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Ontario Politics in 2018

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In that case, that tells me most of what I need to know about Ford. Thanks!

Pencil Tech said:
Those weren't the poster's opinions. Those were direct quotes from Doug Ford.
 
Jarnhamar said:
Is this the same family of drug that we're going to be selling in stores across Ontario?


By the way have you heard that we spent $650'000 to "design" this sign?

pot_us_cda_20180206-1.jpg


More money well spent in Ontario I say.

Everyone is going to call it 'The Weed Store' another $650,000 of taxpayer money. Probably to another liebral flunky for doing nothing.
 
Despite all the made up nonsense on Doug Ford's positions and hyperbole on whether he's the Canadian Trump (where have I heard that before coming from the Liberals), the Tories are polling to win approx 84 seats, to NDP 29 and Liberal 11. If the Tories picked Elliott or Mulroney, we might have even seen the polling showing the NDP closer to 20 and the Liberals in single digits. Also pretty telling that the NDP can't even poll higher than the Liberals in popular vote with the Kathleen Wynne trainwreck destroying jobs and making life unaffordable for the traditional NDP blue-collar voters.

https://globalnews.ca/news/4077130/ontario-pc-party-doug-ford/
 
This is where the PCPO has to take a page out of Steven Harper's book, and control the airwaves. You know that the Liberals are going to go full bore and attempt to paint Mr Ford as the Great Satan, so the conservatives have to own the medium.
 
Wynne will also do the opposite of Harper, and drop the writ as late as possible to allow as much third party/public sector union spending to dump into campaigns as possible before they become burdened by pesking election donation laws.
 
PuckChaser said:
Wynne will also do the opposite of Harper, and drop the writ as late as possible to allow as much third party/public sector union spending to dump into campaigns as possible before they become burdened by pesking election donation laws.

I think the Working Famlies Coalition and their sister union organisations were just waiting to see who won the leadership. We might be seeing stuff by the weekend.
 
I'm actually more pleased for reasons not mentioned yet on this board. The very fact that Doug Ford is on the table means that all kinds of issues, many of which the Liberals and deeper down Progressive academics, bureaucrats, media figures and politicians simply don't want to talk about will suddenly be back in play. Prying open the Overton Window and letting in some fresh air into the public sphere is going to allow the resetting of agendas and the retooling of institutions and networks, much like what is happening in Europe and the United States. If our media follows the US media playbook, they will actually end up helping the process, since they will be forced to talk about many of the issues when trying to attack Doug Ford.

We may not like this, and many (even myself) will certainly not agree with some of the outcomes, but the current institutions were built under far different circumstances and social, economic, technological and demographic changes are rendering a lot of them irrelevant or obsolete. The current "elites" are not going to let go without a fight, however, given that this is the source of their powers and privileges. It is certain that there will be a fight to the last taxpayer to decide if the Optimates or Populares will prevail.
 
pbi said:
I don't really know exactly what I will do come voting time. I want these Liberals out, for several reasons, but I had very much hoped for a Red Tory victory in the Ontario PC leadership campaign. Nor, BTW, do I ever want to see the NDP in power in Ontario again. Unfortunately for me (and people like me) Ford does not represent my kind of moderate conservatism.
Have you considered trying your hand as an independent? Be the moderate conservative that others could vote for?
 
:facepalm:
Shoehorning allusions to Republican Rome is supremely irrelevant, obsolete and the polar opposite of "fresh air". It's a little amusing that such intellectual "Optimate" airs is deployed in defense and support of those who either haven't the foggiest what is alluded to, or resent and hate the elitism underlying it. These aren't the sharpest (to say nothing of cultured or erudite) knives in the drawer agitating for this so-called "resetting of agendas"  ::) in Europe and the US. That should really grok one to the defensibility of the project.
 
I have just finished re-reading Taylor Caldwell's "A Pillar of Iron" - the life of Cicero.  It is a thinly disguised screed against he perceived ills of America in the 60s...and a great view of the underbelly of the end of the Republic.  It also happens to be a commentary on today, which suggests that themes are either either recurring or unresolved.
 
PPCLI Guy said:
I have just finished re-reading Taylor Caldwell's "A Pillar of Iron" - the life of Cicero.  It is a thinly disguised screed against he perceived ills of America in the 60s...and a great view of the underbelly of the end of the Republic.  It also happens to be a commentary on today, which suggests that themes are either either recurring or unresolved.

:eek:ff topic:

If you liked Caldwell's work you might also like Colleen McCullough's Masters of Rome series:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masters_of_Rome

Absolutely excellent stuff and a good way to understand the reasons behind the decline of the Roman Republic and rise of the Empire.

:cheers:
 
Ford PCs still poised for majority

http://poll.forumresearch.com/post/2835/doug-ford-leadership-march-2018

Amongst those decided an leaning, if an election were held today, the PCs would secure (44%) of the vote. The NDP would secure a quarter (27%) and the Liberals would secure a quarter (23%).

Few would support the Greens (5%) or another party (2%).

The PCs would win 84 seats, while the NDP would serve as official opposition with 29. The Liberals would secure 11.

“Doug Ford's leadership of the Progressive Conservatives has polarized Ontarians, with half saying they are less likely to vote for the party in the next election," said Dr. Lorne Bozinoff, President of Forum Research. “However, four in ten would still vote for Ford's Conservatives, more than enough to propel Ford into the Premier's office, with a healthy majority.  Despite the positive numbers for the Conservatives under Ford, it seems that Ontarians are not so much accepting Doug Ford and his leadership, as they are rejecting the other alternatives."

