There is zero chance that Ms Crombie will emerge as Premier after the next election. If she truly cares about the threat Ford poses to Ontario, she will negotiate with Marit Stiles and Mike Schreiner and they will collaborate. How this might look is anybody’s guess, but the French have just demonstrated that collaboration is occasionally necessary and can be very effective. It does admittedly require subsuming one’s ego to a broader, collaborative effort, but at least in Ms Crombie’s case she has zero chance of becoming Premier and actually gaining official party status is uncertain. Ms. Stiles should be the Premier-candidate in a collaborative effort and Ms. Crombie and Mike Schreiner can occupy important roles in the new government.
"Stephen Harper’s eminent Dadishness was his charm, a command of the Beatles discography and a passion for the origins of hockey. It seemed sincere,"
I can't even with this nonsense. You're projecting how you view him.
As far as who he is as a political animal, he's aligned with fascists in Europe and he's actively helping them. He's firmly ensconced in the IDU.
Bonnie Crombie is a failed pick and the Ontario Liberals are nowhere as usual, but to claim Crombie is soulless and in the next breath spin Harper as warm Daddy is just laughable.
The influence of the OLP Leader over the party's current electoral fortunes might be over-analyzed in the current circumstances at the expense of scrutinizing the authorities more generally governing the party. Many of the key decisions are being made not by the Leader but by the Executive Council and the Constitution Committee (though these institutions do seek to pre-emptively pander to the Leader's worst instincts, so to attempt to score perceived employment opportunities at Queen's Park).
Before the leadership contest had ever concluded, the Executive Council had already decided that there would be no policy resolutions process this year - the Council ignored my inquiries at the time as to whether it would accept the incoming Leader's stated desire for policy resolutions.
I voted for Nate because Bonnie Crombie seems to be more Conservative than Liberal. I was disappointed he lost & will be leaving Ottawa after the next Federal election. With a young family, he has his priorities right. I hope we aren’t seeing the last of him. He needs to work on his French.
You continue to believe that the electorate will vote out Doug Ford and the conservatives. The May hate his policy backsliding but when standing in the ballot box, few who voted for him will not remember the mess that 15 years of Liberal government gave them. Many will hold their nose and say he wasn’t that bad.
See, I don’t mind the pandering from the politicians. The awkward attempts to dance at events, sitting in ice rinks, or going to Stampede in the hat and boots they wear once a year.
The acknowledgment that, at the very least, a willingness to at least cosplay a community connection is a minimum requirement to be viable to the voters is important. Maybe there’s no genuine connection there. Doesn’t matter. What matters is that it shows that the people calling the shots think that it’s important. When politicians think that it’s no longer important to keep up appearances is when things fall apart fast
It’s like how in the UK the parties force even people like Rees-Mogg to run and go door knocking in unviable seats before they’ll let them take a run at something more competitive. It’s part of the process of making sure your candidates and party turn out minimally viable politicians, in a functional sense
Sir, I write as a non-resident of Ontario; that is, I live in a province that is not the center of the universe but is, inexorably, influenced by, governed by (dammit!) ON.
I was amused by your description of Doug Ford as a "conservative." From my vantage point outside of the "center of the universe" it seems to me that Doug Ford is not really a conservative at all. Oh, his party - and he, of course - use the word "conservative" in their party name but they also use the word "progressive" in their party name. That combination of words has always amused me. In truth, it seems to me that the Ontario Progressive Conservative party is much like the federal Liberal party of old: it is addicted to power and whatever policy sense and nonsense that will keep it in power.
I do not make my assertions to denigrate your commentary but to suggest that you re-focus your angst about Ford et al. He and they are interested in power, not on a "true" conservative vision. [Disclosure: I do not have a "true" conservative vision myself, either.] I neither praise nor decry their way of "doing business" but simply suggest that a slightly different focus would allow you and yours to better oppose them (for I know that is what you really, really, really want to do). If you look at Ford et al as being interested in whatever is popular with the electorate today then you will better understand your target.
There is zero chance that Ms Crombie will emerge as Premier after the next election. If she truly cares about the threat Ford poses to Ontario, she will negotiate with Marit Stiles and Mike Schreiner and they will collaborate. How this might look is anybody’s guess, but the French have just demonstrated that collaboration is occasionally necessary and can be very effective. It does admittedly require subsuming one’s ego to a broader, collaborative effort, but at least in Ms Crombie’s case she has zero chance of becoming Premier and actually gaining official party status is uncertain. Ms. Stiles should be the Premier-candidate in a collaborative effort and Ms. Crombie and Mike Schreiner can occupy important roles in the new government.
