forward to a fall election this year. After all, it’s becoming a tradition, and not a meaningless fall tradition like pre-season hockey; this means something. And as a newspaperman, it’s a godsend to me. Nothing fills our news section quite as well as election coverage. Between candidate interviews, speculation and poll results, the damn thing pretty much writes itself. So when I heard that the NDP and the Bloc Quebecois had each agreed to support the Conservatives on two separate non-confidence motions about to be tabled in the next few months I was a little disappointed. What happened to Gilles Duceppe’s comments about the chances of a fall election being “more than great?” What happened to my boy Jack Layton, who’s never voted with the Conservatives on just about anything? Why have they replaced the Liberals as the go-to parties for propping up the government? But I think it’s the Conservatives who have pulled off the most surprising move in this drama. They did something I didn’t think the Conservatives would ever be capable of, not in a million years. They came to a compromise. Who’ da thunk it? Stephen Harper, the disagreeable leader of the Conservatives, made a compromise. He decided the best move was to come to an agreement, to back down for once in his life and strike up a deal. Despite fighting a months-long war of words with the opposition parties over EI reform, Harper backed down from his position and made some changes. This was all it took to get the NDP to support his government. So while it’s disappointing to see that the Conservatives will be in power for at least the short term, Harper’s compromise is a promising sign. It’s a sign that he’s finally learning his place as prime minister of a minority government. He must realize that he needs to make deals and that he can’t force his agenda on an unwilling opposition. He needs the opposition now. [= to admit, I was certainly looking ae e) S bee = a — Praise for the Conservatives? From this guy? And this situation he’s in isn’t the doing of a House of Commons gone wild hell-bent on seeing his government fall. This situation is the doing of the Canadian public, who have now twice given him only minority parliaments. The-public has never trusted Harper fully, and so the public has given him what is basically a “potential” government. Yes, he’s the prime minister, but he can only “potentially” pass his agenda with the support of other elected parties. I doubt that Harper would agree, but with an antagonistic Liberal Party sitting as the official opposition.and Parliament has become far more functional. Now that they’ ve shown that they are unwilling to support the Conservatives blindly, the Conservatives need to work to get legislation passed. It means they will be more inclined to compromise in the future unless they want to go to an unpopular election which could (could being the key word) see them lose power. This is the way minority parliaments should work. The government should be obligated to listen to other parties and not have free rein to throw their weight around. Reaching out and coming to agreements is what makes minority governments representative, and Mr. Harper, you did the right thing by doing just that. Now please, would one of you say something inflammatory that the media can run with? Your friend in high fidelity, Liam Britten Editor in chief The Other Press IS HIRING News Editor: The news editor position will soon be available. If you are interested please submit an application! We're looking for someone with an engaging writing style, varied interests and a desire to contribute. Please apply! Pay: $400 per month . Submit your application to editor@theotherpress.ca Staff Reporter: Pay: $250 per month ‘4 oO Duties include conducting interviews, writing news stories, and assisting news editor as necessary. Low time commitment! Must have excellent writing ability.