Toronto Star: Real leaders are willing to take risks

[tuvor]

Linda McQuaig

We're told this federal election is going to turn on "leadership" – something Prime Minister Stephen Harper is said to be endowed with.

Apart from a deeper hole in the Afghan quagmire, I haven't been aware of any place Harper has "led" us to over the past 2 1/2 years, so I found this concept of leadership puzzling. Then I saw the Conservative TV ads and realized that leadership is about wearing a warm sweater and playing cards with your kids.

Now I don't mean to be a stickler for substance, but isn't leadership supposed to be about leading people, about guiding them to a better place than they'd be able to get to on their own?

Guiding the people to that better place isn't easy since there are plenty of powerful interests anxious to hijack the caravan, and detour it to their own advantage. Fending off those interests, and protecting the public's, could be called leadership.

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http://www.thestar.com/comment/columnists/article/495578