The Latest Conservative Effort at Fostering Division and Discord

It would appear that Human Resources Minister Diane Finley is in the vanguard of the Harper regime's latest ploy to sow dissension and suspicion, the ultimate goal being to pit Canadians against Canadians.

Finley, whose inept handling of the Employment Insurance backlog earns her zero credibility in my book, seems now to be trying to ignite a war between younger and older Canadians. Using the now familiar Tory ploy of absolutism, she gave an address yesterday to students from Jean Vanier Catholic Secondary School of Scarborough in which she painted a grim picture of their future supporting retired Canadians unless her government acts decisively on the OAS file. You can read the full account here.

By the way, we don't know how the students reacted to her hyperbole - they were barred from speaking to the media, presumably another example of the muzzling this government is becoming infamous for.

An Elephant in the Room

I had a dream last night that Rob Ford and his brother were in my home, and everywhere they sat, the furniture broke. Could it be a metaphor for the policy impoverishment now afflicting Toronto, and accelerated by the firing of Gary Webster?

But then again, I suppose a literal interpretation would not be out of order either.

Video of a Sad Performance

See Ford bark, see ttc commissioners run.

Ford Gets His Way

The blowt king, aided and abetted by his minions, has gotten his way.

Toronto is the poorer for it.

Christopher Hume's Withering Assessment of Rob Ford and His Enablers

That Ford can still find five members of council willing to do his bidding, no matter how transparently shabby it may be, also speaks volumes about the sorry state of Toronto politics. The members of this odious quintet — TTC commissioners Norm Kelly, Denzil Minnan-Wong, Frank Di Giorgio, Cesar Palacio and Vincent Crisanti — shame all Torontonians, including the mayor.

And that's only a small excerpt from an excellent analysis.

A 'Dwarfish Thief' At Toronto City Hall

For those who think Shakespeare has lost his relevance in our time, try out this quotation from Macbeth when you think of Mayor Rob Ford and his abuse of power:

He cannot buckle his distempered cause
Within the belt of rule...

Now minutely revolts upbraid his faith-breach.
Those he commands move only in command,
Nothing in love. Now does he feel his title
Hang loose about him, like a giant’s robe
Upon a dwarfish thief.

The bard was, indeed, a man for all seasons.

The Arrogant and The Obsequious

For those both fascinated and repelled by the abuse of power happening in Toronto, and the obsequious who make possible that abuse, I highly recommend today's column by Royson James, who speculates on the qualities of pusillanimous appeasement that will be required in Gary Webster's replacement.