• Toronto Star: “Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak is striving to suppress an insurrection by rural elements within his party. Hudak was forced to act after critical comments by one of his most respected MPPs appeared in the Ottawa Citizen. MPP Norm Sterling (Carleton-Mississippi Mills), a 33-year member and former cabinet minister, is outraged that MPP Randy Hillier (Lanark-Frontenac-Lennox and Addington) is trying to usurp his Ottawa-area seat. Hillier’s close friend, Jack MacLaren, a former president of the Ontario Landowners Association, wants to topple Sterling in a nomination meeting expected next spring.“
• Globe and Mail: “But as they choose their candidates for next year’s provincial election, the Tories’ inability to control Mr. Hillier is starting to look like a much bigger problem for them. Although he cultivates an image as an enlightened bumpkin – a guy who enjoys quoting John Locke and shooting deer in equal measure – Mr. Hillier has proven himself a shrewd political operator. And as the most visible face of the Ontario Landowners Association, a hard-line libertarian organization of which he was formerly president, he appears to be at the forefront of a Progressive Conservative civil war breaking out in the eastern part of the province.“
• CTV: “Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak is trying to quell concerns that a big rift is developing in the Tory ranks. Conservative Norm Sterling is apparently fuming about his caucus colleague Randy Hillier, and blames the rural activist for a failed effort to steal his Ottawa-area riding association.“
• Post Media: “The provincial Progressive Conservative party is struggling with an insurrection of rural libertarians with a “very narrow and right-wing agenda,” says west-side MPP Norm Sterling, who is blaming fellow Ottawa-area Tory Randy Hillier for a failed bid to steal his riding association out from under him.“

…and all of that doesn’t even begin to address the problems associated with Hudak letting in extremists like Ed Kennedy to serve on Ontario Progressive Conservative Party executives, who writes things like:  “Typical n****r behavior. Concealed carry would have made the outcome much different. Note if the perpetrators had been White, they would have all got the death penalty for a hate crime against n*****s. And the lieberals wonder why a large segment of Whites hate blacks and distrust them. I am surprised the black bastards did not try to rape them, that is standard fare for n*****s.“

Tim Hudak’s Conservatives: they’re ready for something, but becoming government isn’t one of them.

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Pictured: Warren boxes, on-air, with newbie Mike, as Peggy chortles and calls for another FPT conference. Linkage at 1:20 mark.

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…in which I sing the praises of Deb Hutton, amongst other women.

I liked this ad I spotted on page two.  Click on it to read, gratis!

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Part of a continuing series, as chronicled by the irrepressible BCL.

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First time I have seen an analyst analyze it right.  There’s Ford-ism, and anti-Fordism.

“In politics, sweet are the uses of adversaries.

Worse things could have happened to the Liberal government of Premier Dalton McGuinty than the election — and brash taking of office this week — of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford.

Unfolding before the eyes of the city — and province — will be a case study in the politics of certainty, simplicity and culture war.

There will, naturally, be much giddiness among Ford fans over trouncing the vilified “elites” and taking city hall. Vengeance is ours, sayeth the suburbs and the generally ticked-off.

But such indulgent and unlovely emotion tends to be short lived. Reality eventually bites. Soon enough, the less rabid of Fordians — the swing sorts the premier will presently be wooing — might come to see the limits of slogans, ostentatious frugality, polarization.”

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My daughter intensely dislikes this tune, but I still think it’s catchy.  What thinkest thou, armchair music critics?

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“The vast majority of Ontarians would agree that attacking somebody’s family is across the line.”

“Look, we need a new kind of politics, a better kind of politics, a politics that relies not on spite and spin but on civility and common purpose. That’s what’s demanded of us.”

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This is being handed out at the Leg as I type this.  Among other things, it represents a huge, huge strategic error by the Hudak Hillbillies – it shows that, despite all their braying and screeching about accountability, they have voted against rules to get tougher on lobbyists and consultants. They voted against all that. (The NDP voted for it.)

We’re going to tattoo this one on Timmy’s forehead, now.  It’s a huge fumble.  And it’s amazing, frankly.

***

For Immediate Release

Hudak’s Conservatives Vote Against Tougher Rules

for Lobbyists and Consultants

(Queen’s Park) – Tim Hudak and the Ontario Conservatives put the interests of their high-priced Conservative lobbyist friends over taxpayers today, voting against a ban on taxpayer dollars being used to hire lobbyists to ask for more government money.

“Tim Hudak has a lot of antics, but his actions speak louder.  He’s putting the interest of high-priced Conservative lobbyists ahead of taxpayers.  That’s the Conservative way,” said Liberal MPP Dwight Duncan.

The Conservatives have tried to block accountability and transparency at every turn.  Conservatives opposed:

• • Banning taxpayer funded  lobbyists: they voted against stopping taxpayer  dollars from being wasted on lobbyists asking for more taxpayer  dollars
  • Increasing transparency and  accountability: they voted against requiring  expenses to be posted online for Ministers, their staff, and the executives  at public agencies like hospitals, hydro companies, and local health  integration networks
  • Banning partisan  advertising: they wasted $250 million of  taxpayer money on partisan self-promotion, and voted against legislation to  stop it
  • Independent auditing of the books  before an election: after hiding a $5.6 Billion  deficit from Ontarians, they voted against requiring the Auditor to sign off  on the books before an election

Conservatives have a long record of trying to reward their friends and then trying to hide it.  In 1999, the Harris-Hudak Conservatives removed agencies like Hydro One from freedom of information requirements, and then funnelled millions of taxpayer dollars through untendered contracts to Conservative insiders like Tom Long, Leslie Noble and Jamie Watt.

“Tim Hudak just doesn’t get it.  He should be standing up for hard-working families instead of protecting his friends at the trough,” said Duncan.

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“In Ontario and British Columbia – the two provinces that implemented a harmonized sales tax (HST) this year – the two premiers have not fully recovered. McGuinty is slightly down from his November 2009 numbers, and Campbell – who announced his retirement as premier before this survey was conducted – is now posting better numbers than the all-time low of nine per cent he experienced in October.

Jean Charest heads to 2011 as the lowest-rated provincial head of government in the country, dropping 11 points in a year marked by political infighting and allegations of corruption. His disapproval rating of 67 per cent is the second highest in Canada, just below the departing Campbell (73%).”

What’s it mean? Well, after the HST and other tough decisions, it means I’m pretty surprised – and pleased. “Down slightly” from a year ago is pretty darn good, frankly, given our economic circumstances.

McGuinty [full disclosure: whose caucus I’ve given comms advice], like Chretien, is an asset. And we got a third majority term with Chretien, too, as I recall.

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Canada (left) poses with the United States for official diplomatic portrait.

I was amused by this story from the New York Times last night.  It fronted their web edition – which is significant, because I can’t remember the last time Canada figured near the front of any section in the Times.

This was my favourite part:

“In early 2008, American diplomats stationed in Ottawa turned on their television sets and were aghast: there was an “onslaught” of Canadian shows depicting “nefarious American officials carrying out equally nefarious deeds in Canada,” from planning to bomb Quebec to stealing Canadian water supplies.”

You can debate the merits (and we will), but what I found simultaneously hilarious and terrifying was that the our largest trading partner and ally learns about us by…watching television programs.

Television! The mind boggles.  On the upside, however, this means that my three sons have a fruitful career in the diplomatic service ahead of them.

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