Harper has only himself to blame

As I listen to the debate on national radio and TV, and read letters to the editor in The Daily News and other papers, I am truly amazed at how emotion takes over from common sense.

Harper and Dion were positively apoplectic in the House yesterday. There was Harper, ranting on about how the three opposition party leaders were too ashamed to place Canadian flags behind their table at the press conference, when anyone with eyes could see that wasn’t the case. And there was Dion shouting back about government “lies.” This morning, we hear that at least a couple of the people the Coalition had tagged for its economic advisory panel don’t actually want the job.

Meanwhile, across the land, terms like “abomination,” “coup,” “anti-democracy” and “separatist coalition” are being used to describe the situation.

Let me make just a couple of points to those who are indignant about the prospect of a Coalition government. Stephen Harper precipitated this crisis, not Stephane Dion, Jack Layton or Gilles Duceppe. He was playing silly bugger, trying to be cute instead of bringing the parties together to deal with the economy.

He is guilty of creating one of the most divisive situations in this country in history. That’s not leadership; that’s arrogance, that’s stupidity.

As for the charge that the Coalition parties are acting in an undemocratic fashion, let’s consider the alternative: an election. Barely one-quarter of Canadians said in a poll yesterday that they have the stomach for another election this soon.

To suggest that the opposition parties are guilty of some bad deed by planning to defeat the government is to suggest they should never vote against the government. They should, apparently, support Harper no matter what. If failure to act on the economy is not reason to vote against this government, I don’t know what is.

As for the concern that the Bloc will have too much power in the Coalition, that’s not based on reality. If the Bloc takes it upon itself to vote against the Liberals and the NDP on a confidence matter, the Coalition will fall. Then we’ll have that election.

There’s an old piece of wisdom that it’s better to have your enemies close to you than to leave them on the outside throwing mud. Sure, the Bloc is a thorn in the side ofCanada, but maybe this Coalition will take a little more wind out of the sails of the separatist movement.