Let them all debate

Ripping off the entire post from Fern Hill at Birth Pangs :

"Now that the election is on, let us return to that dandy idea that a poster over at Freak Dominion had — if having one sitting member allows a party leader into the debate, the fundy nutbars Christian Heritage Party should work to get Ken Epp, or some other fetus fetishizing MP, to cross the floor. Heck, it’s not like Epp has anything to lose. He’s not running again, and after he was bitch-slapped by his party over C-484, he’s probably more open to an idea like this than previously.

We are dead serious here. A leaders debate with all of them, including the nutbars.

Well, Deceivin’ Stephen is already whining about the possibility of including Elizabeth (’Giggles’) May.

"Elizabeth May is not an opponent of Stéphane Dion,” Harper said. “She is his candidate in Central Nova, and I think it would be fundamentally unfair to have two candidates who are essentially running on the same platform in the debate," Harper said at a campaign event in Richmond, B.C.

Imagine it. Having the CHP guy there would guaran-goddam-tee that abortion would come up.
He’d blather some truly scary shit from the party platform like:

"We favor the elimination of all public funding of organizations that advocate or perform abortion. Abortion is the deliberate killing of an innocent human being, and therefore is a crime against God, the pre-born child, the mother and father, and society. It should be treated as such by the Government and must not be permitted or supported. The pre-born child has the right to life, liberty and security of the person from the moment of conception. These rights of the pre-born must be protected in Canada’s laws through appropriate amendments to our Criminal Code and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Once this protection is in force, any person who performs or assists in an abortion, or arranges for a woman to have an abortion, should be charged with a criminal offense. Any medical practitioner convicted of performing an abortion, or assisting in an abortion, or arranging for a woman to have an abortion should have his or her license suspended."

Then ‘Giggles’ would give us her nuanced view. Giles and Jack would sneer. Stéphane would look smug.

And Deceivin’ Stephen would squirm and twitch and twist in the wind.

Great fun for all.

And any nonsense about Quebec going Reforma-Tory would die right there."


Too late now - Fern's post went up before the writ was dropped - but it's a good argument for letting all the parties into the debate.
There is also the small matter of supporting the democratic process .