Limbo

Canadian's elected a new Government on Monday. The old government is still in place. We practice this strange thing here called "transition". The new and old governments agree on a time-table and the old Government works to make sure that things are in order for the new team. Harper doesn't take over until Feb 6th.

Its bollocks. The public service should be ready for a new government, with briefing books on key issues, an analysis of the actions needed to make the policies of the new Government happen and a team in place to support the new Ministers in their new portfolio's. In Britain, the transition is over in a matter of hours - here it will take days.

There are great stories of the new British Prime Minister (Harold Wilson) walking in the front door of 10 Downing Street while the old Prime Minister (Edward Heath) was helping the movers move his piano out of the back door.

So what will be happening now shouldn't be called "transition" but rather "sanitization" - cleaning up and making things look better than they really are. You'd better believe it..