never been an issue in the Conservative movement. It just literally comes out of nowhere as far as I can see… I think it was an exercise in bad government to suddenly spring this on the public without any previous discussion, no consultation at all. You don’t deal with the public that way in a democracy….

They are alienating a lot of people who have supported the government and would like to continue supporting the government, people who are fundamentally Conservatives but see this as just bad government,” said Flanagan. “It’s not clear to me what they’re going to pick up from this politically and they’re irritating a lot of people who would like to be their friends.

I would go further. Like the Fall 2008 mini-budget and the savage attacks on diplomat Richard Colvin, the census debacle reinforces quiet doubts among middle-of-the-road Canadians about the course Harper will chart if they are ever imprudent enough to give him a majority.

Or to put it another way, if Frank McKenna were their leader, the Liberals would be over 50% in the polls, not under 24%.