Churchill said the best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter, which sometimes is hard to argue with.
He also said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried. We are nearing the end of what is the supreme exercise in democracy and frankly it's been a rough and sometimes vulgar ride.
The Parti Quebecois has waged a campaign based on fear and distrust of difference. They have brought out the old scarecrows of identity and language in total desperation.
The key to their campaign was the charter with its vile message of creating a new order based on religion and ethnicity.
But they were too clever by half.
They trotted out Janette Bertrand, whose view of the world obviously has not evolved since the 1950s, with her imaginary rich Muslims from McGill setting the rules for her private swimming pool.
And no one, including the premier, thought to say anything was wrong with her ridiculous statement.
Or this: PQ candidate Evelyn Abitbol on who loses their job in the new PQ vision of Quebec under the charter.
Yes, she said, immigrant women and doctors wearing kippas would lose their jobs. But only after a year. Which led Pauline Marois to remark that the government will find them other jobs.
I am sure the PQ will set up employment agencies in Cornwall and Hawkesbury.
Perhaps on Monday night, it will be Madame Marois who will be the one seeking a new job.
The sheer hubris of these people is truly remarkable and unsettling.
There have been unwarranted and unjustified attacks on non-francophone students for stealing the election. There have been accusations based on guilt by association. Anti-Semitic attacks and condemnation of bilingualism. Assaults from every direction based on fear and untruths.
Then the cherry on the sundae: Madame admitting that her half-baked charter would not pass a legal challenge and she would use the notwithstanding clause to impose it on Quebecers.
The PQ knew all along its proposal is a fundamental violation of human rights. Finally, they admitted it.
The PQ entered the campaign so self-assured, so confident it would win a majority
The campaign turned with one fist pump from the Parti Quebecor messiah.
The golden boy Pierre Karl Peladeau proclaimed he would build a new country for his children. Then the giddiness of the promise was too much for Maoris to resist.
She talked about how the new country would work, how it would use the loonie and how Canadians would be welcome as tourists.
And that's when the bottom fell out.
Quebecers do not trust Pauline Marois and they do not trust her in the referendum business.
The true priority of Quebec is the economy and jobs. The province lags behind just about everywhere else in growth.
We need a government focused on stability and focused on ensuring prosperity. Not one dedicated to creating imaginary problems for electoral gain. We need a government that does not divide us.
Yes, democracy is messy. And this campaign has been messier than most. But your vote is your voice. Millions of people in many dark places around the world will never get a chance to do something most of us take for granted,
Never take it for granted.On Monday, make it count.
It really is that important.
