Gordon Prentice at Large - Politics in Newmarket
- Details
- Written by: Gordon Prentice
My request last Wednesday (20 July 2022) for a meeting with my MPP, Dawn Gallagher Murphy, to discuss Ford's "Strong Mayor" policy has elicited an unexpected response.
"Thank you for taking the time to email the constituency office of MPP Dawn Gallagher Murphy. We know that today in Ontario, too many families are frozen out of the housing market. That’s why Ontario has a plan to build 1.5 million homes over the next 10 years and continue to explore ways to help municipalities get more homes built faster.
We appreciate your interest in meeting MPP Elliott. Could you please forward a telephone number so we can discuss the matter further?"
I have zero interest in meeting Christine Elliott.
But I have one or two reasons for meeting her former Office Manager.
Update on 29 July 2022: A Dialogue with Dawn - 30 June 2022. For Dawn it is all new and bright and exciting.
- Details
- Written by: Gordon Prentice
I can now confidently predict that Britain’s Foreign Secretary, Liz Truss, will win the Conservative Leadership contest on 5 September 2022 and become Prime Minister, replacing the serial liar, Boris Johnson. (Photo shows Truss in TV debate earlier today when the presenter fainted in front on her.)
Her opponent, Rishi Sunak, the former Chancellor of the Exchequer, did well amongst Conservative MPs but didn’t land a knock-out blow. Since 2001 Conservative leaders have been decided by the membership-at-large, choosing from a shortlist of two who emerge top in a series of ballots amongst Conservative MPs.
Older, Whiter, Wealthier
Britain’s next PM will now be decided by a tiny sub-set of the UK population: older, whiter and wealthier than your average Briton. And, by definition, a lot more Conservative. Are they going to vote for the UK’s first PM of South Asian descent?
I don't think so. They will not vote for Sunak – the man who triggered the revolt against Boris Johnson when he abruptly resigned as Chancellor. And until very recently, his wife, who is independently wealthy, did not pay full UK tax on her worldwide income as she claimed domicile in India. This device allowed her to pay tax only on her income which arose in the UK or was remitted (or brought in) to the UK leaving the rest of her vast fortune untouched. The optics are very, very bad.
What it takes to become UK Prime Minister: 92,153 votes
In the Conservative members’ ballot in 2019, when Boris Johnson ran against Jeremy Hunt for the leadership, Johnson won by 92,153 (66.4%) votes to Hunt’s 46,656 (33.6%) in a ballot where 87.4% of Conservative members voted.
The number of Conservatives who put Johnson in Number 10 is slightly more than the population of Newmarket, Ontario.
In the UK, candidates for the Conservative leadership (and, therefore, for Prime Minister) cannot sell memberships as a way of boosting support within the Party. There is a cut-off date three months before the contest begins, after which members cannot participate in the election. Seems fair enough to me.
Harper anoints Poilievre
Meanwhile, here in Canada the Conservative leadership race chunters on – though, in reality, it is all over bar the shouting.
Stephen Harper has anointed Pierre “bitcoin” Poilievre, the man who is going to make Canada the freest country in the world.
Poilievre sold way more memberships than Brown or Charest or any of the others so he is clearly our “Prime Minister in Waiting”.
It’s game, set and match for the super-salesman.
In time, people will forget that the contest was embarrassing and deeply corrupt.
It's just the way (some) political parties do things.
Update on 27 July 2022: From the Globe & Mail's Andrew Coyne: The CPC has just engineered its own takeover
Update on 28 July 2022: From the Globe & Mail: Harper didn't address "batty" Poilievre policies...
Update on 29 July 2022: From the Globe & Mail: Conservatives say they have over 600,000 members - a record.
and the G&M Editorial on 30 July 2022: A leadership race that's no contest
- Details
- Written by: Gordon Prentice
Friday 22 July 2022 was just like any other day. 
Except for that cough.
My voice had also dropped a thousand octaves making me sound like Vincent Price in one of these old black and white horror movies.
I knew that something was seriously amiss.
My temperature was 103.3°
You could have fried an egg on my forehead.
I slept for 12 hours straight.
Covid-19 Positive
A second Rapid Antigen test on Saturday morning confirmed what we already knew. I was positive.
Bad news.
York Region's Medical Officer of Health, Dr Barry Pakes, tells us we are now in the 7th wave and we have to keep our guard up. Here he offers advice on how to keep the dreaded virus at bay. (It is also the portal to Covid statistics)
I still don't know how I caught it.
I've been Pfizered four times - the maximum possible for someone of my age.
So now I am self isolating.
I don't feel too unwell. Just a general feeling of lassitude.
Looking out the window and waiting for Vincent Price to go away.
