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Originally Posted by Tinordi
The vindictiveness of Harper is what bothers me most. He really isn't about compromise and brokerage. It's divisive politics with him. The base loves it because they feel like it's their turn but I hate it.
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It will be interesting to see if this changes in the next Parliament.
It doesn't win friends, but I think Harper was fairly brilliant in his ability to stare down the opposition despite his minority status. Joe Clark tried it, and lost his job within nine months. Harper realized he had a weak opposition, and flat out dared them to stop him. I get why people would hate him for it, but at the same time, it was damned effective.
But with a majority, he doesn't have to stare down the opposition in any more. It was noted by more than one analyst last night that majority houses tend to be more cordial than minority. I don't expect Harper will be discussing the budget with Layton over coffee any time soon, but we might see a more workable Parliament now.
Or, maybe not. You never know.