Just when things in Canada were looking boring, the right-wingers, the left-wingers and the separatists have joined together to take control of the nation's Parliment in which they hold more than half the seats but do not govern.

Conservative Leader Stephen Harper, New Democratic Leader Jack Layton and Gilles Duceppe of the Bloc Québécois unveiled a laundry list of measures at a joint news conference in Ottawa, topped by a call to require votes on all opposition motions -- a move that could lead to House votes on international treaties, Canadian Forces deployments and changes to marriage rules. The three leaders also said that they should be consulted by the Governor-General if the Liberals seek the dissolution of the Parliament.

The last bit is a wee bit nutty. I'll have to have some supper and a good think before I pronounce on how this Kingy-Byngy power grab will play out.

Later:

"My dearest Pet, so sad the colonials have no idea of their constitutional limitations" - you sense that is what the British government really wanted to tell the Canadian Governor General Mr. Field Marshall Viscount Bynggggg (sounds nice when alternated with "bonggggggggg") in 1926 when he had the mad idea of actually using the powers granted, surely, the nicest tyrant in the world. Essentially, he - as executive of the land - wanted to tell Parliament who he would recognize as leader of Parliament, and it was not Mr. Fruitnut Cake King the minority-wielding Prime Minister. "The Governor-General might not have acted wisely but there is no doubt that he had the right, given the circumstances, to refuse to follow King's advice." But, in the end, the electorate voted Mr. F.N.C. King back in, telling Viscount Byngy-Bong and the rest of his royalist hoo-haas that the gin and tonics would have ice in them from now on, thank you very much.

So here we are, 78 years later and Mr Martin and his Liberalés are 40-odd seats short of the others and face a united opposition intending on dropping the hammer at their convenience after half-running the show for a while. Sooner or later they will go to the Governor General saying, quite rightly, that they have over 60% of the seats and 60% of the popular vote and that they have the nuttiest coalition this side of Gilligan's Island. What is the ex-host of CBC TV's Take 30 to do?   Will she phone Juliette for advice? Perhaps Elwood Glover of Luncheon Date fame? [Note: I ate more tomato soup watching Elwood Glover than all of youse put together].

So there you have it. The opposition is not supposed to talk to the Governor General and vice-versa but if they have the run of the House of Commons could she...would she?