Garth Turner: Harper is a Threat to Conservatism

Those of us who have watched the Reform, Alliance and now Conservative parties since their inception in the 1980s have known that this is not the party that reflects "classic Canadian conservatism".

Garth Turner is a bit more blunt about it: Harper is a threat:

In short, I believe Mr. Harper is quite possibly the worst threat to the Conservative movement. He does not embody any of the socially progressive elements of Conservativism which voters in our region desire. In fact, my months of door-knocking in the last election convinced me I was elected in spite of Stephen Harper, not because of him. Worse, he has turned his back on those things that Reform should be lauded for – a deep respect for the voters witnessed by empowerment of MPs, referenda and other direct democracy initiatives.

Unfortunately I sense Mr. Harper’s narrow brand of Conservativism has little or no growth potential among Canadians, as it does not represent the mainstream. Like the Reform Party movement it was born of, this will be no meaningful brake on the resurgence of Liberalism. This should not encourage you.

In short, Harper makes Mulroney look almost good. (I say almost, because I never especially thought Mulroney was a good leader for this nation.