SPLIT PERSONALITY

Silent film star Lon Chaney was known as the Man of a Thousand Faces.

In his relatively short career, Chaney created numerous memorable characters, often through macabre makeup and incredible contortions.

I'm beginning to think Stephen Harper may be a Chaney descendent.

With his latest thrown, er Throne Speech, the CON so-called leader has turned his previous standings inside out, hoping to extend his shelf life another few months.

Mr Hard-Asss is now the Candy Man, taking tomorrow and dipping it in a dream. Only his dream means taking money that should go to help people losing their jobs and providing those of us fortunate to still be working with a few sheckles for our troubles.

Is it shrewd politics or opportunism gone wild that drives this narcissist?

Let's not forget where Harper has tread before. He was against appointing senators before he was for it -- ending up 360 degrees from his first broken promise as PM. How many of those 18 are fine upstanding citizens, who will make decisions on behalf of all Canadians? Or will they bark only when their master blows his whistle? Harper once stood up for accountability and giving power and voice to all MPs, and then did this.

We've got the income trust flip-flop, the fixed-election law push-pull, and his self-serving dereliction of duty. He cares so much for the female voters that he chose to appoint someone accused of sexually inappropriate behaviour to the senate. Just in the past few months alone, Harper has out-done himself with his schizo-phrenic twists and turns. In one moment, he's against deficits, noting, despite the reports of some of Canada's top economists, that if there was going to be a recession, Canada would have already had it. Talking about an economic strategy during an election was "panicking". He then proceeded to pilfer said plan upon winning a second minority.

The fiscal turbulence of the market was a "buying opportunity," one that I hope all good CON supporters took advantage of.

He then talked about the global situation in terms that compared it to the Great Depression, but first only from the safe distance of Peru. Harper also talked of working together with his opposition and reaching out. In his first act, he swung for the neo-con fences by trying to ban public sector right to strike, pay equity and kneecapping all opposition parties and their public funding -- policies he didn't have the balls to talk about during the campaign.

When the opposition banded together to end his Mussolini-esque charade, he scurried off to the Governor General's house, hiding in the hallway and pleading for a time-out. He then sent out emissaries to rescind each of his damaging platforms, pretending to extend an olive branch while turning his own diaper pail into a unity crisis.

Now, suddenly Harper's a man who believes in the good works of government? He's embraced deficit spending, despite having only used the public purse in the past 2 years to lather up his election machine? Should we expect the next wave of pricey 10-percenters to include a two-for-one coupon for Big Fatty's Pizza?

Whether he lives to see another day or another season, Harper must be made to wear this. No, the economic downturn isn't his fault, but the mess that Canada's in has a lot to do with the trash their government is turning out on a daily basis.

When Harper's makeup is finally removed, Canadians will be shown a two-bit charlatan who cares not a whit for Canada, justice or a strong and united nation. He will come to epitomize the old slogan "Tory Times Are Tough Times."

Right now, it's tough to stomach.