I was on Day 6 this week for a Blogger Battle Royale Session in Review Panel.

One of the points I brought up was the Harper record…or lack thereof. As media pundits will be sure to remind us, we’re coming up on Harper’s 5th anniversary as Prime Minister on January 23rd (or, technically, February 6th). And really, what does Harper have to show for it? Some tax cuts, some stimulus spending, a few Liberal decisions abandoned – it’s hardly the kind of stuff that will get an airport named after you.

I know Harper has been handcuffed by minority governments, but still – Pearson was PM for 5 years, all of them minority rule, and all he got us was a flag, Health Care, the CPP, and student loans. Yes, a Conservative minority government is harder to navigate and Harper has made some incrementalist moves, but moving the football 2 yards every play won’t get you very far.

Not that I’m complaining. I’d probably be dead set against a lot of the legacy moves a Conservative PM could implement. And being less offensive than toast is probably the number one reason Harper has made it 5 years and looks like a good bet to stick around for a few more. But if I were a staunch Conservative who’d bought in to the merger on the promise of a Conservative government changing this country…I’d be asking for my money back right about now.