Posted: Mon Jun 06, 2011 9:22 pm
Both Harper and Layton seem to be getting what they want out of the current media coverage, I would bet. Even Rae and May (oh crap, those rhyme, horrible future political cartoons ahoy) sort of get what they want.
Layton gets the spotlight to voice his outrage and whip his supporters into a frenzy over things. Whether or not it makes the Conservatives malleable (by naming and shaming decisions and getting the public behind it) is beyond the point, and would be a nice side dish to the main course of making sure he gets as much media attention as possible. It allows him to get word out and spend a much longer period of time numerating NDP party platforms and getting the public's eye. Besides which, I doubt those who voted for him would be happy if he sat there all quiet. While he may be somewhat impotent at the moment, he is making sure it's not a quiet impotence. This is kind of dependant on them not screwing it up with unneeded partisan comments (or assuming he's in a position of power comparable to the Liberals last election), so I hope he doesn't.
Harper gets the media off his back, and can govern without having to look at the front page of the nearest newspaper to see how it's all happening from someone else's point of view. It takes the heat off the party while they restructure and prepare for future Parliament sessions, and handle the after-effects of an election, one which did result in the loss of some fairly important Conservative Party members. Rocking the boat so soon into a government can be damaging over the long-term as a first impression. Playing steady is only better with a lack of media criticism. The more attention on Layton, the less attention on Harper. The less attention on Harper, the more stable his government appears to be, underlying his own positions of his party. Harper's dislike of how the media handle things is well known anyways, so I'm sure it's a bonus for him right there. This depends on Harper not rocking the boat and staying steady, so I hope he doesn't.
Rae can take his party and take a break, instead of having to voice dislike or being the first voice of dissent people go to for opinions, especially the media. While the NDP fight the Conservatives and take the heat for doing so, Rae and what remains of the party can take the time to rebuild into a functionable, viable party to represent Canadians without having to fight the same running fight Ignatieff had to do. As Ignatieff demonstrated, playing the official oppisition, being in a constant state of election (it could happen at any moment!) and rebuilding a party which had been melting for half a decade or more was an impossiblity even the most skilled politician could have failed at. Taking the time to build the party up right should be a party priority. This depends on them not using old names and trying to bring the party back into relevancy too soon, so I hope Rae doesn't.
Final one is May. While a louder Layton means a quieter May (as much as what makes it through the media to us), May also can latch on to the NDP opinion and add the Green's support, providing them both time in the newspaper and a sense that the Green actually matter on a national scale. May making the NDP analagous to some Green positions may help drag them onto the playing field a bit more and instill a sense of relevance in Green party supporters, which would cement her base. This depends on her representing her party as something other than a one-issue party with a moderated platform on other topics, which I hope May does.
Just my highly uneducated opinion.
CKA Super Elite 
