Conservative Blogger Stephen Taylor Supports the Bringing Down of Government in a Coalition

With Harper suggesting that only he can protect sovereignty, before needing that as an election slogan, he was the only leader who had openly courted a full coalition with the Bloc.

And his cozying up concerned Belinda Stronach in 2005:

In an interview with CTV's Canada AM today, Stronach reiterated her reason for leaving. "I do not believe it is right to line up with the Bloc Quebecois, who have a separatist agenda, to bring down the government to force an election," she said. "I don't believe that's in our national interests and it compromises national unity."

It's rather interesting though, the way the Right spin things.

In 2005, Conservative blogger Stephen Taylor got his hands on some possible election campaign ads that the Liberals were working on, and zeroed in on one that raised concerns over another Bloc/NDP/Conservative coalition.

Not unlike concerns being raised today by Harper. The only difference is that Harper's 2004 attempt included the full support of the Bloc, as confirmed by insider Tom Flanagan. And an old Mike Duffy interview stated that Stephen Harper was wanting to be prime minister then, and Duceppe and Layton were going to make it happen.

But we've already gone over that hypocrisy. However, it was rich that Taylor was then defending the closeness of the trio:

Jack Layton was acting as a responsible parliamentarian in a minority Parliament by pulling the plug on corruption. This agenda was neither right wing, nor left wing. Jack Layton, Gilles Duceppe, Stephen Harper and their respective caucuses (even a couple of elected Liberals) chose right over wrong and ended the Liberal government. The attack also laughably suggests that Jack Layton would enable policies that he is fundamentally against. This is an attack on Layton’s credibility.

So does he now believe that the Opposition members were right to bring down the Conservative government, awash in scandal?

Nope.

Instead he's raising the alarm over the coalition agreement that doesn't end until June of 2011. Why they would fall back on that, with a shelf life of a month, is beyond me. But there it is.

I was glad that Michael Ignatieff came out today and said that he would be willing to go to the Governor general if Harper gets another minority. We know that Stephen Harper no longer works well with others.

Duceppe and Layton were convenient at the time, and he used them. Many of us progressives were concerned that he would allow Harper to continue to govern as a party of one, after not only losing the confidence of the House, but being found in contempt.

This was a relief.