From a strategic standpoint, one can't exactly blame the Libs for turning tail and running from their posturing this fall. It's not hard to see how the NDP and Bloc could both end up in a position where they'd be entirely willing to bring down the Cons, particularly if HST legislation were introduced this fall - so it's to be expected that the Libs would start laying the groundwork to prop up the Cons if necessary.
That said, though, from the standpoint of actually mitigating the effects of continued Harper government, the Libs' latest flip-flop couldn't have come at a worse time.
I've mentioned before the importance of establishing a new set of baseline assumptions where the Cons expect to have to listen to opposition parties rather than simply forcing their agenda on whichever party was weakest at the time. And this week offered the first hint that the Cons were actually prepared to get into the habit of taking opposition concerns into account.
But now that the Libs are sending signals that they're again prepared to be arm-twisted into supporting the Cons, it won't be at all surprising if Harper decides he's better off arm-twisting a party which won't ask for anything than talking to a party that will. Which means that the Libs may have just managed to ensure that Harper's stay in power would be as painful as possible for Canadians who stood to benefit from a more cooperative approach.
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