Today we witnessed an historic accord that will see the Harper minority government out of power within weeks. A Liberal-NDP coalition with Bloc support! Who have thought it?
Regardless of how this unfolds, Harper's credibility is now shot. He will never regain the confidence of the other three parties and I am extremely doubtful that, if an election occurs with a new Liberal leader, that Harper would get even another minority. However long it takes, Harper has set in motion the momentum that will see him out of office within months.
There have been wily politicians in the past who might have negotiated their way out of this noose but not Harper. He is far too partisan and inflexible and he has infuriated the other three parties to an extent that would have seemed inconceivable a few weeks ago. They now have a common cause- remove Harper from office. And all the result of an unnecessary provocative manouver by Harper.
Tactics such as delayed votes, even proroguing, will not save him. He is "for the hanging", to quote an old phrase. And watch the bloodletting among the Tories once he is ousted. He will bear full responsibility for this debacle. The man who united the right may even provoke its unravelling in due course.
2008/12/01
Historic accord-Harper on the way out
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2 comments:
You may be right Cardinal47 but I am not sure.
It is quite amazing for the Liberals to enter into a coalition with the NDP that even more unpalatably requires the support of the Bloc Quebecois. This is a huge opportunity for the BQ who can come up with all kinds of extreme proposals/demands. I am sure that they are not going to be reasonable. This is the closest that they ever had and ever will get to power, i.e. they now will have a huge influence on the nature and exercise of that power. Lots of previous Liberal leaders would never have countenanced such an arrangement.
And too, we will have to see what the GG will decide, if pushed. Will she let the opposition parties take over or will she agree with Harper that there should be an election. If she opts for an election, I could see Harper winning it as he will be campaigning against the Libs and NDP who made a deal in hell with the devil and the BQ (which wants to break up Canada).
That is one view but I do not agree that the GG might grant Harper a request for another election. She will have received a letter from the leader of the Opposition, with an accord signed by all three party leaders, signed today, showing that he can command the confidence of the Commons. Harper cannot. The fact that he has the largest number of seats is now irrelevant since he will have lost the confidence of the House and the Leader of the Opposition will demonstrably have it. Given that background she has virtually no option but to ask him to form a government.
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