Yesterday’s surprise about-face by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and NDP leader Jack Layton on the debate issue was not surprising given the uproar that resulted from their refusal to debate the articulate and knowledgeable Green Party Leader, Elizabeth May.
From nasty facebook messages on NDP pages vowing not to vote for Mr. Layton because of his refusal, to endless questions for the PM and Liberal Leader Stephan Dion about the issue, I think it was a defining moment in the first week of the election.
Elizabeth May got more media coverage out of the Tories and NDP’s refusal to include her in the debate on the issues, than any press release or news conference she could have planned. The fact that as a legitimate national party leader with candidates running in 306 ridings, Ms. May had her honest bid to be part of the political dialogue rebuffed by what many voters see as the old boys club was seen as a slap in the face to democracy.
For my part, I supported Ms. May’s bid to take part in the debate and wrote a letter on Monday to the television consortium expressing those thoughts. I was at Creamery Square in Tatamagouche today and many expressed their support for Ms. May and their disgust at the the Prime Minister and the NDP for their initial stance on the televised debates. By the way, if you have a chance to visit Creamy Square do it. It is a wonderful place. http://www.centralnovascotia.com/members/creamerysquare/
As for the debate, yesterday’s about-face was good news for democracy.
No comments:
Post a Comment