The Provocative Mr. Silver

Silver missed his calling, he would have been a great headline writer for the Toronto Sun. Always smart, always fun, and often provocative. Today, The Canada Health Act is dead. Knowing Silver, the intent of the headline and apparent conclusion may not be what it seems. Maybe yes, but I wouldn't have been surprised to see the whole thing end with a ";)". Perhaps Silver hasn't been able to find a paper copy of Macleans and is only aware of Coyne's piece. Were that the case, I would strongly suggest that he and others find themselves a paper copy and read Geddes vital piece. I'll link to both Coyne's and Geddes' when they are both up (nb. generally, if you're not reading Geddes, you're snoozing & losing). Sufficeth to say, the game is afoot. Silver perhaps does not know that the hypothetical user-fee would only come into effect, supposedly, in 2012-2013 at the earliest, and probably not until 2013-2014. Supposedly. I am sure that he and others remain innocently unaware of any reminders of hard facts and considered reflections: "Quant au ticket modérateur, il faudra voir si les avantages potentiels d'un tel système valent les coûts, la complexité et les risques de sa mise en place."

But innocent as Silver is, and as unlike him as it would be, on the off-chance that he was implying that Iggy & the LPC don't need to denounce the airy hypothesis and alienate Charest & the PLQ right away, losing their material support during the Federal election that will precede by quite a bit the introduction of any hypothetical user-fee, that "there's many a slip 'twixt cup and lip", and one can wait until the QC politics work themselves out and the final proposals are brought forward, whenever that is, however far away, before finally taking a hard position, I would respond, should Silver be taking such an position, despite his innocent, unworldly nature, that there is of course the simple matter of right & wrong, not just on health care & Liberal principles re. society, but as regards coherent federalism vs. asymmetrical chaos (a question about which I know he is ignorant and apathetic, carefree even), in addition to the probability of someone else waking up and eating our lunch. But as I know Silver is an innocent idealist with no idea of the machinations of politics nor the workings of the media and public opinion, and never tries to influence these in any clever way, I shan't bother, of course.

;)

PS. In unrelated news - McGuinty on health care user fees: no evidence that they work