This is serious stuff

We’re into the final stretch of what has become an election campaign of mudslinging and character assassination, all round. In managed portions, such stuff can provide comic relief in a campaign, but a steady diet is tiresome. Even dangerous.

Yes, there are two major issues on the table – the struggling American economy and its effect on us, and the need to deal with increasing environmental problems.

There is also health care, trade, national infrastructure and the Afghan mission, among other matters.

In the Hants County debate in Windsor Sept. 25, the three participants were civil, and made their points on a myriad of issues -- and they still had the political knives out.

Things were different in Wolfville Sept. 30, when Tory standard-bearer Rosemary Segado participated in the showdown.

Sparks flew. Possibly due to the fact that she wasn’t present at the Windsor forum and didn’t get to assess her opponents and hone her presentation, Segado fell victim to goading by Liberal incumbent Scott Brison. And she responded less than deftly.

This while NDP candidate Carol Harris and her party are probably at least as threatening to Brison and the Liberals.

Green Party candidate Brendan MacNeill’s presentations showed marked development.

In the national scene, things were ugly from the start, with the Tories making outright fun of Liberal leader Stephane Dion.

It soon became obvious that big profile candidates such as Brison, Bob Ray, and Michael Ignatieff were needed on the Liberal campaign trail. Even former prime minister Paul Martin, who was not well served by his party during his tenure, was conscripted for the effort.

The Oct. 2 leaders debate was a verbal gang attack, with the intended victim coming out on top – barely.

The opposition leaders wasted valuable time attacking Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who deftly fended off the worst attacks.

Somehow, as usual, US President George W. Bush got less than honourable mention in the verbiage, and hopefully it didn’t remind viewers of the vice-presidential debate taking place on the American channels.

The Oct. 2 debate melee was reminiscent of the 1999 provincial election campaign round-table debate among then premier Russell MacLellan, NDP leader Robert Chisholm, and soon to be premier -- though no one knew for sure at the time -- Tory leader Dr. John Hamm.

The verbal and gesticular confrontation was a debacle, with little management or control. Though interesting and amusing, in a negative way, it was less than informative for the voters.

Despite being the least offender of the trio in the tussle, it was Dr. Hamm who apologized to the province for being party to “such a spectacle.”

It was a sign of his trademark as a gentleman – one that would serve him and the province well.

The Nova Scotia and the recent federal leaders’ debates show there has to be more thought put into these events.

Sure there can be ways open for the very rare knock-out punch, and even a little fun, but it’s all about information.

To avoid voters getting only a feel of which candidate has the highest pitch and volume, subsequent provincial and federal election debates should feature podiums and adhere to strict rules of engagement.

We have come a long way in 250 years of the development of democracy in Nova Scotia and Canada.

Let’s not see any backsliding to the puerile ways of our earlier political development.

The campaign has been fun, for a while, but let’s not forget what it’s all about.