Niagra Falls, Ontario - Friday, August 16, 2002 - by: Joe Hueglin
lack of understanding	Stephen Harper's writing "the only real resistance" to merger with his Canadian
	Alliance
	"would come from left-of-centre ideologues within
	the federal Tory party" (1)
	shows a complete lack of understanding of the nature of Conservatives.
Harper an ideologue	Conservatives, unlike Harper, but like most Canadians, are not ideologues. While his
	approach to every situation that arises is application of the far right's belief in less
	government, lower taxes, "let the free market decide", for Tories there is a time for
	free market and a time for regulation, a time for lowering taxes and a time for
	increasing them, a time to reduce the role of government - a time to broaden its
	powers.
consensus	Identifying the nature of the problem and arriving at the best plan of action possible for
	the overall good of society, all things considered, is the Conservative approach. Both
	right and left-of-centre views are brought to bear in internal debate and more often than
	not consensus, when reached, is the better for it.
party loyalty	Loyalty to party, not ideology is what binds Tories together. This loyalty will lead to
	rejection of his call for folding the Progressive Conservative Party into the Canadian
	Alliance at next week's General Meeting.
Harper dedicated to ideology	Stephen Harper, his first loyalty being to ideology, is unable to see loyalty to party as a
	force to be reckoned with. Consequently he erroneously brands all opposing his aim of
	uniting the right as "left-of-centre ideologues".
	Joe Hueglin
References:
1. - - - - - -	"Finally, I said that because any amalgamation of the parties approved by grassroots members would invariably create a genuine conservative party, the only real resistance would come from left-of-centre ideologues within the federal Tory party. Now that the opportunity presents itself, we will see whether such resistance within that party can ever be overcome."
	Stephen Harper in a letter to the National Post responding to the three faces of Steve by Andrew Coyne.
2.	The three faces of Steve, by Andrew Coyne, National Post, August 12, 2002
3. -	Harper, Harris confer by phone 'They're encouraged by each other's comments' by Robert Benzie, National Post, August 13, 2002