RIGHT NOW: The LINE LIVE on Trudeau resigning, sort of, eventually
So. That was quite the Monday, eh?
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Watching Jen's comments on how in a parliamentary system, it's the elected MPs making up the party caucus that should choose the party leader (as in Australia), as opposed to having a US-style presidential primary race bolted on top. I think that's exactly right. Dale Smith talks about this in "The Unbroken Machine."
The Liberal Party ended up with a US-style gridlock between two sides, both elected: Trudeau (elected leader by the Liberal membership at large) and the Liberal caucus. As in the US when there's gridlock, the result is paralysis and drift.
Politicians are just people: you can't rely on them to make the correct decision all the time. Sometimes you need to replace the leader even if they don't want to go.
I think Trudeau and his advisors took the wrong lesson from the Chretien-Martin succession. Their conclusion was that the top priority was preventing intraparty conflict. I think the actual lesson is that you need an institutional mechanism (like the Australian leadership spill or Michael Chong's Reform Act) to remove a leader, so that it's quick and decisive instead of a protracted and messy power struggle. Ultimately, you can't lead if nobody's willing to follow. All Trudeau could do was delay the inevitable, making it uglier and more painful for everyone.
I'm looking forward to getting back to the trade war.
A smart man. He agrees with both women