August 28, 2000
Poor ol’ Joe - THE COMMENTARY
By Joseph Planta
VANCOUVER -- I am in receipt of a letter from the Right Honourable Joe Clark, P.C. C.C. Dated August 4th, Mr. Clark writes to tell me that enclosed with his letter is an autographed photo I had requested a couple of weeks before. He calls me Mr. Planta, which is probably out of letter etiquette rather than personal respect and reverence for me. I’ve been rather critical of Mr. Clark as he’s, up to very recently, refused to seek a Commons seat even though he’d been leader of the Tories since the fall of 1998.
The letter, as written probably by a Tory staffer express his “delight” in assisting me in my request for my collection, as well as his looking “forward to (my) continued support in the next federal election.”
I am terribly grateful to the former Prime Minister for his contribution to my collection, but in frank actuality Mr. Clark will be gravely disappointed when my support will not be forthcoming in the next federal election. I wish he, his wife Maureen and his daughter Catherine well, don’t get me wrong, but I cannot grow to support Mr. Clark and his party which is sincerely leaderless.
I know the terms I’m kicking around are rather harsh in light of the fact he sent me a picture, but that’s my private collection and separating that with my political punditry, Mr. Clark has no business being on the federal political scene. His time is up and the only reason I asked for his autograph is that he’s a former Prime Minister.
Speaking of his stint at 24 Sussex Drive, the fact he won the election in 1979 was not because he was a better leader than Robert Stanfield, but because Trudeau had miscalculated his campaign and the Liberals were in desperate need to be turfed from office. Clark was also unfortunate when his vast opportunity from wrestling power from the Trudeau landmark, was stifled when he ended up with a minority government. He missteped as PM committing a huge diplomatic blunder when he moved the Israeli embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. And the minority of 1979 was crushed when in 1980 he lost an election and Trudeau was returned to office.
Joe Clark’s balking at taking a Commons seat forthwith after assuming the Tory leadership in 1998, has caused his own party caucus to haemorrhage as defections have reduced the Tory caucus. His bumbling over the Clarity Act caused public spats between he and Elsie Wayne, which further added to the troubles of Joe as it roughly took place during the time the Canadian Alliance was scooping up disenchanted Tories.
In the past I’ve said that Mr. Clark has done the right thing in not amalgamating into the Canadian Alliance fold. But in doing so he’s marginalised the party to depths lower than the NDP, which is funny because the Tories aren’t as hard right, as the Alliance. Brian Pallister’s defection last week sealed the fate of Mr. Clark. His party will have a hell of a chance to retaining the seats they already have, let alone winning more seats. The Liberals will probably be returned to office and that thought has been in he mind of both Stockwell Day and Preston Manning. It should be in Joe Clark’s mind to, but Joe being the character he is muddles on and at the same time is playing the part of national embarrassment and dragging the party of MacDonald and Cartiér into the depths of political oblivion. Pity, because Joe’s such a nice guy.
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