"Stephen Harper’s eminent Dadishness was his charm, a command of the Beatles discography and a passion for the origins of hockey. It seemed sincere,"
I can't even with this nonsense. You're projecting how you view him.
As far as who he is as a political animal, he's aligned with fascists in Europe and he's actively helping them. He's firmly ensconced in the IDU.
Bonnie Crombie is a failed pick and the Ontario Liberals are nowhere as usual, but to claim Crombie is soulless and in the next breath spin Harper as warm Daddy is just laughable.
The influence of the OLP Leader over the party's current electoral fortunes might be over-analyzed in the current circumstances at the expense of scrutinizing the authorities more generally governing the party. Many of the key decisions are being made not by the Leader but by the Executive Council and the Constitution Committee (though these institutions do seek to pre-emptively pander to the Leader's worst instincts, so to attempt to score perceived employment opportunities at Queen's Park).
Before the leadership contest had ever concluded, the Executive Council had already decided that there would be no policy resolutions process this year - the Council ignored my inquiries at the time as to whether it would accept the incoming Leader's stated desire for policy resolutions.
The internal governance of the OLP needs to be cleaned up, but I need the help of other members to make that happen. I need 20 member signatures for each prospective constitutional amendment in this list, please feel free to email me at electstefan@gmail.com for further discussion: https://docs.google.com/document/d/14Vz2x1CK0k6NRnxdywHv3yZi1L3hJbzpqtbRY1EBhIg/edit?pli=1
I voted for Nate because Bonnie Crombie seems to be more Conservative than Liberal. I was disappointed he lost & will be leaving Ottawa after the next Federal election. With a young family, he has his priorities right. I hope we aren’t seeing the last of him. He needs to work on his French.
I voted for Nate as well. Do you still have active OLP membership?
I have plans to democratize the OLP and decentralize power from the OLP hierarchy and Leader. I need help from others members though, as I need 20 member signatures to send any prospective constitutional amendment in this list by the August 9th deadline. Please feel free to email me at electstefan@gmail.com for further discussion: https://docs.google.com/document/d/14Vz2x1CK0k6NRnxdywHv3yZi1L3hJbzpqtbRY1EBhIg/edit?pli=1
You continue to believe that the electorate will vote out Doug Ford and the conservatives. The May hate his policy backsliding but when standing in the ballot box, few who voted for him will not remember the mess that 15 years of Liberal government gave them. Many will hold their nose and say he wasn’t that bad.
See, I don’t mind the pandering from the politicians. The awkward attempts to dance at events, sitting in ice rinks, or going to Stampede in the hat and boots they wear once a year.
The acknowledgment that, at the very least, a willingness to at least cosplay a community connection is a minimum requirement to be viable to the voters is important. Maybe there’s no genuine connection there. Doesn’t matter. What matters is that it shows that the people calling the shots think that it’s important. When politicians think that it’s no longer important to keep up appearances is when things fall apart fast
It’s like how in the UK the parties force even people like Rees-Mogg to run and go door knocking in unviable seats before they’ll let them take a run at something more competitive. It’s part of the process of making sure your candidates and party turn out minimally viable politicians, in a functional sense
Sir, I write as a non-resident of Ontario; that is, I live in a province that is not the center of the universe but is, inexorably, influenced by, governed by (dammit!) ON.
I was amused by your description of Doug Ford as a "conservative." From my vantage point outside of the "center of the universe" it seems to me that Doug Ford is not really a conservative at all. Oh, his party - and he, of course - use the word "conservative" in their party name but they also use the word "progressive" in their party name. That combination of words has always amused me. In truth, it seems to me that the Ontario Progressive Conservative party is much like the federal Liberal party of old: it is addicted to power and whatever policy sense and nonsense that will keep it in power.
I do not make my assertions to denigrate your commentary but to suggest that you re-focus your angst about Ford et al. He and they are interested in power, not on a "true" conservative vision. [Disclosure: I do not have a "true" conservative vision myself, either.] I neither praise nor decry their way of "doing business" but simply suggest that a slightly different focus would allow you and yours to better oppose them (for I know that is what you really, really, really want to do). If you look at Ford et al as being interested in whatever is popular with the electorate today then you will better understand your target.
You're welcome.