Political climate change: Without leadership, Liberals fracture

This morning, Canadians are waking to these headlines:

Comuzzi turfed from Liberal caucus for supporting Tory budget and
Grit bounced for backing budget and
Liberals oust Ontario MP for supporting budget

One can already hear casual Liberal supporters spitting-up their Cream of Wheat to exclaim: "What?? How could LIBERALS support this budget? Didn't they campaign against Harper?"

For the rest of us, the news is at best, unsurprising.

Joe Comuzzi's decision to prop up the Conservatives is entirely consistant for a guy who voted with Stephen Harper for the softwood sell-out, against a $10 minimum wage and who for years railed against equal marriage in the Charter. He's gone today not because he agreed with the Conservatives, but becasue he was vocal about it.

But Comuzzi is not alone, and the "Harper Liberals" are nothing new. Why, just last night, 52 of them voted with Harper against a ban on scab labour while Dion continues to say "social justice" is one of his three pillars.

The Liberals just aren't an effective opposition to Stephen Harper becasue so many Liberal MPs agree with him.

We are seeing and hearing more from the Harper Liberals now becasue Dion doesn't have the strong leadership (and the limos and perks of power) to keep them frozen. As a result, all eyes are on the Garth Turners and Tom Wappels.

It's fitting that the first day of spring should see another sign of the thawing of the Liberal Party.