Howard's New Best Friend Canada's PM Stephen Harper

Given that political lessons learned from Howard's four election victories in Australia played a big part in Harper's defeat of former Liberal Party prime minister Paul Martin, a love-in of rare ideological passion is expected when the new kid on the Tory block meets the old hand from down under. At 46, Harper is 20 years younger than Howard, but it's about all that sets them apart. Both men entered parliament aged 34 and both are socially conservative free marketers who believe in family, individual enterprise and the US alliance. A strong Christian ethic underscores their beliefs. An economics graduate, Harper has the same understated Howard confidence in his intellectual ability and shares the Australian's passion for sports and belief in the playing field (an ice-hockey rink for Harper as opposed to Howard's cricket field) as society's great leveller. Harper even has Howard's small-c charisma, the boring kind that comes not from any natural flair but from having been around for a long time. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20876,19170618-28737,00.html

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