Thread by @mattgurney

I should probably save this for something other than X, but. A thought I had. I've been writing for a while about how the LPC is struggling to communicate.

I don't think its problems are only comms, which they seem to have partially convinced themselves. +

But they're a problem. And they're a problem more now than they used to be. It seems that whatever knack they once had for it is waning.

I don't think the problems are hard to assess or even widely disputed. Old government, overly centralized. Not everything is complex. +

This week, the Globe (Robert Fife and Steven Chase in particular) took a lot of heat for having been asked by the government for a week's delay in publishing their India story, and only giving the government a day. I've even seen some usually sane-ish people call them traitors.+

First of all, that's bonkers and Trumpian, and I repeat, yet again, that some of y'all have gone apeshit in recent years, and in the future, probably won't recognize the people you are today.

But whatever. My real question: would the extra six days have mattered? +

I dunno? Maybe? It's possible? But so far, the government hasn't been handling this issue well. I am probably more respectful than many in the press of the need for some secrecy on national security grounds. I see the world through that lens already. I get it.

But, like, wow.+

The government needs some kind of message that's deeper and stronger than "Trust us." They have to know that, or at least should. If they don't, that's not a problem that's solvable in six days.

And look at the dual communications flops yesterday, from two veteran ministers. +

Bill Blair "no commenting" when asked if India might have TRIED TO SABOTAGE THE PM'S FUCKING PLANE. The near-instant panicked clarifications from DND press people told us all we needed to know about that brain fart. Blair himself walked it back later in the day.

But also Marc Miller. This guy is considered one of their smarter ministers, one of their better communicators. And he goes out this week and boldly sets the record straight on Mr. Nijjar's citizenship ... and misses the date by a mere eight years.

Like:

These are internal failures in planning, coordination, personnel and communications. Maybe most of all, of foresight. And I don't think what is going wrong here hinges very much on whether they have a day, a week or a month to figure it out.

None of this speaks to the truth of the allegation. I don't have much trouble believing that India did what they are accused of, in the sense that it seems plausible. But if they did, we have to figure out a response, and our leaders remain adrift, confused and reactive.

Something has gone wrong with them. They can't fix it with six days.

I'm sure dental care will work out great, though.

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