Advice for the PM

Sun Apr 24 21:42:18 2005 EDT (-0400 GMT)

My initial advice is to take the offer from the NDP – remove the corporate tax cuts from the budget and pass it with their help. While you’re at it, increase foreign aid (or debut relief) to the 0.7% of GDP that you promised Bono when you took over the party and Pearson promised the UN all those years ago.

When this government falls, and I think it will soon, I don’ t think Canadians will want another election. Canada would set records for voter apathy and produce a turn out lower than Iraq’s. The right thing to do is either anticipate it or react to it by asking the Governor General to ask her loyal opposition party to form a government. After all, this is the year 2005, we all can get a fairly accurate assessment of the public’s preference and I think they want the conservatives to form a government.

This will give the public a chance to ‘punish’ the liberals, and give Mr. Harper a chance to govern, which he has earned (regardless as how little I personally desire it). Mr. Harper will have to face the reality of leading a minority and will look less like a welcome alternative and more like the Stephen Harper of old. After all that happens there’s a good chance that a Liberal minority can start again and Mr. Martin will have to plan ahead about how he’ll gain support, as opposed to expecting it.

In any case, don’t expect much in the way of governing in the next year.

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