Update – one other example and that pertains to Rob Ford being the first out of the gate to run for Mayor …again – in Hog Town. “Ford more years”. In my New Year’s Blog I indicated that he would run again or at least for the time being is in the fray – but that he will not win. A few wrote in to inquire if not Ford who? The answer of course is Olivia Chow …if she decides to run and if she does not – then it will go to John Tory. In the latter case – it might be just as well if Ford won …but he won’t.
Do you ever get the sense that everything is going topsy turvy?
Some recent examples:
- News out of Israel that former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is in “critical condition” …”life threatening in nature” and so on and so on …the outlandish adjectives just keep coming and coming.
Reality Check – Sharon for all intents and purposes died some 8 years ago when he suffered a debilitating stroke and slipped into a permanent coma. What is now taking place is that his body is simply being released from its living death. Nothing critical nor life threatening about it. For the past 8 years he has had no life.
2. Kathleen Wynne …our distinguished Premier is busy these days handing our $100 food voucher cards to her constituents otherwise known at those living in the downtown Toronto core. These poor folks like countless others, suffered through a few days of power blackout around Christmas. No effort was made to ensure the downtowners who received these vouchers actually suffered a power loss and no effort was made to ensure recipients received but one card each. Reports indicate that some recipients were brandishing multiple cards – one seen to have 4 separate cards worth $400.
Reality Check – loss of frozen foods is an insurance issue and not a Government issue. This smacks of more of the same – that is to say – cancel power plants to gain popularity – has been replaced by handing out free food stamps. The sum is lesser in the latter case – probably to come in at around $1 million rather than $1 billion – but the principle is the same. And Wynne continues to tell us that she has learned her lesson from the politically motivated gas plant cancellations. And I am a monkey’s uncle – – well maybe I am, but that is another story.
3. And the last example for today also relates in part to the gas plant closures but directly concerns our very principled Leader of the NDP Andre Horwath.
Dear Ms. Horwath has come out today saying in effect that she and her Party may continue to lend their support to Wynne and Company. She will of course “consult with the people” first. But the last time she did that – surprise , surprise, the ‘people’ told her to support the Grits – which she did and which in turn led to her Party supporting the Wynne / McGunity Budget. Oh yes – and her price for doing so – she said – was to get the Government to roll back car insurance premiums by 15%.
Horwath was not through though. She also announced today that the time had come to put the gas plant scandal “behind us”. Can you believe it?
Reality Check – the last issue first – the gas plant cancellation. Over a $billion dollars (I would say over $3 billion when you take into account the 20 year contracts offered to produce no power) were flushed down the toilet to save 2 or 3 Liberal seats. It was politics run amuck and no one – not one single person - has been found responsible for this outrage. And Horwath wants it put behind us? What has the dear lady been drinking?
And then her price for supporting the Liberal budget – the 15% reduction in car insurance. I can tell you my car insurance has not only failed to decline by 15% but it has actually increased. And so too for many others I am acquainted with.
Has your car insurance gone down?
So I guess Horwath may well decide that the people she talks to this time will demand of her that she continue to support the Grits. Wink wink – nudge – nudge.
And what will Ms. Horwath then demand of Wynne that she will have no hope in hell of attaining. This list is endless and we can each plug in all the dead- in–the-water suggestions we can think of.
But why is Horwath conducting herself so bizarrely?
Two reasons dear reader – first her party is mired in distant third place and if an election was held now they could expect to elect less members than they currently have.
Second reason is the fact that her natural constituency – the Unions – do not want an election for fear that Hudak’s Conservatives would win – which they likely would and one of the first things the Tories would do is to clip those self same Union’s wings.
I said in my New Year’s Blog that I see an election in the offing for 2014 but with this latest result – I am no longer so sure of it. I still think the pressure will be on Horwath to do the right thing eventually– but fearful Unionists can be a powerful motivator.
As I see it…
‘K.D. Galagher’
