Unfulfilled expectations are Trudeau’s Achilles heel

Submitted by Geoffrey Stevens on Mon, 03/26/2018 - 09:49

"Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, Or what's a heaven for?" – Robert Browning.

That may be a viable proposition in poetry, Mr. Browning, but it does not work in politics, where a reach that exceeds one’s grasp means expectations have been created but left unfulfilled.

Just ask Justin Trudeau. Unfulfilled expectations are his Achilles’ heel as he struggles to raise the Liberal government out of its midterm slump.

Kathleen Wynne’s search for a path to survival runs through Doug Ford

Submitted by Geoffrey Stevens on Mon, 03/19/2018 - 08:50

There’s an air of unreality about Ontario politics these days.

At Queen’s Park, Kathleen Wynne’s Liberals are pretending it is business as usual. A new session of the Legislature begins at noon on Monday with the reading of the Speech from Throne, and Finance Minister Charles Sousa will follow with his 2018 budget on March 28.

How Kathleen Wynne can use Donald Trump to fend off Doug Ford

Submitted by Geoffrey Stevens on Mon, 03/12/2018 - 10:02

In a demonstration of organizational incompetence seldom seen in Canadian politics, the Ontario Progressive Conservatives found a way on Saturday to deny their leadership to candidate Christine Elliott, who both won the popular vote and carried a majority of the province’s 124 ridings.

Instead, Doug Ford, older brother of Toronto’s late mayor Rob Ford, was declared the winner under the party’s absurdly complicated and error-riven system of “electoral points,” which was heavily loaded in favour of ridings where the party has few members.

Living with the fool next door: trade wars and tightropes

Submitted by Geoffrey Stevens on Mon, 03/05/2018 - 09:43

“Trade wars are good, and easy to win” – President Donald Trump, by tweet, 5:50 a.m. ET, March 2, 2018.

Excuse me, but Donald Trump is a fool – a blithering, dangerous fool.

This is the 21st century. Trade wars are never good. In today’s interdependent world, they may be impossible for any nation to win, even the United States, which is no longer the economic colossus that Trump, stuck in an isolationist time warp, believes it is.

A prime ministerial love affair with social media comes to a sad end

Submitted by Geoffrey Stevens on Mon, 02/26/2018 - 08:53

Social media is a faithless lover, as Justin Trudeau learned to his pain in India last week.

From the moment he was elected in October 2015, the prime minister was the darling of the web. With a few churlish (and generally right-wing) exceptions, social media loved him. He was so handsome, so virile, so articulate, so caring and compassionate – so unlike Donald Trump. He was stylish, and cool. Did you see his tattoo? Just look at his darling socks! What colour will he wear tomorrow?

It’s Mulroney’s potential versus Elliott’s experience in Ontario race

Submitted by Geoffrey Stevens on Mon, 02/12/2018 - 09:12

“You never get a second chance to make a first impression.”– Will Rogers (1879-1935), actor, humorist and social commentator.

The three candidates for the leadership of the Ontario Progressive Conservative party know whereof Rogers spoke. They are scheduled to face off this Thursday night in a debate to be broadcast province-wide on TVOntario. The party says a second debate will be held later, but the date has not been determined.

Will the Patrick Brown sex scandal be a blessing in disguise for Ontario Tories?

Submitted by Geoffrey Stevens on Mon, 02/05/2018 - 09:39

There is a school of thought among Ontario Progressive Conservatives that the worst is behind them, that the scandals and upheaval of the past two weeks will prove to be a blessing in disguise as the party moves ahead with a new leader and fresh resolve to wrest control of the province from the detested Kathleen Wynne and her shopworn Liberals.

A skeptic might dismiss this as cockeyed optimism, but the notion that from disaster will spring great fortune is gaining traction. It is worth examining.

Caroline Mulroney for leader? Not just yet.

Submitted by Geoffrey Stevens on Mon, 01/29/2018 - 08:52

Caroline Mulroney has a bright political future. She may be premier of Ontario one day, if such remains her ambition. But now is not her moment.

Her name was the first out of the mouths of television pundits in the hours following the stunning demise last week of Patrick Brown as the leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservatives – the man oddsmakers were touting to win the provincial election in June. But Brown is gone, his career ruined by exposure of his alleged penchant for inebriated teenage girls.

Opinion-Policy Nexus is a forum of opinion and commentary on topics related to public opinion and public policy. Views expressed in any blog entry are those of the author and do not reflect LISPOP's positions.

Authors

  • Ailsa Henderson
  • Andre Perrella
  • Anna Esselment
  • Anthony Piscitelli
  • Barry Kay
  • Ben Margulies
  • Christopher Alcantara
  • Christopher Cochrane
  • Geoffrey Stevens
  • Jason Roy
  • Jorg Broschek
  • Loren King
  • Manuel Riemer
  • Nikolaos Liodakis
  • Robert Williams
  • Simon Kiss
  • Timothy Gravelle
  • Zachary Spicer

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