Well, so much for the advice, eh Dion?

Earlier this morning in a post giving prudent advice (sarcasm obviously all mine) to all five federal leaders, I mentioned that if Stéphane Dion is to ever have any chance of turning this thing around in his favour, "he must find a way to hone his message regarding the Green Shift plan. At the moment, not only does he have conflicting messages being touted internally by members of his own caucus (and party), the tax side seems to be dominating in the press over the revenue side of the policy. If he is unable to change this and explain to Canadians in the next two weeks why this policy would be good for the economy (and the environment for that matter), his campaign will be dead in the water"

Well, so much for that advice as the pancake breakfast had barely digested on the rock and a former Liberal Minister in Paul Martin's government, John Efford, was offering up his own personal opinion (advice) to Newfoundland and Labradorians regarding the Green Shift plan.

Here's Efford's exact words from a Toronto Star report:

Newfoundlanders are "afraid' of Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion's carbon tax, says a former Liberal cabinet minister.

John Efford said people in the province may distrust Prime Minister Stephen Harper, but they're afraid that the proposed carbon tax is going drive up the cost of fuel.

"I can tell you the average person on the street don't understand the carbon tax," Effort, a former natural resources minister, told reporters after listening to Dion speak in St. John's.

"They are afraid of that," he said, noting that gasoline was selling in Newfoundland this morning at $1.49 a litre.

Efford, who served in Paul Martin's Liberal government, said he realizes it is too late for Dion to ditch the policy, but "I think he has got a big sell on his hands."

Let me tell u, if you're Liberal leader Stéphane Dion, you can't be liking the way things are already shaping up. And it's only Monday for cripes sakes.

Update: I see 1 important Lib is in panic mode: "Should they go neg? Will they?...You know what I think, I suspect. This isn't about one man's views, anymore. It's about protecting the Liberal Party from a decade or more in the wilderness." This, coming from a guy who has had a good handle on such things over the yrs (from a winning perspective, that is).