So, now that there's a majority there appears no need to couch any words. OK, not like Damian Goddard or anything but there seems no need to walk lightly:

• - no tax breaks for cross border shoppers. Mr. Flaherty seems to be saying that some taxes are good taxes. Please tell Steve. Unlike hostage policy, no harmonization.


• - Platform says "a re-elected Stephen Harper government will eliminate the deficit by 2014-15." Now, my actual pal Chiz says: "We will do the strategic and operating review and we will book [those savings] once the review is done. That will get us to balance a year earlier, but is not part of the upcoming budget." Given that income splitting waits in this, any delay is not inspiring.

Nothing like a gotcha and it's early days yet but there is a sort of openness possible now, no need to spin with four years of clear sailing before them and us. Where will it take us? A chance to "show that our ideas are actually quite common among the Canadian electorate"? Maybe. But the idea that we don't have to parse every sentence like a question on a high school English test on a topic studied on that sick day you had will come as a relief.