This Week in Asinine Punditry

Did you know Stephen Harper hates women? Heather Mallick explains/makes stuff up.

Many pundits have read something sinister into the Conservatives’ less-than-open campaigning style, but the Toronto Star’s Heather Mallick takes the accusations to a whole new level. The prime minister only takes five media questions at every event, which Mallick thinks is not only undemocratic, but discriminatory. “What struck me – and as a woman, I’m programmed this way – was that when the questions were shouted, only the guys with the loudest voices were heard,” she complains. “I have never seen a political leader who disliked women more.” That’s odd, because we can think of one or two.

Aside from completely ignoring the fact that the prime minister is in no way responsible for the differing strength of men's and women’s voice boxes, it appears Mallick hasn’t been paying attention. Think what you will about the five-question rule, it hasn’t resulted in some sort of media free-for-all. Most journalists are reasonable people, and at campaign stops they usually sort out amongst themselves which questions they collectively want asked, usually two in English, two and French, and one from local media. Perhaps female reporters are marginalized in this process, but why Mallick think that’s Harper’s fault or his intention is beyond us.

“While they still publicly deny the creation of a Liberal-NDP-Bloc coalition,” writes Sun Media’s Eric Duhaime, “the three political leaders, Michael Ignatieff, Jack Layton and Gilles Duceppe, are putting everything in place, slowly but surely, to get back in bed together.” What’s his evidence of this? The three parties are “beginning to sound the same,” of course. Why, just the other day Gilles Duceppe said “we have to protect our values” and Ignatieff said he would be a prime minister “close to the values of Quebecers.” So they’re obviously in cahoots, right? Except for the fact that those are the kind of platitudes voiced by every politician in every campaign in every country ever. Meanwhile, Ignatieff has unequivocally ruled out forming a coalition and the NDP is running ads slamming both the Liberals and Conservatives. One can only hope Duhaime’s readers aren’t as gullible as he seems to think they are.