Living in fear with Stephen Harper!

The runaway must read today, primarily because of the wide swath of source material, is the linked piece on the Harper government, titled "Fear and loathing in Ottawa"

It’s no secret Harper runs a tight ship with little room for dissension. In the months leading up to his first minority government’s five-year anniversary on Feb. 6, I interviewed about 30 politicians, public servants, consultants and academics about his style and brand on Parliament. Some requested anonymity because they fear repercussions.

For the most part, what emerged is a portrait of a highly intelligent, skilled and super-partisan politician whose style has created a mood of fear and loathing on Parliament Hill. He hasn’t shied away from stoking an “us versus them” dynamic in the country. Critics use words like “control freak” and “mean-spirited.”

What strikes me, the overwhelming tone that seems to blanket Ottawa. Contrast an now established reality with the Conservative campaign of 2006, wherein they promised openness and transparency, as centerpiece. Rhetoric vs reality, quite possibly the BIGGEST fraud perpetuated on the Canadian people in our history. The antithesis of every single thing these charlatans supposedly stood for, quite astounding when you pull back and look it in its entirety. I’m not sure what is more amazing, the Harper hypocrisy, or the fact all the reformer puritans are NOW silent in the name of political expediency.  

Click HERE to read more from Steve Val.