Smells Like Snap Election In The Morning

As was expected, an election was called on Sunday.  I'm sure I have a rant in me somewhere about this and the reasons for it, but at the moment I can't really work up the energy to form it into coherent thoughts.  (So bonus for you, I suppose.)

On the other hand, I did spot this story over on the Globe & Mail — Tories launch pre-dawn attack on Dion — which helps sum up my feelings regarding the run-up to the election and what I fear the campaign will be like.  Now admittedly, I'm just as likely to vote CPC in this election as I am Bloc Québécois.  (Which is to say: not going to happen.)  So it is possible that my own dislike is colouring how I view things.

On the other hand, the last sentence in the article — "However the party did not announce any plans of its own during the press conference." — pretty much says it all.  So far in the run-up we've been hearing from the CPC how Dion's plans are terrible, how one should not vote for Dion.  But at the same time, there's been no reason why "Don't vote Dion!" necessarily translates into "Vote CPC!" and not "Vote NDP!", "Vote Green!", or even "Vote Bloc!".  What are the CPC's plans should they form the government?  Search me.  Sure, there have been the election-style mailings for months of which I tend to receive one a week — never one from an MP in my province, oddly enough.  But they're just insubstantial platitudes and vague think-of-the-children! worrying (queue Mrs. Lovejoy here), combined with more-of-the-same (i.e.: anti-Dion attacks).  Nothing that says exactly what the CPC feels should be done on the issues, just that they feel Dion isn't the one to deal with them.

I'm reminded of a quote from another article before the election was called, where Harper was complaining that the opposition parties wouldn't meet with him and give their consent/dissent to the government's agenda.  Near the end was the following line: "Mr. Harper continued on Tuesday to avoid providing specifics about what items on his agenda he wants the opposition to agree to pass".

I think that about sums it up.