On riot control

One followup point on the Cons' latest set of attack ads doesn't seem to have been noted elsewhere, but serves to thoroughly undermine the Cons' attempt to brand themselves:

For example, one ad about the Conservative government's record begins with images of riots -- seemingly connected to the economic troubles in other nations.

"Troubles far away can still reach us at home," says the narrator. "Our economic recovery is still fragile. That's why we can't stop working."

So guess which party has directly threatened to bring exactly the kind of troubles depicted in the ad to Canada if it lost a democratic vote in the House of Commons?

Yes, that's right: Stephen Harper's minions have made it clear that the chaos they claim to be guarding against will be the price of removing them from office. Which should serve as reason to want to get that done at the first opportunity.