Where did that illicit tape recording come from?

CTV News claims to "have learned" that the NDP and Bloc Quebecois have been holding "secret talks to form a coalition party" - even before Jim Flaherty laid his egg in Parliament last week - from an audio tape that was recorded by an unidentified "Conservative member".

Dimitri Soudas was interviewed by Radio-Canada. He accomplished the feat of sounding shocked yet unctuous as he waxed eloquent about the content of the audio tape, while remaining evasive as to how the recording was obtained.

Shall we take bets on the provenance of this tape? Dirty tricks from rank amateurs, à la Watergate? Or more ominously, was it obtained from a professional employed by the RCMP or CSIS, now moonlighting for the RepubliCons on the side?

Read more about this at bastard.logic. Stevie is slowly morphing into Tricky Dicky, aka Richard Millhouse Nixon.

Update: More at Red Tory, regarding the NDP response.

More update: Beijing York gives emphasis to the importance for the Progressive Coalition to stay focused and to avoid the bait, since Harper is already cornered.

"Every single tool and medium..."

Most of you have read and many have blogged about the content of the e-mail that was 'obtained' by the Globe and Mail, sent from Harper's Chief Player of Staff Guy Giorno to all Con MPs.

In spite of Stevie's claim that his CPC was moving closer to the centre of the Canadian political spectrum, the events of the last few days demonstrate his Second Time Around New™ government has in effect no centre at all which in turns explains its imminent collapse.

As the RepubliCons charge about like chickens with their heads cut off, directed by their leader in a desperate attempt at damage control, we are painfully how dire their circumstances are. And so, as suggested by Guy Giorno, "It is therefore absolutely essential that we use every single tool and medium at our disposal ..." we offer them a few tools and a medium.

And we hope they remember the adage so brilliantly illustrated by Sarah Palin's foray into big time politics: You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time.

HARPER'S PERFECT POSITION

Whatever one might have to say about Stephen Harper's character, one would never ever utter the opinion that he's a good sport.

So it's likely that if this recent hoo-haw in Parliament doesn't have the outcome he originally envisioned when he sent Flaherty into the fray with the result that he and his merry band of RepubliCons go belly up, I can imagine his tearful speech, à la Dick Nixon. There will be no more Stevie for the unfriendlies in the media to kick around.

At least we'll always have Paris his voodoo doll to stick pins (or other sharp and/or blunt implements) into.

Yes, We Can!

Pale at A Creative Revolution says 'Drop Everything' and email your MP (if in opposition, of course) to support the Lib/NDP/Bloc coalition.

I emailed my MP, Olivia Chow, and got a reply in about 30 minutes. Makes me think she's getting a few such messages.

Then I emailed a bunch of friends to ask them to do the same.

Got this zinging back from one:

'Done that. Yes we can!'