 
Loachman said:
Ford PCs still poised for majority

http://poll.forumresearch.com/post/2835/doug-ford-leadership-march-2018

Amongst those decided an leaning, if an election were held today, the PCs would secure (44%) of the vote. The NDP would secure a quarter (27%) and the Liberals would secure a quarter (23%).

Few would support the Greens (5%) or another party (2%).

The PCs would win 84 seats, while the NDP would serve as official opposition with 29. The Liberals would secure 11.

“Doug Ford's leadership of the Progressive Conservatives has polarized Ontarians, with half saying they are less likely to vote for the party in the next election," said Dr. Lorne Bozinoff, President of Forum Research. “However, four in ten would still vote for Ford's Conservatives, more than enough to propel Ford into the Premier's office, with a healthy majority.  Despite the positive numbers for the Conservatives under Ford, it seems that Ontarians are not so much accepting Doug Ford and his leadership, as they are rejecting the other alternatives."
And time will tell how fluid the vote on the left is.
 
FJAG said:
:eek:ff topic:

If you liked Caldwell's work you might also like Colleen McCullough's Masters of Rome series:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masters_of_Rome

Absolutely excellent stuff and a good way to understand the reasons behind the decline of the Roman Republic and rise of the Empire.

:cheers:

Thanks for the steer.  I am on to Rubicon by Tom Holland (guilty admission - another re-read, and I was re-reading the Conn Iggulden series before Taylor Caldwell).  I seem to be on another Roman kick.....
 
Thucydides said:
I'm actually more pleased for reasons not mentioned yet on this board. The very fact that Doug Ford is on the table means that all kinds of issues, many of which the Liberals and deeper down Progressive academics, bureaucrats, media figures and politicians simply don't want to talk about will suddenly be back in play...The current "elites" are not going to let go without a fight, however, given that this is the source of their powers and privileges. It is certain that there will be a fight to the last taxpayer to decide if the Optimates or Populares will prevail.

Maybe. And certainly all institutions need scrutiny and a periodic overhaul. And the Liberals have very clearly fallen prey to "second-term-itis". But I would much prefer that scrutiny and overhaul were done in a logical, measured and intelligent way (you know..."conservative") which examines what is good and what is not.

What I don't want, and what I fear under a populist like Ford (or the likes of Granic-Allen who will probably form part of his tent), is that ithe base will be motivated by ignorance, anger and anecdotally-based beliefs rather than facts. Endlessly squawking about "elites" is usually a warning signal for me, since IMHO it normally refers to those rich and powerful people we DON'T like, as opposed to the rich and powerful people we DO like (or who bankroll our campaigns). It's another dog whistle or bumper sticker. Good for rallying the troops, but solves nothing.

Let me stake out my ground.

I am not an extreme social conservative, in the sense that I find discrimination on the basis of personal characteristics; the dominance of religion (any religion) in politics, and the rejection of science that interferes with somebody's political, religious or economic agenda to all be repulsive facets of what is often passing for populism in many Western countries these days. In my opinion, this strain of populism runs strongly in Ford's camp, and even more strongly in the groups whose votes he will curry over the next few months. I am a social conservative in the sense that I believe in private property, free enterprise and small business, law and order (including capital punishment), the private ownership of firearms with reasonable restrictions, and the concepts of responsibility and duty.

To be fair, we had a Ford-like character elected as the PC premier years ago, when Harris got in. He is still roundly cursed by many for things like the municipal amalgamations and the downloading of Provincial Highways and paramedic services onto the Counties, Regions and Districts. However, Ontario survived him, relatively intact. And, interestingly enough, Harris never privatized LCBO as  I'm sure he saw what a cash cow it is.

I remain very, very skeptical.
 
pbi said:
I remain very, very skeptical.

I'm not a fan of populism either.  I also think that Doug Ford does not have a good grasp of complex ideas and is more of a surface kind of guy. 

That being said, I think he'll be surrounded by people that do grasp the complexities of provincial politics.  One thing I will say is that I think that he actually listens.  I just hope he doesn't listen to more extreme voices.

But, right now as much as I am not a fan of Ford I am a rabid anti Wynne voter and am willing to risk I think the outcome of having him as the Premier while hoping the system can keep him in check.  My best outcome would be a minority situation.
 
pbi said:
I remain very, very skeptical.

If Doug looses, he can still have his "grudge match" with Mayor Tory on October 22, 2018. Tory beat him in 2014.

"What's the story, Mr.Tory?!" Over and over and over again...

Doug is ten years younger than Mayor Tory, ( and eleven years younger than Premier Wynne ) so he has that advantage.

On the other hand, I think Doug's not looking too well. Not to disparage anyone's appearance, but he's packed on a lot of weight in a short period of time and his face has a sort of florid look.*

(*Zero days in medical school.)

If Doug wins, it will mean Mayor Tory will have to go up the street to Queen's Park with hat in hand to ask / beg Doug for permission every time he wants to put in a speed bump. How humiliating! hahaha

Remius said:
I also think that Doug Ford does not have a good grasp of complex ideas and is more of a surface kind of guy. 

After following Councillor Doug's 2010-2014 career, and his 2014 mayoral campaign, I am inclined to agree.


 

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