It worked once......... but maybe not this time

Do you think anyone in the Conservative party anticipated the fallout from Liberal candidate David Emerson crossing the floor to join them as a cabinet member? The Conservatives lambasted the Liberals in the previous election for making a turncoat out of Belinda Stronach, but they just pulled the exact same stunt with David Emerson when they won this election.

This time around though, a very vocal group is demanding that the guy runs again in a by-election. He refuses to do so. It's understandable why the electorate might be upset. They elected a Liberal. But it's no longer a Liberal representing them in Parliament. On the bright side, they do have the governing party representing them.

It worked out for Ms. Stronach - she got re-elected as a Liberal, even though she began her political life as a Conservative.

All of this points to the fact that there is an inherent flaw in our government in the way we elect people. Ask the average voter why they voted for the candidate they chose and the answers will vary. Some voted for the party, others - the person. I don't have a remedy for this, but it doesn't really seem like a bad idea to me for a governing (minority) party to look at everyone available for experience and expertise to add to their portfolio. Unfortunately, the current rules don't allow for that, but perhaps in future they could.

But for a party that wants to be taken seriously, the Conservatives don't seem to mind inviting someone into the fray that said upon being elected, "I'm going to be Stephen Harper's worst enemy. We're going to stir the pot and you better believe we are going to make a heck of a lot of noise." A lot of noise alright. A giant sucking sound.