Is John Baird out to Lunch?

Election speculation went up a notch today when Ignatieff announced that he was contemplating a fall election based on principle. Previously, John "The Pitbull" Baird had maintained that if an election were called, all the programs for the economy undertaken by the Conservatives would cease to operate. Which begs the question: How?

I guess that John Baird would argue that no new policy decisions can be taken, or old policy altered. However, Baird is playing to the fears and his perceived stupidity of the public. If Baird's comments were taken at face value, you would think that the whole government apparatus grinds to a halt, simply because an election is on. The government structure keeps operating on standby during an election, so by no means would all the Conservatives programs be canceled.

This argument masks the fact that, in fact, there may be few programs that are actually operating properly in the first place. As Ignatieff and other Liberal MPs have pointed out, numerous programs that were announced in the budget have not actually been implemented yet. So on that count as well Baird's assertion is shaky.

Finally, who supported the budget, with modifications that it brought to bear on the government? That's right, the Liberals, who would most likely be the next government if the Conservatives lost. So even if an election were called, and the Conservatives lost, their policies would live on, except that with a Liberal government, they'd be expanded on, and implemented faster, much faster.

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