bjarvis | (Reply)

From:

From a distance, my observations go like this:

Canucks have a deeply embedded instinct to through the bums out --whoever they are-- after two terms. The Liberals tied a historic record with three consecutive majorities and were really on borrowed time with a fourth albeit minority term. If God himself were running the Liberals this past year, it would still have been an uphill fight to be re-elected. This was never Martin's campaign to win, but Harper's to lose.
The neo-Reformists are employing a clever bit of bait & switch. They have used the name "Conservative Party" even though they have nothing in common with the historical Conservatives of John A. MacDonald & successors or the modern Progressive-Conservatives of Diefenbaker, Clark or Mulroney. This is a different political creature co-opting familiar name, IMHO.
Harper & friends are intentionally soft-pedalling the more radical aspects of their platform. They got whupped for their extreme rightist social positions in the last two elections and they're not going to let it happen again.
A minority Conservative gov't is an expedient & moderately safe way of test-driving a new political entity without giving it carte blanche. The lack of obvious parliamentary partners can keep monetary extremism in check by threatening a non-confidence vote; while the Senate can't block money bills, they can tie up social & justice bills and the Liberals have a sizeable majority there.

In any case, perhaps I should set aside a little time in early February for an emergency flight back to Canada for a quickie marriage...