On legitimacy

With even Con MPs forced to acknowledge that the democratic coalition is perfectly legitimate from a constitutional standpoint, the closest the Cons and their flacks have to an argument against the coalition has been limited to the claim that it lacks legitimacy as defined by popularity in a couple of public opinion polls.

Now, I don't subscribe to the view that the legitimacy of the actions of democratically elected officials is governed by the latest set of polls. But those who have relied on popular opinion as an argument against the coalition are now facing some strong evidence to undermine their position.

The latest support for the coalition:

Overall: 42%
Quebec - 62%
Ontario - 40%
Atlantic Canada - 40%
Western Canada - 29%

And the latest support for the Cons:

Overall: 33%
Western Canada - 44%
Ontario - 35%
Atlantic Canada - 28%
Quebec - 17%

Now, it's undoubtedly fair to say that the latest polls should be taken as reflecting only a portion of public opinion - as the previous ones should have been as well.

But when more people want to see the coalition in power than the Cons, it would defy belief to try to make the argument that the Cons could have any more democratic legitimacy than the coalition would based on current levels of popular support. And to the extent anybody wants to play the national unity card, it can't escape mention that the greatest regional legitimacy issue would involve the Cons' lack of support in the one region which has actually seriously threatened to separate in the past.

All of which is to say that the number of serious arguments against the coalition is rapidly dwindling. And with any luck, public opinion will keep turning in the coalition's favour just in time for it to come into being.

(This post expands on a couple of comments made at Far and Wide.)