Peas in a pod

Count on the Cons to manage to demonstrate their incompetence even while trying to subvert democracy. CanWest reports that while the Cons may have wanted to pretend that Sharon Smith (and others) should be treated as a de facto MP, their interest didn't extend to actually making Smith even remotely useful even to constituents who managed to get sucked in by the Cons' tactic:

One former Conservative who voted for Mr. Cullen in the last federal election said she was appalled by Mr. Harris's actions, suggesting that he was undermining democracy in an arrogant and patronizing way by appointing a substitute for her MP.

"I was brought up in a Conservative family, and now I must hang my head in embarrassment and shame on behalf of your party," wrote Marianne Weston in an e-mail to Harris.

She added that was even more annoyed after she requested to speak with Ms. Smith and was told by Mr. Harris's office that they did not know how to reach her.

"Information (is) not available to me at this time, but (I) will advise (you) as soon as I'm able," wrote Jeanne Clough, Mr. Harris's executive assistant in an e-mail to Weston on Tuesday.

Of course, the good news is that the voters of Skeena-Bulkley Valley seem to be getting an extremely accurate impression of what to expect from any future Con MPs: scandal, corruption, and an absolutely useless excuse for representation. Which means that rather than succeeding in usurping Nathan Cullen's role, Smith may instead serve as an important cautionary tale for voters who might otherwise not have realized the dangers of voting Con.