I know this is supposed to be an art blog but Canadian politics are impossible to push aside right now. After appearing at rallies this weekend, which included supporters like celeb Feist, Liberal leader Dion has rushed to step down from the party leadership.
Now, Dion was supposed to step down in the spring when a leadership convention was slated. On the one hand, I can see how the party wants to up its rep with snowmobilin' Canadians by getting an alpha-er male like Michael Ignatieff into leadership position. (For the record, Iggy irks me with his Ivy League condescension and desire to rush into the Iraq war. Having a chin doesn't necessarily make one a strong leader, you phrenology-lovin political advisors!)
Yet I don't see how this move can engender anything but cynicism from voters who both supported and ignored the Liberal party.
First, when Dion led the lowest-ever results for a Liberal party in a federal election, his MPs said, well, we have a process for reviewing his leadership, and we'll do that. He's not gone yet.
Then they did pressure him to resign early, process or no process, so that they could vote on a new party leader.
Now they have pressured him to resign earlier than forseen, and looks like they could forsake a party vote altogether for a panicked off the cuff choice.
Which, I'm sorry guys, all really looks as undemocratic to me as Harper locking the parliament doors for eight weeks--at a time of national economic crisis, no less.
Liberal party strategists: Whether you want Dion gone or not, you must keep in mind that the more you do the whole "do as I say, not as I do thing" the worse it will come back to bite your ass in the future. At least with now-disenchanted lefty voters like me.
Hopefully by the time the girl in this picture has reached the age to vote, things will have changed.
In the meantime, I'm up for some good old "Let it Die."
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