I…I guess I’ll never understand Ontarians.
The discussion of the Bloc’s troubles with their new leader illustrate one of my personal maxims for parties in a parliamentary system: party members should never choose a leader who doesn’t start with some substantial support from caucus. Leaders who haven’t worked their way up through elections and don’t know their caucus tend to fail, because they don’t have the personal relationships and support within the caucus to weather bad times.
Alison Redford of Alberta was a major example: she was the compromise candidate between two different factions of the Alberta PC party, and went into the leadership race with precisely one MLA supporting her.
When a crisis came, both the factions in the party turned on her and she was out.
I grant that Mulroney was an exception to this thèses, but by and large a party leader needs to have caucus support.
Jeremy Corbin is another example of a leader elected without caucus support. He seems to be winning the leadership issue internally by re-making the party structure in his favour, but it’s a long hard slog that is not doing much for Labour Party unity.
As for Ontario: Mike Harris broke the old centrist model of the PCs and pulled it permanently rightward. Ford is just the latest example of Harris’ long-term influence on the party. My take (from away, of course) is that Patrick Brown seemed to be trying to move back towards the centrism that used to mark the Ontario PCs, and that contributed to the party turning on him when he stumbled.
‘When he stumbled”, is an interesting turn of phrase for what overtook Patrick Brown, in my opinion.
Tripped and fell right into sexually harassing the women around him! Poor lad, should watch his footing more carefully!
What is this post in reference to? I mean, a little context would really help. Thanks!
An interesting item from the Globe and Mail about their Beijing bureau. I had always known that they had one, but how it came to be (and continued to exist through the Cultural Revolution) is something to be read. Here it is:
I do recall how the Globe was the only outlet to the West for Anthony Grey, Reuters journalist, and captive of the Chinese government (see Hostage in Peking, which I read when it was published).
Still, it makes you wonder. Why couldn’t American news sources such as the NYT and Washington Post establish Beijing bureaus? How did Canada’s Globe and Mail get so lucky?
Doug Ford has won the leadership of the Ontario PC party, and is overwhelmingly likely to become Ontario’s next premier.
Fuck.
As a lifetime supporter of the Ontario PCs I may have to rethink my voting strategy.
Now, I know Doug isn’t Rob, but still…
I guess I’m willing to give him a fair shake, and of course he’s not my local MPP, but still…
Given the doubts that have been raised about the accuracy of CTV’s reports, I think the jury is still out.
Doug Ford is the only reason that I would vote for Patrick Brown, assuming that he is still the conservative MPP for this riding.
I’m guessing the influence of Norman Bethune probably had a lot to do with it.
That was my exact first thought too!
As I’m not an Ontario voter my opinion isn’t terribly relevant, but I’d have thought that Doug Ford has had all the shakes (fair and otherwise) that are necessary to form an opinion about him.
I can’t see why Mao would let the imperialist running dog lackeys of the American media into his country.
I Googled around a bit for Ford vs. Wynne vs. Horwath polls, but I gave up after a couple of minutes. Do you know where I can find some data?
When Brad Gushue is in control of the game, it is generally very boring.
It is entirely possible that China held Canada in high regard in those days, thanks to Dr. Bethune. But if that’s the case, then why would China allow a privately-run, for-profit, Canadian capitalist media enterprise (which pretty much only served Toronto in those days) to establish a bureau? Doesn’t such a thing go against the principles of Marxism, Leninism, Stalinism, and Maoism?
The CBC, I could understand–it is government-run, and country-wide. But the Globe and Mail? Like I said, it was a private enterprise that pretty much only served Toronto in those days.
Not quite sure why you believe the G&M effectively only served Toronto, at that time. I think that’s mistaken.
I’m going to object to “overwhelmingly likely.” You are underestimating the Liberals’ chances.
I’m with Gorsnak on this one; Ford is not some unknown. He is very well known, and he is a liar, a regressive jerk, and a bigot who has not a single intelligent policy idea. I would not vote for him in a million years.
The most important political issue today in the Western world is the re-emergence of fascism. No responsible voter should ever vote for a wannabe fascist, for any reason, or anyone who even resembles one. Ford’s a wannabe fascist.
I just checked, and Kathleen Wynne’s birthday isn’t till May. Odd.