An unstable platform

It turns out that the Libs are indeed working on developing some platform beyond the same one which got them beaten in 2006. But if Gerard Kennedy's comments are any indication, they're trying to go in many different directions at once in their policy development process:

Kennedy says some platform planks may be unveiled over the next two weeks, in addition to a major speech on the economy on Thursday. A third speech is planned for the following week but the subject matter has not yet been firmly nailed down.

Still, Kennedy says Dion is hamstrung somewhat by his commitment to consult widely with Liberals about the platform. It's a promise Kennedy says Dion is determined to keep, even though it hampers his ability to stake out a clear agenda immediately, which helps fuel Tory charges of indecisiveness.

"We can't take a short cut. People want today to know what the policies are going to be but if he did that today then he wouldn't have had the benefit of having engaged as many Liberals as we're trying to do."

While there are obviously some conflicting demands on the Libs, it looks like they're managing to avoid meeting any of them. Dion's current promises, whether based on past platforms or his own ideas, will only cast doubt on whether the consultation is intended to have any meaningful effect - while the ongoing consultations will in turn make any current statements appear tentative at best. And of course any change from Dion's current promises to the final results of the consultation will help to feed into Dion's image of indecisiveness and inconsistency.

Not that there are necessarily any easy answers given the processes that both Dion and the Libs have put into place. But it looks entirely likely that the current tour will only play into the weaknesses in both Dion's image and the legacy of their previous stay in power. And the more the Libs become known for having no reason or rhyme to either their actual policies or the process behind them, the more likely progressive Canadians will be to look for an alternative which doesn't suffer from the same weakness.