Coyne Denounces Iggy

Missed this one previously, but Andrew Coyne, who earlier this year was saying nice things about the Ignatieff Lib leadership bid, has abandoned poor Iggy over his constitutional stance:

But now Mr. Ignatieff has promised such [constitutional] recognition to Quebecers, and if elected leader I have no doubt he would feel honor bound to abide by it. Even if, as he says, "constitutional review is for the future," he would have succeeded in establishing it as the latest of Quebec's "minimal demands," cemented by the fabled "Quebec consensus," from which no federalist politician would dare deviate. It is a dangerous, destabilizing proposal, and it must go no further than this.

Which, I'm afraid, means Mr. Ignatieff's candidacy must do likewise. This is no mere ill-considered campaign stunt. It is the centerpiece of his platform, on a matter touching our very existence as a nation. It is, in short, a deal-breaker. If he is unprepared to repudiate this toxic notion, the Liberal party must repudiate him.

I think the general consensus is that Iggy is playing with fire on this issue. He has even pledged to address the "rural/urban divide", whatever the hell that is, via Constitutional changes. But it is nice to see a big gun like Coyne weighing in on the subject. I think Iggy supporters have been far too blase about the consequences of their boy's position. Reopening the Constitution could quite literally destroy this country. It should not be the kind of thing one does as an academic thought experiment.