Maintaining a low profile seems to be part of his plans as the Liberals slide deeper into voters’ dog house: Wynne is the least popular premier in Canada with a personal approval that hovers around 20 per cent. A Forum Research survey indicated the Tories could come close to a majority government if a snap election were called. Brown’s personal approval is stronger than Wynne’s at 27 per cent, though 48 per cent of Ontarians still know little about him. That figure doesn’t bother him: taking time to rebuild the party, crafting a palatable platform and building ties to voter groups alienated by previous PC leaders takes precedence over photo ops for now.
[...]
Brown envisions a new “pragmatic conservatism.” If powerful union interests contributed to the demise of his predecessors, he’ll build bridges. Firefighters and police unions were first, and his work on coverage for post-traumatic stress disorder has bolstered that effort.
So John Tory without the irritating smugness.
The voters of Ontario have spoken with one voice: They love free stuff! One day - in the not so distant future - the bond market vigilantes will make their return and punish the voters very, very harshly. But that's tomorrow. We've had a thirteen year spending spree on the part of the Dalt-Wynne Dynasty. If not for the absurdly low interest rates of the last decade the party - in both senses - would have been over a very long time ago. But so long as the credit is cheap, the voters are greedy and the crown prosecutors kept at bay, the party will continue.
The leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservatives understands this simple reality. He knows that to gain power he must pass himself off as Kathleen Wynne without the stench of corruption and abuse of power. Brown will promise voters all the Free Stuff they want, except with a shiny youngish face rather than the haggard lying face of the current Premier of Ontario. If contemporary politics sounds like meaningless rhetoric and non-essentials that's because it is. There is an iron-clad consensus - socialists of all parties - that the purpose of government is to bribe voters with the money of the Rich. What constitutes "rich" is left undefined because - inevitably - the rich will have to include anyone still foolish enough to hold down a regular job.
There are somethings which cannot be taught. They must be experienced good and hard. My suspicion is that Patrick Brown - who spent nearly a decade as a back-bench nonentity on Parliament Hill - isn't clever enough to realize that Ontario is on the verge of fiscal collapse. He cannot see past the next election cycle and is driven purely by a desire for power. Virtually the whole of his adult life has been spent either holding or pursuing elected office. Patrick Brown is that most lamentable of creatures: The professional politician.
Après moi, le déluge is what Louis XV is suppose to have said. If Patrick Brown does become Premier in 2018 he will learn its meaning in both official languages.
"So John Tory without the irritating smugness."
Like the smile on the Cheshire cat -- take the irritating smugness away and what's left of John Tory? I hear he went into municipal politics -- can anybody confirm?
I suspect Brown is not as dim as you think, probably realizing that he'll be handed a dismal situation if he wins; but the undiluted desire for power (and, just possibly, the hope of a soft landing on corporate boards and/or at major law firms apres-le-deluge) is strong enough to make it acceptable.
I 'ad that Mike 'Arris in the back of the cab once.
Posted by: Jim Whyte | Thursday, May 19, 2016 at 12:56 AM