Even some former HarperCons are saying it. Inky Mark did so most recently in a letter to the editor to several Manitoba newspapers.

Akin: Former Tory MP says his party is anti-democratic

Dear Editor:

Re: No Democracy in Dauphin-Swan River-Marquette

The Conservative Party nomination process again is a sham.  There was no real open nomination  to elect a real representative for the membership in the riding. For the second time Bob Sopuck has avoided an open and fair nomination process. Bob Sopuck has been appointed again by Stephen Harper Party and Don Plett [Plett is the former party president, a Manitoban, and was recently appointed to the Senate by Harper - Akin]  to represent the party in the next general election. Brian Chita, current president of the riding is only  a rubber stamp for the party .  When will the 700 members of the Conservative Party  in the riding get to choose their own representative? One must ask the question: What value is there having a membership in a party that doesn’t respects it’s membership?  This lack of democracy at the local level is wrong.  It has taken western society 700 years to take the power away from the crown and put it in the hands of the commoner.  Today we have a system where the MP is appointed by the leader of the party, not the members of the party. Our young men and women are sacrificing their lives in the name of democracy around the world. Stephen Harper and Don Plett, in stead of paying lip service to democracy, it s time to give the membership in Dauphin-Swan River-Marquette the right to an open and fair nomination.

Yours sincerely,

Inky Mark, MP (ret.)

Not much more needs to be said except that the Catch 22 message about Harper's democratic abuses is really catching on. The Liberals and NDP are considering raising the profile of these kinds of issues in the next election. And even some Conservatives are finding their voice. It's time for a change!