Cabinet and Senate: Ongoing bad behaviour is stability, of a sort

I don't have much to observe about today's developments in federal politics, except to say that I am profoundly unsurprised, unlike the madly twittering press corps. Harper's favorite cabinet ministers, such as Baird and Clement, got prime posts. Harper's incompetent and contemptuous ministers who were nonetheless defended by his administration, like Oda, got to stay put. Young up-and-comers from regions where the Conservatives won lots of seats, like Alexander and Adams, were left out of cabinet, but will probably become parliamentary secretaries. And defeated Senators who ran for Parliament but were rejected by voters were tucked nicely back into their Senate sinecures, despite assurances that they had no intention of returning to the upper chamber. Oh, and the invisible minister of her day, Josee Verner, will be joining them.

I can't work up outrage over this. It's entirely consistent with Harper's approach to politics over the past 5 years. And 40% of voters (the ones who gave him a majority) don't give a care. This is stability, of a sort. It's just stability of unpleasant and blatantly partisan behaviour.

What does upset me is the thought of how many editorials might run tomorrow denouncing the Senate appointments, all from newspaper editorial boards who endorsed Harper's re-election, knowing full well that this is how he operates.

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