Wikileaks: From early 2009: Ambassador Wilkins sharing his assessment of Stephen Harper with the U.S. Secretary of State. Very interesting.

Inner, inner circle
-------------------

¶8. (C)  Harper's inner circle appears extremely small.
Notoriously hard on staff (Harper burned through a series of
communications directors as opposition leader, and once
reportedly told an aide that he liked to see the "fear" in
the eyes of prospective employees), Harper seems to operate
largely as his own strategist, tactician, and advisor.  Often
described by observers as self-consciously the "smartest guy
in the room," he has tended to surround himself with
like-minded people.  As a result, some insiders say he lacks
staff willing or able to act as an effective sounding-board
or check his partisan instincts.  Following the departure in
July of long-term advisor and chief of staff Ian Brodie and
communications director Sandra Buckler, their replacements
Giorno and Teneycke are known as highly partisan veterans of
two controversial majority Ontario provincial governments
that polarized public opinion.

Read more .... http://wikileaks.ch/cable/2009/01/09OTTAWA1.html

Read more ... http://wikileaks.ch/origin/80_38.html

While these documents are early on in Stephen Harpers dictatorial leadership one can only imagine what todays reports look like after Harper has made a laughing stock of himself with regard to the Russian situation in the Ukraine as well as his and his ministers constant verbal diarrhea on the economic recovery and how the rest of the World should be like him.