“Harper’s Tories lost the plot a long, long time ago” – Andrew Coyne, Maclean’s .

Andrew Coyne’s scathing criticism of Harper and the Tories is well justified. To his litany of failed promise, I can add a couple of items: Income Trust Taxation –“we will never tax income trusts –we will never touch senior’s nest eggs”. Well, I’m a senior, and he “touched” my nest-egg. In fact, he almost destroyed it. Shame on me, for believing him. He also promised elections only every four years –in fact, he legislated it –until it was inconvenient for him. He played brinkmanship politics when cooperation and compromise –yes compromise –was needed. Ultimately he did compromise – everything; after failing in his gambit and having stared down the abyss.

In fairness, this is not the first time Conservatives have taken us into deficit. Brian Mulroney did a fine job there –saddling us with the second largest deficit in history –after Trudeau’s; with the Liberals, of all people, cleaning up the mess.

I was a card-carrying Conservative until Kim Campbell happened. Then, with the “new Conservatives” led by Harper, I saw a New Jerusalem, and signed up again. But Harper’s promise of a new party with strong and high ideals soon came crashing down in the realities of power politics, and he soon was down in the mud with all the other piggies. The final nail in the reform coffin was when he added another eighteen names, willy nilly, to the seniors club called the Senate, which he had promised to abolish or at least reform. I am now totally disappointed and disabused with “Conservatives” and their ilk.

Then again, hope springs eternal; could our Iggy be a Canadian Obama? Just wishing.