Some posts you might have missed

I'm feeling uncharacteristically unchatty, but there are some real gems out there that you might not have seen, written by some decidedly underread bloggers:

Saundrie the Scotian argues that the Emerson defection is problematic, but it's the Fortier appointment that's the real ethical problem. I would tend to agree--if you want to show the country once and for all that you're the party of more than just pork and patronage, then appointing someone a) who's unelected, b) who doesn't have the intention to run until the next election, c) who makes your rhetoric about Senate reform look like a bunch of hot air, not just to cabinet but to PUBLIC WORKS, of all ministries...well, that would seem at the very least to be a lapse in judgment. Further to this, A BCer in Toronto explains exactly why B.C.'s James Moore got particularly shafted in these cabinet picks.

On the brighter side--at least for those of us who want to see this parliament do more than just make errors of judgment and scream at each other in Question Period--Greg Morrow from the election prediction site democraticspace.com discusses seven things the 39th parliament could achieve in its present configuration. Some of it, unfortunately, would be a bit of a bitter pill, but some of it is really quite positive. Have a look, especially those of you who have been feeling like hiding under the bed until the Tory menace has passed.

And speaking of things this parliament could achieve, Fair Vote Canada's president, Wayne Smith, outlines why a Conservative would want to support proportional representation. The answer shown by the numbers and his astute analysis of them is that the Tories are arguably losing out even more than the left is--but in the end the real answer is the same for the Conservatives as it is for everyone else: it would be better for Canada. [Edited to add that it looks like some have already taken Wayne Smith's words to heart. Laurie Hawn, the newly-elected MP for Edmonton-Centre, was the only candidate in his riding who evaded the issue of proportional representation during the election (while Liberal Anne McLellan and the NDP and Green candidates all spoke strongly in favour of it), but his constituent and fellow blogger Mari Sasano discovers that he's at least open to "looking into" it. Baby steps ...]