Taking action

While Martin complains about not wanting a Christmas election and the other opposition parties whine about not wanting to do anything, it's once again left to Layton to figure out a workable solution:

NDP Leader Jack Layton has proposed an election call for early January, resulting in an election the following month.

He says called the move a “reasonable” compromise that allows Canadians to avoid a holiday election but doesn't let the Liberal government decide the timing.

Mr. Layton said the NDP will introduce a motion to that effect on Nov. 24, its first Opposition day in the House of Commons.

In other words, the motion will successfully avoid interfering with the November first ministers' meeting, and will allow the opposition parties to bring down the government without having to vote against the fiscal update. About the only out left is for Harper to complain now that the confidence vote isn't on his desired terms - though that would conflict rather thoroughly with Harper's equal demand that Layton be the one to bring forward the motion.

One would think that at least one other party could have spotted the solution as well, rather than leaving all the work to Layton. But I suppose this is par for the course for the current Parliament. If the NDP's going to continue to be the only party getting anything done around Parliament Hill, the new election had better bring some added reinforcements to help Jack and company to run the place.