Just What Is Layton Thinking?

I've been wondering for a while just what the NDP is thinking in this parliament.

For reasons I cannot fathom, Layton has been giving the Conservatives an "easy run" of things in the house. (It's not that they haven't been saying things - there's plenty on the party news releases, but they just haven't been terribly visible in attacking some of the 'behind the curtains' activities of the Harper government.

Apparently, Harper and Layton have been getting cozy so that Harper can hang on to power.

I cannot imagine what Layton thinks he is going to gain by lending his support to the Harper government. Ideologically, the Conservatives are about as far removed from the NDP as you can get, and so much of the current government's activities are at odds with the NDP's stated policies and beliefs.

How does Layton square supporting Harper with what Harper's doing to the Wheat Board? (for example) or with the destruction of numerous human rights related programs? or the undermining of the presumption of innocence in Toews' amendments to the criminal code?

I'm afraid that Layton is going to lose support if he gets cozy with HarperCreep. He picked up a lot of support when Paul Martin took over the Liberals - those are not supporters that are going to stick around if they perceive that he's being cozy with Harper.