As for Stephen Harper's thesis I suspect it's less a problem for him because he has supported the same view fairly consistently since going into politics.
And that's where he has trouble with his base. The budget is, on the whole, a good one (yes, I know people disagree but that's my thinking). The trouble is it's not a conservative budget. It flies in the face of the views of the conservative Conservative base. While not exactly a liberal Liberal budget the budget does support big government intervention to build the economy.
Don Martin: Reality hits Harper in the face
CALGARY -- The 159 pages flip along to the rising throb of an oncoming migraine, academic blurs of heavy analysis exploring the link between Canadian economic distress and federal government intervention. It would qualify now, 18 years after it was given a passing grade at the University of Calgary, as a torturous insomnia cure except for the name of the student on the title page: Stephen Joseph Harper.
Yes, the same Stephen Harper now all grown up as Canada's Prime Minister, who concluded in his 1991 master's degree thesis that aggressive government intrusions into the free market economy should be avoided because they are usually just political ploys for re-election.
This week's deficit budget ensures this economics student has learned the hard lesson that classroom theory doesn't always mesh with political reality.
Having enacted the most aggressive fiscal response in decades to cushion the hard landing of a Canadian recession through a series of monster spending deficits, Mr. Harper has arguably become the federal echo of a politician he often vilified — Ontario premier (now Liberal MP) Bob Rae. The gobsmacking speed of the early 1990s recession's onslaught was Mr. Rae's explanation for his government's dive into deficit. Mr. Harper has seen an economy he considered safe from a global downturn and enjoying non-stop budget surpluses just four months ago crash into recession and requiring an $85-billion deficit forecast. Now that's fast. Nowhere is Mr. Harper's overnight conversion to essential red ink greeted with greater incredulity than in Calgary, where there's rarely been a discouraging word uttered against the hometown hero for six years.
But in the coffee break hallway of a conference I attended there yesterday, the backlash buzz was how this Conservative leader is posting spending numbers Calgarians only associate with Pierre Trudeau and Brian Mulroney.
James Morton
1100 - 5255 Yonge Street
Toronto, Ontario
M2N 6P4
4 comments:
From Ivison at NP;
“One disgruntled Liberal MP called me to say that all opposition critics and senior committee members will soon be issued mandate letters to explain their roles and responsibilities. The move is unprecedented, the MP said. “Trudeau said MPs are nobodies 50 yards off Parliament Hill. This guy [Ignatieff ] wants to make us nobodies on Parliament Hill. It’s outrageous, and he’s heading toward a mutiny in six to eight months unless he’s high in the polls,” he said.”
If Harper has troubles with the Conservative base, which are mainly wishful thinking on the part of the opposition, Iggy better pay close attention to those who are standing right behind him.
I can't believe any MP would be disgruntled about this. If I were an MP I would welcome a mandate letter defining and supporting my assigned responsibilities. It means the Leader is taking it seriously. I am surprised to hear that critics and senior committee members didn't have mandate letters until now. I can see why this MP is staying anonymous. I would too if I was spewing such stupidity.
Well, I agree with Gerry but, that said, we do have to remember that the Liberal Party has a base too -- and that base has not been treated as well as it might in the last few years. I am a strong supporter of the new Leader (big surprise there) but if the Conservatives cannot ignore their base, well, neither can we. I think Ignatieff is taking the right steps in that regard but they are steps that must be taken.
Jim... Always nice to hear stories of Harper's past. Seems like he changes his mind more often than his underwear (or hair-do). I'm sure he is quite shaken in his ideology right now... You know, he may actually not even "get it". These guys are really good at firmly believing their fiction. It's not even the lies. There are some things they just believe - like what they'll say about this deficit (at least Harper will) - that it was "forced" by the opposition. Only problem with that explanation is that HE (Harper) has the final say on the budget. If he really did not like it, then why did he put it forward, if not only for "power"?
To be honest, the word from most of my Reform buddies over the past few years (before Harp was PM) was that he doesn't care to be PM, but if he does, so be it. Apparently the only goal was to unite the right... he was just "reluctantly" brought along by people like Flanagan. After he was PM, it was said that he was just amazed to be in the spot, but then the power-hunger began. Now he's on a quest to do the things he always dreamed of.
Harper's destruction of government may be long-lasting, if he hadn't stumbled into this massive deficit...
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