Thursday, August 29, 2013

Making Duffy An Enemy



John Ivison compares Senator Mike Duffy to Kevin Spacey's character in the recently released film, House of Cards:

Frank “The Whip” Underwood was speaking from experience when he said: “Friends make the worst enemies.”

Kevin Spacey’s menacing character in House of Cards is intent on bringing down all those on his own team who betrayed him when he was passed over for high office.

 The vindictiveness, if not the malevolence, bears a striking similarity to a certain former Conservative senator, who feels he has been thrown to the wolves by his former colleagues, in the interests of political expediency, while innocent of all transgressions.

Duffy had obvious connections within the Conservative Party. But he has more connections within the Ottawa press corps. And information keeps leaking out to the media. Bob Fife's recent revelations that Nigel Wright acted with the assistance of Senators  David Thachuk and Carolyn Stewart Olsen in arranging the $90,000 payment and whitewashed audit of Duffy's expenses blows a hole in the prime minister's story that Wright acted on his own.

And Fife's revelation that former Harper director of communications Angelo Persichilli informed Duffy that the Conservative Party would turn against him "if he didn’t repay the money" makes the Wright payment look anything but benevolent.

Harper seems to have forgotten that Duffy has been around Parliament Hill for thirty years and he knows how to play the game -- which means he knows how to get even. Ivison writes that, if the case and Stephen Harper go to court, there will be two different stories:

The suggestion is that the course of events recalled by Mr. Duffy do not tally with the version put on the public record by the Prime Minister — a tantalising prospect that would surely have repercussions on Mr. Harper’s grip on power were he to add to, or change, his story under oath.

That's why Harper's acolytes are asking Duffy to resign. Don't count on it. They have made a one time friend an enemy.


10 comments:

Lorne said...

Reading your post, Owen, made me wonder if Harper knows his Hamlet. If he does, he should be very afraid. The lines that leap to mind are from Act 3 Scene 4, when Hamlet confides to his mother that he suspects he is about to be thrown 'under the bus' by the King's agents, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern:

... "They must sweep my way
And marshal me to knavery. Let it work,
For ’tis the sport to have the engineer
Hoist with his own petard. And ’t shall go hard,
But I will delve one yard below their mines,
And blow them at the moon. Oh, ’tis most sweet
When in one line two crafts directly meet.

One hopes for a catastrophic collision when Harper falls into the sights of a vengeful and angry Duffy. At the very least, "tis a consummation/ Devoutly to be wish'd."

Owen Gray said...

Harper might do well to remember Polonius' line, Lorne:

"I do know,
When the blood burns, how prodigal the soul..."

You can rest assured that Duffy's blood burns. He will not forget his treatment at the hands of Harper and Co.

Anonymous said...

Two comments:

(a)Ivison is one of the two "Johns" (the other is at the G&M: Ibbitson) who are regarded by some, if not many, non Conservative bloggers/readers as "Conservative friendly", thus it is not surprising to see him compare Duffy to a vindictive character, and

(b) what makes anyone think that Harper will tell the truth even under oath? Remember how many times Harper said we had a contract for the F35s publicly on record and then denied he ever said so. Under oath, he knows God will not tell.

Personally, I suspect that both Duffy and Wallin had been told that they could charge their fundraising expenses to the Senate. In fact, Duffy claimed that he was told that the PM expected him to do so.

I also suspect Harper will try to get himself exempted from testifying in court using the grounds that he is a sitting PM.

Owen Gray said...

I fully expect Harper to argue that he should be excused from testifying, Anon.

That's when we will discover whether Canada is a nation of laws or of men.

The Mound of Sound said...

My Ottawa Tory sources have dried up, Owen. All I'm getting is "can't talk ...can't speak openly ...stay tuned." No phone calls will be accepted or returned, no e-mails either. It's like the place is in lockdown. I'm told to wait, "stay tuned."

The dissidents have plainly choreographed this. I'm beginning to suspect their actions are behind Harper's desire to prorogue Parliament. He might have hoped that he had them cowed until he got word that they were going to leak additional e-mail material to Fife in mid-August.

Harper doesn't have the calibre of heavy-hitters like Wright any more. That crew has bailed. Ray Novak, really? The ever rabid, Jenni Byrne? Christ, is this the Conservative Taliban? What can these characters do beyond snarl and spit? Now, more than ever in his career, Harper needs skilled operators, not mongrels. He's giving off he stench of fear and his enemies within won't miss it.

Owen Gray said...

It would be entirely fitting, Mound, if his own "people" -- not the opposition -- brought him down.

Kirbycairo said...

I have no doubt that we have become a nation of people not laws and that there is NO WAY that Harper will ever be compelled to testify in court. And the Liberal Party is just another side of the same coin so after the CONs are out no one will bring these men to justice.

Owen Gray said...

I too have my doubts about Harper testifying, Kirby. But, in the end, he may do himself -- and his party -- in.

Anonymous said...

Harper controls absolutely everything in this country. The idea Harper will testify in court, is laughable. Harper uses every dirty tactic in the book, to get out of answering for his corruption, lies, thefts and deceit. Harper did exactly that, proroguing Parliament, to get away with his part in, the torture of the Detainee's.

I just read over at National Post? A judge said, Sona will likely not go to trail, on his robo-call fraud.

Harper has been, secretly dealing with the TPP.

Harper signed a deal with, the Communist China Army.

Harper out and out lied and misled Canadians, on his economic and job action plans. Those plans never made it off, the billboard of Hockey Night in Canada.

It was also said, Harper could stall his prorogue until, after x-mas. The floods, the expense scandal, no convention, and now the trouble in Syria.

To get rid of Harper? We would have to have an armed rebellion, as they do in other corrupt country's.

However, Canadians are far too complacent, known to sleep through absolutely everything. Harper knows that and counts on it.

Owen Gray said...

Harper is counting on Canadians' apathy, Anon. That's why he's still prime minister.