In a nutshell

John Ivison's column on the Cons' inability to succeed even in their narrow task of advertising and campaigning while in office is worth a read. But let's highlight a couple of vignettes which sum up the Con government about as well as can be done.

First, there's the tendency toward hiding away from any public accountability...with Sandra Buckler not surprisingly leading the way:

The plan in crisis situations has been to avoid the media. One MP said the only advice the Prime Minister's communications director, Sandra Buckler, was able to offer to caucus was the location of the back door.

Then, there's the combination of top-down messaging and incompetence in managing even that - leading to frustration among trained seals who aren't quite sure how they're expected to clap on a given day:

On detainees, one strategist recalls asking for talking points from the PMO before going on a televised discussion panel. "I was told to read the previous day's Question Period, which was no help because we had three different positions," he said.

Fortunately, the Cons are properly facing criticism for both their inability to distinguish between governing and campaigning, and their incompetence even in the focus they've chosen for themselves. And the more Canadians become aware of both of those problems, the less likely the Cons will be to hold office much longer.