Who is Doug Ford at his core? Martin Regg Cohn writes that he's a one way communicator. He's always on transmit:
Horsepower and political power have one thing in common: They both rely on communication to get you where you need to go.
If a horse doesn’t heed you, or a politician doesn’t hear you? You’re stuck.
The problem is not that our premier doesn’t talk. It’s that he doesn’t listen.
What we have here is a failure to communicate.
Ford doesn't know a lot of things. But you'd expect that a good politician would know how to communicate. Ford doesn't think communicating is important:
That’s what made question period in the legislature so lamentable late last week, when Ford stonewalled the Official Opposition by reading from a list of accomplishments. Neither listening nor responding, merely self-promoting; not just non-answers but non-sequiturs.
In truth, question period is rarely answer period. But rarely has a self-styled “Government For the People” been so disrespectful of so many opposition MPPs who also represent the people (garnering more than 58 per cent of the ballots cast, to be precise).
It’s the opposition’s job — officially — to hold the premier accountable. It’s his job to respond to them — and the people they represent — whether he likes it (or them) or not.
And, without the basic back and forth of communication, democracy dies. It's called accountability.The same lack of accountability is happening in the United States:
The accountability disconnect is falling to its lowest levels. At Donald Trump’s behest, cabinet secretaries are rejecting congressional appearances and subpoenas with unprecedented contempt.
When a leader is always on transmit, democracy is in deep trouble.
Image: You Tube
12 comments:
As usual, Regg Cohn is spot-on in his analysis, Owen. As long as we have such journalism available to us, Ford's victory will never be complete.
As you and I have said before, Lorne, Cohn knows who Ford is. He's a superb journalist.
.. have described the odd phenomena.. of those lost souls who can't bear not hearing the sound of their own voice inside their head.. Have also noticed how the words and 'language' drones and blends & bends into basically someone who has some sort of thang going on.. and keeps kinda pushing it around with their lips.. mouth.. often some handwaving & godlike gaze twards the distant horizon. They do the talky talk talk.. and the lipflappy smuggy smile .. its 'performance for themselves'.. May God's grace come to their unfortunate children if any, any kindhearted partner.. or any paid sex worker who aint seeing a damn thingy thats kinky.. or vaguely interesting.. its just noyz - & oxygen wasted - a few square feet of self parasitic posturing and self preening.. its shockingly embarassing to witness the witless on tour.. when they should be humbly withdrawing themselves and going walkabout for knowlege from an old woman, or a bumblebee.. a tree in the wind or a poet..
I also have just read Cohn's article and agree that it spells out the situation exacly, I very much fear we are in for a VERY rough time until this self promoting, power hungry spin artist is gone, Owen.
I like your phrase "self parasitic posturing," sal. It accurately encapsulates what's going on.
The cuts keep coming, Rural. After yesterday's announcement, I'm sure rank and file OPP officers can't be happy.
Ford gets to be an uncrowned king for four years and he knows it. He doesn't have to listen to anyone for a while. He is closer to an old fashioned governor from the colonial period than any elected official in a modern democracy.
Precisely, ffd. Once elected, he believes he is unassailable.
What ever this guys stands for is questionable to say the least. He must truly be as dumb as a sack of hammers but what should be said about those who were supposed to be accountable? What about Christine Elliot and the Caroline Mulroney who supposedly brought some kind of morality and intelligence and had more skin in the game? Their political careers will be in the dustbin if they stay silent and don't reign this maniac in. I guess Caroline like all the other rats in the Harris ship will jump to the federal wreck because Dofo is relegated to political Purgatory.
Ms. Mulroney and Ms. Eliott have been real disappointments, zoombats. So far, they have been foot soldiers for Doug, not guardrails.
And Alberta . . . I fear, is the next domino to fall in the same direction. Anyone seeing a pattern here? laugh
j a m e s
We have two choices, james -- either laugh or cry.
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