Pop Goes the Weasel

John Ivison reports this afternoon via Blackberry:

Word from the Liberal emergency caucus that is currently taking place:
Ivison - “Is the coalition unravelling?”
Liberal MP - “It’s coming apart at the seams.”

Jane Taber worries over the "shifting sands" under the coalition, and the "threat of defection" from the Liberals.

One Liberal MP said that if Mr. Dion does not prevail and become leader and prime minister of the proposed coalition government, "he can't stay until May."

Removing him could be difficult, however, as there is a leadership race under way. Mr. Dion is to step aside as Liberal Leader when his replacement is elected at a convention in Vancouver in May.

Adding to the discomfort with his leadership was the fact that last night Mr. Dion and his team couldn't even get his televised national address - a speech intended to counter Mr. Harper's appeal - to TV networks on time. The production values of the tape were also poor, with Mr. Dion out of focus at times. It appeared his head was
emerging from the shelf behind him.

Kelly McParland observes that "the thousand-year coalition appears to be coming apart at the seams after just two days." He sites a developing Canadian Press report:

Within an hour of Prime Minister Stephen Harper winning a two-month reprieve, some Grit MPs were pulling back from the idea of trying to replace the Tory regime with a Liberal-NDP coalition propped up by the Bloc Quebecois.

Toronto MP Jim Karygiannis says the coalition idea is finished and is calling on Stephane Dion to resign the Liberal leadership sooner rather than later.

... Newfoundland MP Scott Simms says all MPs need to give their heads' a collective shake and get back in touch with what their constituents want them to do: fix the faltering economy.