Wasting political capital

RE: TORIES BLAST OPP COMMISSIONER’S ‘UNFOUNDED ALLEGATIONS’ ABOUT TAVERNER HIRING, DEC. 13

In a previous letter I made the following suggestion to Premier Doug Ford:

“Ford would be well advised to exhibit a little humility, following the wise words of another political Ford, the 38th president to the U.S. Gerald Ford said, on ascending the presidency, ‘I am a Ford, not a Lincoln.’

Dougie, you too are just a Ford. Unfortunately you appear to be a Pinto. Danger lurks in your rear-view mirror.”

The premier ignored this advice and has been a profligate spender of his political capital. The questionable appointment of Ron Taverner to lead the OPP, Taverner’s purchase of a Ford aide’s home and the questionable “off-the-books, sole source” purchase of a premier-approved custom camper van may prove to lessen the esteem the provincial Progressive Conservative Party holds for him. These events are scandals, not policy issues as those which prompted Theresa May’s no confidence vote from her caucus over Brexit.

As I indicated before, a premier’s shelflife is dependant on the party’s perception of his or her liability factor.

The irony here is that if Ford is indeed a Pinto and that danger lurks in his rearview mirror, then he may just be too late to avoid being rear-ended by a Ford Probe. Henry Kurki St. Catharines