On poor communications

Sandra Buckler tries to justify Harper's disdain for the media. But her explanation falls somewhat short of fitting the facts:

Buckler's analogy - likening the Tory relationship with the media to a brief, first date with a stranger - was in response to criticism that the government has tried to shut out journalists as they try to cover federal politics.

Reporters have complained that their calls are not returned, that they receive copies of speeches days after they were delivered, and that media availability is too selective.

"Stephen Harper is running a more focused, a disciplined government than prime minister (Jean) Chretien, and certainly more so than prime minister (Paul) Martin," said Buckler in a sometimes confrontational discussion.

Now, it may well be that somewhere there's a performance evaluation of William Stairs to the following effect:

Returns calls immediately. Makes materials available to media simultaneously with public delivery, and sometimes in advance. This lack of focus and discipline cannot be tolerated.

But despite Buckler's best efforts to turn virtues and vices inside out, it seems far more likely that the problem between the Cons and the media is based on a combination of Harper's lack of interest in keeping the media informed, and the Cons' incompetence in what efforts the Cons have deigned to bother with. And having treated his "date" that shoddily, Harper won't have anybody to blame but himself if the media decides it would prefer to see other people running the country.