He's played the game better than anyone in recent memory. Frankly, I admire some of the ballsy moves he's made in order to stay in power and move the agenda forward.
I like that he didn't panic during the economic downturn, and there always seemed to be a sense of "We're awake at the wheel". We can debate policy/direction all we like, but there's little arguing that the ship was being steered. I'm a guy that firmly believes that inaction is the greatest mistake of all, so having a plan and moving forward with it scores points with me.
What I don't like is the introduction of (more or less) American-style political games. Strong attack ads, the insistence that every issue must be a divisive one, and an overall strategy of "don't cooperate unless forced too". Gagging MPs and Cabinet really annoys me as well. All of this existed before PM Harper, but it's certainly been taken it up a notch over the past several years.
As for the future - I think he'll stick around for another election, and there's a strong possibility of a small majority. The next election won't have much to do with Harper though - it will have to do with Ignatieff being a total, absolute, unmitigated disaster.
|