Political Staples

lately that I think Chantal Hebert is awesome? Few can cut through the fog of consensous wisdom as effectively as she can. Check out her latest (h/t Norman Spector)

...If the Liberals, the NDP and the Bloc agree with the Conservatives on anything, it is the fact that the country is in no mood to return to the polls anytime soon. But the Tories would be fools to assume that automatically gives them as much breathing room as current conventional wisdom has it.

As they ponder how much of their agenda they can safely move forward, the ministers appointed today should never lose sight of the fact that there actually is a potential alternative government sitting across from them.

...If it came to an early showdown between the opposition and the incoming government, the Liberals and the NDP have enough members between them to cobble together a coalition and offer it up as a replacement.

That would be a momentous turn of events. It would still leave Canada with a minority government — although one tilted to the left rather than the right — and it could not, of course, happen without the consent of the Bloc Québécois.

...If Harper is mildly successful on the unity front, Duceppe and his comrades-in-arms could lose their last best chance to advance their cause in their political lifetime.

Given a solid 18 to 24 months at the helm, this prime minister can expect star federalist candidates to come out of the woodwork to run for him in Quebec in the next election.

And so, given the smallest excuse, Duceppe could have a strong incentive to co-operate in the installation of a different government.

It has been said that the Bloc Quebecois do not want another election until after the next Provincial election. How well can you trust a party who want to break up the country?