Angry in the Great White North

Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles Duceppe decided to run for the leadership of the Parti Quebecois, leaderless since the resignation of failed leader Andre Boisclair.

Then he backed out, not even 24 hours later:

Within 24 hours of announcing he was running for the leadership of the Parti Quebecois, Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe stunned the sovereignty movement by dropping out of the race.

Mr. Duceppe's organizers quickly realized that their strategy to take over the PQ had failed miserably and that an unpredictably strong level of support had quickly moved behind former PQ senior minister Pauline Marois, the only other declared candidate in the race.

The battle of titans everyone expected will not take place. A series of events that unfolded late Friday and all day Saturday convinced Mr. Duceppe that he would do better to remain Bloc Leader in Ottawa than pursue his strategy to become PQ leader.

At 59, it is not likely Duceppe is going to get another kick at the PQ can. But then being leader of the BQ is not so bad. It's been 16 years since this "temporary" party was created, and it has fought in five general elections. In the last two elections, the official slogans of the party made no mention of sovereignty. With the PQ collapse in Quebec, there won't be a referendum fight for some time to come.

In other words, being head of the BQ is a job with long-term prospects.

For BQ luminaries looking forward to taking over from Duceppe, Duceppe's flip-flop must be frustrating:

The danger which now haunts Mr. Duceppe is that his leadership of the Bloc may be left scarred and weakened by his sudden reversal. In a press release Saturday, Mr. Duceppe said he will seek a vote of confidence by the Bloc caucus members on Monday and will also put it to a vote at a Bloc Quebecois meeting in October.

Can that frustration boil over to a move against Duceppe? I think it really depends on Pauline Marois. If she can reinvigourate the sovereignty movement, the Duceppe is safe. But if it appears that the PQ is in for a long stint in the wilderness, then I expect Gilles Duceppe is in for some trouble.