And the defections continue...

Conservative defections that is. Not only among those close to Harper, but in the population at large. Jay Currie, a Conservative blogger published this very astute post on why Harper has already lost the next election. And he's right too.

The idea underlying the current CPC is that the libertarian and socon elements (as well as the "progressives") could unite in their desire to defeat the Liberals. It turns out that they can't. Nor is there much chance of the urban and the rural strains of conservatism meeting halfway in somesort of ideological suburb.

He's spot on here. Canadians won't vote for social conservatives. Or not enough of them anyway. (There's always a few like this guy.) Canadians don't like the rhetoric, and they DO like the Charter. Harper, given his virulent outbursts on this, and his promise to revisit the issue is heading in exactly the wrong direction. It might play in the States, but not here.

On the other hand, Canadians might vote for a party made up of fiscal conservatives (see: Common Sense Revolution), even if they are socially progressive. But since the Progressive Conservatives disappeared, they don't seem to have any outlet for that but the Liberals, who have been clever enough to stake out that ground in their absence. How ironic-- seems like the ProgCons should of held out afterall.

I bet Peter Mackay is just sick about this.