Gruending On The One Year Anniversary Of The Harper Majority

Its all good, but I'll just highlight a bit that seems especially pertinent:

It is worth noting, however, that Conservative backbenchers continued to bring forward private member’s bills that could curtail a woman’s right to abortion. We can expect religious conservatives to keep applying pressure, even as they continue to support Harper as their preferred alternative.

I received, by way of example, an automated telephone call late in the campaign from Jim Hughes, chairman of the Campaign Life Coalition, asking me to support the Conservative candidate in an Ottawa riding. Shortly after the election in May, a National March for Life event drew about 10,000 people to Parliament Hill in Ottawa. Their clear message to the Harper government was that the abortion debate is on again.

Note that the message was to the Harper government and not the nation at large.  That's because in the suddenly reopened abortion debate competing factions with the Canadian Right are arguing with one another more so than with the rest of us.  And this cannot help but damage the gov.: while the PM and party  brass encourage their people against the Woodworth person-hood motion, the grass roots vow to struggle on.  So while I suppose its a hassle to have to retread old ground, its always good to get into a gunfight with opponents who are using half their ammo on one another.  Pro-Lifers wanted to reopen this argument; now they get to lose it over and over again until Woodworth's motion is finally killed off in a vote this summer.  And they get to blame the federal conservatives for their ongoing humiliation.