In this morning's Globe and Mail, Bob Rae writes that -- as a general rule -- good businessmen don't make good politicians:
With the notable exception of Silvio Berlusconi, corporate divas don’t do well in politics. There is a reason for this. To be an effective politician is not as easy as it seems. It requires a sense of humour, a thick skin, patience and more than a touch of guile. To do it well – and democratically – needs great discipline, an ability to listen, and a willingness to accept a harness of public scrutiny and irreverence that is all-encompassing.
Whatever one thinks of Rae, his observation that being a good politician is harder than it looks is most certainly based on experience. And, therefore, his opinion of Pierre Karl Péladeau merits careful consideration:
He is decidedly on the right wing of the political spectrum, and his management of the Quebecor empire has been controversial. For a Quebec public servant or trade unionist to vote for Mr. Péladeau is like a chicken voting for Colonel Sanders. He will brook neither criticism nor opposition to whatever direction he decides, on his own counsel, needs to be taken. He says he wants a country, presumably so he can run it. The people who are going to be run should take heed.
Peladeau sounds a lot like a man named Harper. Given the fact that Peladeau is the father of Sun News, that should come as no surprise. The fact that he says he is a committed separatist should. A vote for Marois will mean a vote for Péladeau.
Not exactly the Dynamic Duo.
4 comments:
Meh. Péladoo-doo from the Péladodo, stirred up by Canadian media, especially newspapers to try and earn some money.
The referendum is a non-starter. Why? People forget a picture of the last time round, of one of the First Nations chiefs holding a picture of what Quebec looks like without all the Aboriginal land. As the chief said, "Our deal is with the Crown".
Now, add the Eastern Townships, south of the St. Larry that are contiguous with the US. Last time round, they declared their intention to secede from an independent Quebec. The maitre-cheez-whiz crowd went completely ballistic over both problems, which are unchanged. So if Quebec leaves, it's gonna be a lot smaller than the Péladodo thinks.
On a lighter note:
http://smackstephenharper.com/
Enjoy.
Thanks for the link, Ed. Something tells me it will be -- if it already isn't -- quite popular.
Separation has always been an unworkable idea. That said, there is a significant proportion of Quebecers who continue to think it will work.
One hopes that the true believers are fewer than the last time around.
If Quebec leaves Canada, all the other provinces should go with Quebec. We should all secede together.
The first thing to do then is to set up a modern voting system and to reform the government from top to bottom, throwing out all those colonial remnants cluttering the closets.
We could, indeed, fall apart, ffd. But putting together a new configuration would be a can of worms.
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