May 2, 2005

Prick the Bubble

Gordon Campbell stands accused of campaigning within a bubble that protects him from voters. It is not just hecklers who are barred from the few events on his secret daily schedule. Voters who may not be satisfied with answers from their local Campbell Liberal MLA are also being denied the opportunity to talk to the leader who wants their vote.

It is not surprising that Campbell is not shown in the Liberal election advertisements. The latest Ipsos-Reid poll reported that since the start of the election campaign 10% of those surveyed said their opinion of Campbell improved while 29% said it worsened. The numbers were the reverse for Carole James; 29% said their opinion of her improved while 13% said it worsened. Ipsos-Reid did not publish figures on the "disapproval rating" of the leaders, but the April Mustel Group poll had Campbell's disapproval rating at 53%, up from 51% in February. Perhaps that is why Ipsos-Reid found that 5% of those who say they are going to vote Liberal also say that Carole James would make the best Premier.

On Tuesday evening, May 3rd, Campbell will have to come out of his bubble for a few precious minutes. The televised debate starts at 7:00 PM and is only one hour long; that gives less than 20 minutes of time for each of the three leaders who will be participating, but that is long enough for Campbell's bubble to be punctured. In media coverage on Wednesday morning his friends will rush to repair any damage caused by his brief out-of-bubble exposure so make sure to watch the debate and form your own opinion.