Norman Spector used to be one of Brian Mulroney's most trusted advisors. Now that he has retired from the public service and become disillusioned with the Tories, he sings a different tune.
But his apparent dislike of "Call Me Steve" Harper doesn't mean that he's crazy about the alternative. He seems to share Walt's opinion that the Liberals under Michael Ignatieff aren't going anywhere unless and until they show some leadership and enunciate a policy or two that the average Canadian can support.
In this, he is saying what many others, including pundit Chantal Hébert, have been saying all summer. Here's a message for the Iggster from Hébert, as translated by Spector in his column in today's Globe and Mail.
Liberals would be wise to look past all the negative news they find in the media these days, and to focus on some good advice that appears from time to time. One such case is Chantal Hébert’s column in Le Devoir today, which is substantially different from the one that is published in the Toronto Star, and I think explains why the Liberals find themselves locked into their negative approach:
Ignatieff doesn’t have a Quebec problem. He has a content problem, which explains why he has problems not just in Québec, but also in Ontario and in B.C.….
It’s all the more risky to bet on the leader’s personality to win an election because one can be a brilliant intellectual, which he is, and not have any talent as a political leader. What distinguishes good leaders from those who chose the wrong career, in the end, is instinct. And this is a quality that improves over time. …
The admiration of his inner circle is an obstacle that gets in the way of critical judgement of his performance. In this regard, a worrisome scene I observed with my own eyes was his entourage being moved to tears by his (forgettable) speech at the end of the Vancouver convention, last spring.
On the other hand, they have a simplistic appreciation of Stephen Harper, which does not correspond to his remarkable track record of gaining ground in every election and, in government, not creating waves that would lead to a Liberal sweep. The result of their myopia is a huge gap in their rhetoric which resonates only with the converted.
Surrounded by advisers who overestimate his qualities and underestimate those of Harper, Ignatieff won’t go much farther if he doesn’t figure it out very soon. And it will not suffice for him to remove the little Québec stone in his shoe to regain his momentum.
Hmm. Wise words. But is Iggy listening?
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