The choke chain is off, the muzzle removed and freedom of expression is slowly returning to Conservatives who have forgotten how to speak for themselves.
It鈥檚 mostly whispers for now. But as the wannabes line up for the top job, the losers lament their defeat and staff pack their belongings, recriminations about this week鈥檚 electoral spanking will soon take aim at the culprit.
In other words, Stephen Harper.
The toxicity of the party鈥檚 brand man was something to behold throughout the campaign and it will continue to fester in the aftermath.
Those who proudly and loudly went along in the zealous embrace of Harper dogma paid a high price for the connection.
Ministers like Joe Oliver, Chris Alexander and Greg Rickford were swept to oblivion, left with a resume featuring their last job being a Harper parrot.
Hail-Harper MPs like Paul Calandra, Roxanne James and deep-blue Calgary鈥檚 Joan Crockatt were pink-slipped by voters sick of their over-the-top partisanship.
Even Conservative leadership candidates too closely aligned with Harper cheerleading are likely out of contention.
The aftershocks reverberate behind the scenes.
Communications directors deployed to deliver no-comment performances will find job-searching is tough when their expertise is non-communication.
The short-pant people in the PMO, who bossed around senior ministers with decades of experience as if they were school children, will be serving up double-doubles.
And what of Stephen Harper himself, as he dusts off a masters degree in economics he鈥檚 never actually used?
Well, unlike Mulroney Chretien or Martin, he leaves without friends. He鈥檒l soon find he was surrounded by opportunists who only saw him as a ministerial meal ticket.
What鈥檚 worse, he鈥檒l endure endless unfavorable comparisons to his nemesis Justin Trudeau, a natural people person who relishes in showcasing the contrast.
Of course, the sunny forecast for a Trudeau PMO may only last a matter of months. There are darkening economic clouds on the horizon which no mania can prevent.
But for now, let鈥檚 declare with some relief, that a stern, aloof taskmaster has been replaced by a friendly-faced prime minister who at least understands public relations.
In the here and now, but subject to change over time, the new boss is definitely not the same as the old boss.
That鈥檚 the Last Word on Trudeau. For now.
