HST: Nothing Like Upside And Downside For Almost Everyone.

When historians look back, they may focus on the 2009 HST Federal General Election, when collectively our politicians just happened to bungle into it. The cast of the old reliables is about to get a shake up if minds suddenly go blank and fast moving events take on a life of their own.

Talk about a mixed blessing with potential lethal political consequences: let's start with the Harper government. This Prime Minister, master at wedge politics and hot potato deflection, will need all of his newly revealed talents as piano-playing minstrel to pull this one out of the bag. The man of a thousand contradictions has been all over the map on this one. Harper calls it a provincial matter -- he's nothing more than the federal l'encadreur! Efficiencies of scale seem to be the order of the day, not raising your taxes. Tell that to the minions in British Columbia and Ontario who seem a tad ticked off. Not so the Premiers. They have gazed into the federal light and have been converted to the cause (and subsequent federal cash transfer).

Moving on to the Liberals. Michael has spoken of the Harper Sales Tax while in other quarters assurances have been sought that a future Liberal government will not undo the scrambled eggs. There has been a lot of to-ing and fro-ing over which way to go and that decision is expected imminently.

For their part, the Pension Democrats have swallowed their blue little pills and are quite suddenly energized by all of this unexpected vigour...they are intent upon pointing out what is wrong here and on this at least, are prepared to fall on their swords!!! Tell that one to the provincial NDP in British Columbia and Ontario...

That leaves only the Bloc Québécois. They are the only party for whom upside is the name of the game. They have 2.6 billion reasons not to support the bill and have nothing to lose in railing against federal centralization of tax collection.

Get your track suits and sweat pants on. Sweaty palms and times lie ahead in Ottawa.