The core of any government reflects the personality of the prime minister, because everyone in the system responds to his or her ways of thinking, personality traits, political ambitions and policy preferences...There is respect for the Prime Minister's intelligence, but fear of his retribution runs deep. Almost no one inside the Conservative Party will speak on the record about him... Mr. Harper remains a mystery. He seldom reveals his inner self, even to his colleagues... He is a buttoned-up, buttoned-down politician who commands respect but little affection. Close to none of his cabinet colleagues, he ignores many, intimidates most, and trusts only a few...
So it's perhaps no surprise that 55 per cent of respondents to a Harris/Decima poll last spring agreed that "there is something about Stephen Harper that I just don't like."...
He speaks regularly to few people outside Ottawa. He is supremely confident in his own political judgment and intellect... He alone (or with an adviser or two) will draft key statements. Until recently he made almost all of the government's announcements himself... "A very revealing phrase he often uses is 'politics is a business.' He sees himself as the chief executive officer of an organization."...
According to a Conservative insider, "the most consistent message the Prime Minister gives" is: "Be more political. Even though you're the government, don't hold water for the government. You're Conservatives. Don't get too comfortable doing what you're doing, because you don't belong here."...
In private, the 6-foot-2 Mr. Harper can be intimidating. "He's a big man. He screams and he's got a filthy mouth," says someone who has seen his temper up close... A senior government official says, "There's a menacing undertone sometimes. He can go very cold and cut ministers to the quick... A senior bureaucrat agrees: "I can't believe sometimes the meanness of his style in Parliament -- or of the government, for that matter." ... "Where do his demons come from?" asks a Conservative lobbyist who knows him well. "I don't know."
in The Globe and Mail. Image source here.
