There are 10 good reasons Harper might step down before the next election: (Article by Warren Kinsella)
1. Ten years is a long time: By the time the next election takes place, Harper will have been in power for nearly a decade. Very few last that long, and those who overstay their welcome inevitably end up regretting their decision. After that much time has gone by, voters start to get sick of your face.
2. He could lose. As pollsters have been saying for months, Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau is the real deal. By now, it is clear that his popularity is no passing fad. For the first time, Harper needs to consider the possibility that he could to lose to someone he clearly considers his inferior. He doesn’t want to do that.
3. His party is getting restless. As Alberta Wildrose supporter Rod Love once observed: “When the water dries up, the animals begin to look at each other differently.” So too in politics. Harper’s backbench is no longer afraid of him, and rebelling. His PMO is heartily detested throughout the Conservative hinterland. To many Conservatives, Harper is being quietly regarded as a liability, and not an asset.
4. Leadership shenanigans abound: Jason Kenney has been running a leadership campaign for months; Peter MacKay is warning he will quit the party if he doesn’t get his way on leadership selection rules. Harper, mindful of what Jean Chretien endured, may be persuaded to choose discretion over valour.
5. He is not a wealthy man: Harper and his wife own their Calgary home, but not much else. And, as Calgary Conservative legend Harvie Andre once queried: “Why is it more profitable to know Harvie Andre than to be Harvie Andre?” Harper, knowing this, may decide he needs to build up a retirement nest egg while he still can.
6. He’s a young man: Not even 60, Harper has many prime earning years ahead of him — as a corporate rainmaker, as a member of lucrative boards, as the giver of big-ticket speeches. Why wait until he can’t enjoy the fruits of his labours? Why not go while the getting’s good?
7. Everything starts to look the same: After 10 years in the same job, new files aren’t as exciting or as challenging as they once were. Things develop a sameness to them; boredom and sloppiness start to set in. When that happens, it’s time to go.
8. The Cons don’t stand for anything anymore: Even the party faithful are admitting the mission statement is long forgotten. They have become, in effect, what they came to Ottawa to destroy. Even Harper, a policy wonk and partisan, would be hard pressed to express his party’s raison d’etre. Canadians sure can’t.
9. The job is done: Harper wanted to do three things. One, reduce the Liberal Party to a shadow of its former self. Two, unite conservatives as a single political force. Three, make conservativism a less radical political choice. He has indisputably done all three. His legacy is achieved.
10. Him: Watch him. Listen to him. There is no joy in the job for him anymore. There is no challenge. He looks unhappy.
Will he go?
Who knows?
But no one should be surprised, now, if he does.
I'm not sure either if Harpie will leave early or not. One side of me says his ego won't allow him to. The other side says that what was pointed out in this article is for the most part true and Harper and the wife must know this as well.
As far as Iggy or even Dion for that matter............Trudeau is a whole different ballgame and even if Harper stays he will not see a majority government this time, either Conservative or Liberal.
"There are 10 good reasons Harper might step down before the next election"
Add one to the list: I said so several months ago.
"who would be a good replacement? "
The Leader of the true Conservative Party, currently serving as Minister of Defence, the Honourable Peter MacKay
MacKay!.......that would be a real treat. But I could see the CONs trying that.
Personally I don't care how many reasons there are...........as long as he picks one and .........uses it.
He is the flavor of the month - yet to prove if he is the "real deal".
Agreed.
What's his wallet got to do with anything?
Yes interesting times indeed and not just in Canada but all around the world.........instant mass communication........cameras everywhere we go and the ability to be tracked by governments......countries that were once silent or hidden behind a shadowy cloak are now growing and controlling more of the world and finance......the change in the atmosphere and land resources.........and the list goes on and on and on. Are these good things? I'm not sure. Sometimes I wonder if how I feel is the same as my great grandfather the day he rode into town on a horse, just to have it scared to death by a contraption called an automobile! He must have wondered "what's this world coming to"?!!!! I don't know where it will all lead in the future, sometimes it does worry me. The one never ending aspect of humankind that will nonetheless continue no matter what and that's .........greed (and power).
Despite a volatile two months of politics on Parliament Hill, national support for each of the federal parties remains firm, with Justin Trudeau’s Liberals enjoying a wide lead over the governing Conservatives.
The latest weighted aggregation of all polls shows the Liberals at 36 per cent support nationwide, with the Conservatives trailing at 29 per cent and the New Democrats at 23 per cent. The Greens and Bloc Québécois round out the list with 6 and 5 per cent support, respectively. These numbers are unchanged from the last aggregation of early May, shortly after Mr. Trudeau was named Liberal leader but before the Senate scandals had emerged.
"all polls shows the Liberals at 36 per cent support nationwide, with the Conservatives trailing at 29 per cent"
I expect the polls to fluctuate between now and the next election - over two yeard from now. It would not surprise me to see the Conservatives take the lead on the polls once again after they select a replacement for Harper.
Time will tell/
I don't hold too much faith in polls and yes they will fluctuate. Your comment about a Harper 'replacement' as the taste of wishful thinking. LOL
All charities for the most part pay for speakers because it costs the speakers money to get to the location, the cost of possibly staying overnight or arriving early, the cost of assistants or security (depending on the person) etc etc. This keeps charities on a level playing ground. If someone comes to a charity event and they charge nothing then all the other 'charities' will expect the same thing and if they don't get the same then they'll have something else to say!
You also failed to mention that Trudeau offered to give back the money to all the charities and ALL of them refused because his visit was 'worth' it.
You seem to have something against Trudeau because he has ..........money. If you want to talk about money then talk about the waste of money bringing the Olympics to Canada, or the G20.......now that was a real waste of money in so many ways! And Harper didn't use his money........he used ours........yours........to build things like a bathroom out in the middle of nowhere and a fake lake. Trudeau raised money for these charities with his presence. Harper wastes your money with his.
Only after it was brought to the attention of the public.
Do you think he would have offered to give it back if no one had known?
Well as I explained earlier, most guest speakers get paid to speak at charities. It’s part of the way it has always been. Even celebrities as much as they may want to simply visit some sick child in a hospital, they know if they do it for one and another and another then everyone will expect the same thing.
Trudeau didn’t have to offer the money back, but he did, and I think that offer was the right thing to do. Interestingly, the person from the charity who told the media…..even that charity didn’t want their money back. Makes one wonder if there was an ulterior motive? I do wonder if the person who reported this about Trudeau has like some people something against Trudeau and his money? Maybe ask who they voted for in the last Federal election…….that may help.
I am baffled by this dislike for Trudeau just because of his money. It really is petty. I’ve said many times that I’m not sure about Trudeau as of yet, but I’m not going to focus on how much money he has or where it came from or how he combs his hair or if he has a ‘look’ that a lot of people like. I’ll base my decision on what he says (in context) and what his plans are.
Where do you get the idea I hate the rich???? I’ve never said that. I think there are good and bad in all people. The rich just seem to have more influence in the world and unfortunately many of them have cafeteria consciences. A man who my wife and I knew was filthy rich and yet he was a good man. There are many like him in the world but they do their good privately and do not get into politics or power. Some like JFK do get into that life and well……….look what happened to him when he tried to make better changes.
