It is a scene of incredible carnage. There is shouting and finger pointing, gnashing of teeth and howls of outrage. At its peak, the din is nearly unbearable, and at its conclusion only a few people stumble away intact.
But enough about political leaders’ debates.
Today is voting day in Saskatchewan, and next Tuesday is voting day in Manitoba. The fall campaigns are nearing an end, yet no one has yet satisfactorily explained why such abysmal dates were selected.
No, I’m not talking about the judgment in holding campaigns during harvest, although that hopefully won’t be a factor in light of such variable crop maturity.
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I’m talking about the distinct lack of foresight in holding an election on a Thursday, the day The Western Producer appears in mailboxes. That means we can’t bring readers any results for one week, and by that time they just might have heard the results from a neighbor or a radio or a television or something.
Manitoba’s selected election date is no better. With voting on a Tuesday, the day the Producer is printed and mailed, once again it is possible subscribers may have caught wind of results before we can enlighten them 10 days later. Think about it – some small African governments haven’t even lasted 10 days, much less distributed their election results.
What were those politicians thinking, anyway? Shame on them for treading on this newspaper’s needs as though they meant no more than an AIDA application.
At times like these, it is a bit frustrating to have the longer deadlines and reporting period of a weekly.
Yes, we’ll have people at campaign headquarters, where they can vicariously inhale the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat, the better to write about the emotions of the race.
But not for us the breathless intensity of the talking heads on nightly newscasts, as they report the numbers rolling in.
Not for us, this time, the adrenal rush of getting the results, dashing off the story and slamming it into the paper before the press rolls at midnight.
No, the politicians in two provinces have forced us into a more sedate pace, in which we can provide insightful reportage on the aftermath and a more considered look at political and provincial futures.
Sigh.
You readers will have to bear with us.
