SECOND LEADERS' DEBATE 2005

The second debate last night, in English, was more or less a repeat of the boring first debate.

There were a few differences; none of any great importance. The moderator of the English debate was not as good as the moderator of the French debate. Besides talking too much she showed a muted but discernable favouritism for Mr. Martin. She let him speak as long as he wanted to, but she often cut the others off, especially Mr. Layton.

Mr. Harper was the most improved of the four. Mr. Duceppe was the most effective in some ways. He wasn't trying to win votes outside of Quebec so his job was a bit easier. Mr. Layton comes across as a man who probably would be a nice next-door neighbour. But nobody wants to vote for him. I think that he'd get more votes if he'd lose the mustache.

Overall, I suspect that Mr. Martin lost a little ground; Mr. Harper and Mr. Duceppe gained a little and Mr. Layton didn't move.

I really didn't care for the format of the so-called debate. It really wasn't a debate. There was no opportunity for rebuttal unless the moderator decided to allow it.

There appeared to be a definite attempt by the organizers of the debate to set up Mr. Harper for a fall by opening with the same-sex marriage question. Everybody, including the moderator got on Mr. Harper's case but I believe he won that exchange. Mr. Martin looked like a fool when he said, or implied that parliament doesn't have the right to make laws about same-sex marriage, because that's just what he did with Bill C-38 last fall.


This will be just about the end of politicing until after New Year's Day. Then we can expect the campaign to turn a bit more serious. Until now everybody (well, nearly everybody) has been so polite and calm that it's almost sickening.