Apologies all around, folks. I made two mistake in my last entry so here I am, your errata guy.

First, I told you Stephen Harper has said nothing about same-sex marriage. This is incorrect. Second, I told you Paul Martin is after him wanting to know what the Conservative policy on same-sex marriage is. This is also untrue. Let me start with the second correction.

Paul Martin wants Harper to announce if he’ll use the notwithstanding clause to bypass the Charter of Rights and reverse the same-sex marriage legislation. Martin knows full well that if Harper says he is willing to do this, he’ll lose more votes than he’ll gain. If he says he won’t, but then does it anyway, people will go freaking ape-shit.

And Harper has spoken about same-sex marriage. In an article from The Washington Post, columnist Patrick Basham wrote, “Free-market economist Stephen Harper, leader of the opposition Conservative party, is pro-free trade, pro-Iraq war, anti-Kyoto and socially conservative.”

Harper himself sent a letter to the editor saying Basham’s characterization was an over simplification of his position. No wonder, with the political climate being what it is, Harper would be dead in the water if voters saw him as a Conservative Canadian candidate with conservative American values. According to the CBC, he said of the same-sex marriage issue:

Regarding same-sex unions, he reiterated his position that he would vote to bring back the traditional definition of marriage. But he said those who already are married would continue to be recognized as legally wed.

That’s a whole lot of weaselling. He would vote to bring back the traditional definition of marriage, but why would he be voting? Who would call this vote and under what circumstances? I’m uneasy with all those unanswered questions. With what I know of the issues right now, there’d be a fair chance I’d vote Conservative if it weren’t for this one thing. But if Harper noodles about it, there’s no way he’ll get my vote. Right now it’s perhaps an independent, or spoiling my ballot. I’m certainly not going to vote Liberal, and I’d rather vote Conservative than NDP no matter what the Conservatives threaten to do! There are no parties representing my political viewpoint. The Liberals come closest, but in all good conscience I can’t back them this time.