Ivory Tower Pundit: The First Up-Date

In the time since the Ivory Tower Pundit first started pontificating on December 24, 2008, 16 posts have been published. Readership has steadily increased with a total of almost 1400 page views and nearly 700 visits. The Pundit is grateful to those who have kindly indulged me to date. I hope you keep on visiting.

I thought it might be worthwhile to provide some up-dates on the prior postings. I have always found it frustrating to read about something but not to be told how things actually worked out in the end. So here goes - the first of my up-dates.

Several early postings dealt with Canada's "bizarre" democracy, based of course on the English parliamentary system of government. Of particular interest was the decision by Prime Minister Harper, with the backing of the Governor General, to suspend Parliament so that his government would avoid being defeated by a coalition of opposition parties. During the period of suspension, several interesting things transpired. The Prime Minister appointed 18 friendlies to sit in Canada's Senate. He also appointed a new Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, without any Parliamentary input. The Opposition leader, Stephane Dion, was thrown out of his leadership position by his Liberal Party. He was replaced by Michael Ignatieff, who became leader of the Liberal Party, Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition, and who, if 100 years of Canadian history is to be our guide, will eventually become Prime Minister of Canada. Ignatieff achieved this position by decision of the National Executive of the Liberal Party, without having to have been vetted or chosen by his party's membership after a proper leadership election contest and vote. (Remember Ignatieff ran for leader last time in a true contest - and lost.)

The new year dawned. Parliament resumed. The coalition, which had in December declared that it could not "trust" Prime Minister Harper, and would defeat his government when it brought down its budget, no matter what it contained, collapsed. The budget was passed. All of Michael Ignatieff's Liberals, except for six Liberals from Newfoundland and Labrador, voted for it. In another quaint feature of Canadian democracy, Michael Ignatieff "allowed" the six dissenting Members of Parliament to actually represent the interests of those constituents who voted for them, rather than beng forced to tow the party line. He gave them "one free pass"; no punishment this time around. (Compare this to the U.S. Congress, where the elected legislators are much freer to vote as they and their constituents see fit.)

So there it is. The Canadian saga goes out with a whimper. Ignatieff emerges as the big winner. Having achieved what he always wanted - to become the leader of the Party without having to earn it, he is content. All the rest are losers. Stephane Dion was treated abhorrently by his party and tossed out with nary a goodbye or thank you, the leader of the New Democratic Party, Jack Layton, looked as pathetic as usual, having lost his one and only chance to become part of a governing party, and Prime Minister Harper was forced to go begging to the Governor General to save his job.

My prediction - another 18 months or so of Canadian politics as usual, another election, and a probable Liberal party win.