The reason Harper is saying it, is because most average Canadians shudder at the thought of being run by a motley government, consisting of an increasingly left leaning liberal party, an outright socialist party, and a seperatist party.

The reason Paul Wells doesn't like it, is because it's true.

Thus the snarky Turrets comments.

That there is even a suggestion that the possbility of such a coalition is some concoction on the part of Harper, as opposed to being the result of some very public proclomations by senior Liberals (who now must eat their words),

is…ahem…disingenuous to say the least.

We already have a de facto Conservative-Liberal coalition on the economy, which is the only thing that matters to Canadians right now. Everything else, the long form census, the long gun registry, is really background noise.

Nothing I have heard from Ignatieff indicates he is preparing to drop out of the Conservative-Liberal de facto coalition on the economy. The TSX was back up over 12000 points this week, there has been no major hiking of interest rates, and economic picture is still looking good compared to USA and Europe. PM Harper's main thrust is that an unnecessary election bringing a Liberal-NDP coalition, beholden to the Bloc , to power would bring political instability and wreck the economy, That is PM Harper's message to voters in southern Ontario, rural Quebec and BC Lower Mainland where small gains will win the majority government for the CPC in the 2012 election.

If brought down by a non-confidence vote in the House one thing I can see PM Harper doing in the campaign is insisting that the TV debates involve the leaders of the Conservative Party and the Coalition only. It's not fair that the Coalition gets to have 3 leaders at the debates. Like the child in the NDP TV ads last election Jack Layton's head will probably explode, but it would reinforce the CPC theme that the Coalition exists despite how the Liberal and the NDP may deny it, even if the debates are cancelled as a result.

" one thing I can see PM Harper doing in the campaign is insisting that the TV debates involve the leaders of the Conservative Party and the Coalition only."

in your dreams

you may not get the pleasure of Lizzie May provoking Harper into saying "TAR sands" again, but even the sycophants at the TV networks will not cave to this absurd idea

Horrors! Parliamentarians working together! Okay, maybe they're just working together to deny Harper his pseudo-majority predilictions, but still…THEY'RE WORKING TOGETHER!

Ummmm…isn't that what Canadians really want, especially in a minority government situation? I think Harper is terrified that if the NDP and Liberals show they can work together in opposition, Canadians might reason that they could probably work together in government; Harper's report card suggests "he does not play well with others".

Paul, I am now awaiting your biting, quasi-satirical column about how Australia now has an illegitimate government in the eyes of our PM. Labor didn't get the largest amount of the popular vote or seats and is working with a party it wasn't campaigning with in the election.

It's a sad day when one member of the Commonwealth is ousted by such usurpers of legitimacy.