NationStates Jolt Archive

With new polls showing the Liberals looking at forming a majority government next election, is it time for Stephen Harper to step down before the next election expected soon?

He has done a commendable job of building the party but seems to have taken it as far as he could under his leadership abilities. He has good policy capacity but does not have the charisma needed to take the party all the way.

While loyalty is important is polled as the least desirable of all the major federal parties acting as an anchor on mainstream support for the party. In the time before the next election a new leader could step in and re-energize a party that is widely expected to do no better or even worse in the next election

What do others think?

Every thing depends on your point of view

If your a Liberal

Harper should stay

If you are a Conservative

Harper must go

You're absolutely right, Mr. Harper is the Al Gore of Canadian Politics and needs to either up his game, or step down alltogether.

Wheee! I love Canadian politics. It's like going to a friend's house for Christmas dinner and watching their drunk relatives get into a brawl!

Every thing depends on your point of view

If your a Liberal

Harper should stay

If you are a Conservative

Harper must go

While I agree that center and left supporters think Harper should stay (better the devil you know than the competent devil that may come?), a quick trot around the Conservative blogosphere indicates that there are a LOT of Conservatives who think Harper has what it takes to become prime minister.

Sure there's some dissension in the ranks - Carol Jameison is only the most vocal of them - but the people who matter in the party still want Harper.

But I sure do feel sore for the progressive conservatives, or red Tories, if you prefer. Sounds like they are being totally frozen out of policy decisions.

I can't imagine him ever being PM. It's hard enough for a Conservative of any kind to be elected to that office, let alone one with such a bad image as he.

Lame duck.

total lame duck, he can't even seem to keep his own party under control, let alone the country.

hey, conservatives, i know it's none of my business, but why not dig up an oldschool red tory next? seriously, it might work out for you, consider it.

While I agree that center and left supporters think Harper should stay (better the devil you know than the competent devil that may come?), a quick trot around the Conservative blogosphere indicates that there are a LOT of Conservatives who think Harper has what it takes to become prime minister.

Sure there's some dissension in the ranks - Carol Jameison is only the most vocal of them - but the people who matter in the party still want Harper.

But I sure do feel sore for the progressive conservatives, or red Tories, if you prefer. Sounds like they are being totally frozen out of policy decisions.

Harper has really failed to capitalize on the sponsor ship scandal, despite every thing that has been brought forward during the inquiry the conservative still trail the liberals in the polls

Well I am a leftist who just doesnt want to see another Liberal majority. It's not because they are doing well but the Cons are doing so bad. For my perspective minority governments are best for the NDP.


While I agree that center and left supporters think Harper should stay (better the devil you know than the competent devil that may come?), a quick trot around the Conservative blogosphere indicates that there are a LOT of Conservatives who think Hof them - but the people who matter in the party still want Harper.

If Harper became a PM he'd be like a Tupper or a Campbell. He gets to be in the spotlight for 15 minutes before blowing it all away. The guy's clueless.

C'mon Harper supporters please speak up...

There are at least 3 of you out there! Is it fair to say that our modern attention span for lack of success is too short? In former decades opposition leaders would have the luxury of years to hone their skills. These days tolerance is lower and you don't get second chances.

If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's a duck.

More calls for Harper's ouster (http://video.sympatico.msn.com/video/p.htm?mkt=en-ca&i=5656ea3c-401f-4e5a-ae53-f3ea64ce9184&p=ENCAnews_ENCAtopstories&m=News&mi=Top%20Stories)

QUACK

lol Ok, I guess there is noone who wants to openly support his merits then.

If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's a duck.
QUACK

...I sure do feel sore for the progressive conservatives, or red Tories, if you prefer. Sounds like they are being totally frozen out of policy decisions.
And this is why the bulk of former Progressive Conservatives prefer voting Liberal to voting "new" Conservative. I know a fair number of former PCs, and they are frustrated with a Conservative Party that consistently fails to represent their political point-of-view.

Harper and his cronies can call themselves whatever they want, I guess they're a little upset that branding themselves the "Conservative" Party hasn't resulted in people foregoing their political sense and thronging to a pack of social conservatives with a lot of regional axes to grind. Until they re-embrace progressive conservatism, they'll never stand a chance at gaining real access to the full national stage. What plays in Red Deer isn't what plays back east.

I feel sorry for Harper i really do, when we or if we elect him into office what is he going to do? He hasn't commited to very much policy ideas, because he needs to suck to the Toronto 905 and to Quebec. He only takes opposition stances when there is a large outcry like sponsorship and gay marriage. What will he offer Canada as Prime Minister. He's an accountant how interesting is that?

But it's not his fault!
Clearly everyone is just against him. Especially that dratted MEDIA.

http://www.canada.com/national/story.html?id=4c14168f-76c6-4738-b90c-ac2980c34a0a

All I can say for the Conservative movement in Canada is that it's a sad, sad state of affairs when Harper was your step up, from Captain SeaDoo and his wonderfull "won't work on the Lord's Day of Rest" attitude.

If you're a social Liberal, you have to go Liberal or NDP. And if you're a fiscal conservative you still have the memories of Lyin' Brian spending like GW on a bender to give you pause about the supposed right wing of the politcal spectrum, and you turn and look to the Liberal successes regarding budget surplusses for nearly a decade now and it comforts you.

Because the political right has become the social right, with only lip service given to fiscal matters most of the time.

Adscam? That was Corrupt King Jean's henchmen at work - most of whom got the axe as soon as Paul took office, and besides that it really wasn't a lot of money when you look at the total Federal Budget. Trying to take down Paul for that is like trying to take down a new CEO because the previous CEO's secretary got caught with her hand in the petty cash paying for a few personal items.

Which is not to excuse it, but rather that it was a failed attempt to make a mountain out of a molehill, and frankly most of us didn't care that much.

And Harper's cozying up to the BQ to try and take down the government, and then a month or so later whining about the liberals aligning with the BQ to pass the gay marriage bill claiming that anything the BQ touched was enherently invalid was the cry of reticent child screaming that they got sent to their room.

Lame duck? Doesn't even come close to describing Harper.

Dead duck is more like it.

And this is why the bulk of former Progressive Conservatives prefer voting Liberal to voting "new" Conservative. I know a fair number of former PCs, and they are frustrated with a Conservative Party that consistently fails to represent their political point-of-view.

Harper and his cronies can call themselves whatever they want, I guess they're a little upset that branding themselves the "Conservative" Party hasn't resulted in people foregoing their political sense and thronging to a pack of social conservatives with a lot of regional axes to grind. Until they re-embrace progressive conservatism, they'll never stand a chance at gaining real access to the full national stage. What plays in Red Deer isn't what plays back east.
What is this progressive conservatism? That sounds like an oxymoron. Do you mean that PCs are libertarians who don't like the social conservatism of the Allia... I mean, the Conservative Party?

Hey...isnt that the name of the principal off Boston Public? (sorry...very uninformed Aussie here)