an "enjoyable" editorial from the globe and mail :
How to spend your stay of execution
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081204.WBwbradwanski20081204121135/WBStory/WBwbradwanski
my understanding is that the GG had little choice but to "follow the prime minester's advice " .
i believe she supposed to follow "precedent" .
though one elder and retired parliamantarian who has advised many young democracies on how to conduct parliament , suggested she should not listen too much to her advisers and instead talk to her hairdresser and other "normal" people .
he said that always applying old and established principles will result in the atrophy of the political system . "new ideas are required" , was his final comment - pretty sensible imo .
i place the blame for the whole fiasko with canada's outmoded "first-past-the-post" system .
most of today's modern countries - especially im europe - have more representative systems . no wonder many canadians don't vote since they believe that the current election system gives their vote scant chance - unless they vote pc or liberal or they live in quebec .
since the current system favours the pc's and the lib's there isn't much of a chance that we'll see the system changed .
hbg