Failed controls

There's been plenty of discussion today about the Cons' plan for their own personal Pravda, led of course by Kady O'Malley's rant.

But the discussion so far has missed one important point (which is only confirmed by Deceivin' Stephen's hurried denial of any plan to follow through). For all the talk of Harper's supposed victory in his cold war against the (relatively) mainstream media, it seems awfully clear that the Cons were sufficiently afraid of the possible public reaction to back off their most extreme reported press control plans. Which would suggest that the balance of power never swung anywhere near as far in Harper's favour as most reports suggested.

Indeed, it wouldn't be the least bit surprising if the Cons would have preferred to unveil their means of controlling their coverage in a citizen-funded form, rather than having to pay for their own explicitly partisan equivalent. And while the Cons' large amount of cash on hand presumably played a role in their going the latter route instead, it seems entirely likely that a rightful fear of a serious backlash also played a major role.

What's more, thanks to the Star's report, the Cons may now face that backlash anyway. While O'Malley may represent a particularly strong voice, it's entirely likely that a significant chunk of Canada's media will start wondering just what else Harper had in the works to try to control any reporting on his government. And that could well help to ensure that Harper loses his chosen war with the media as well as this particular battle.